If you are reading this, it means you survived the first quarter of 2019. You survived!!! How are you feeling? I flashback to the end of 2018 and I remember preparing for the new year making lofty goals and feeling optimistic about what life was getting ready to bring. Anyone else feel nostalgia when you’re on the brink of a new year? I love that feeling. It’s the joy of knowing that a new day is coming, your hopes and dreams are confirmed, and you’re on the verge of the best days of your life. It’s the same feeling I get when I attend an empowerment event. I feel so renewed and the zeal of life rushes in and in that moment I am prepared to conquer the world. Then the new car scent goes away, and the people who championed around me are gone and I’m left with my dreams, a long list of goals and angst.
In this moment I have a few choices, I can look for inspiration on social media but that could lead down a path of “I wish I had her life.” I would then find myself chasing someone else’s dream, mimicking their brand, and once again I will be left unfulfilled. I could explain it away, I could use every circumstance that pops up in life my family, friends, job- they all can make great excuses as to why I am not achieving my goals. Or I can get real with myself, I can steal away a quiet moment and really reflect on the life that I’m living. Is it really my life, or is it the life of an Instagram quote? ATTENTION: It is ok if you’re not booked and busy!!!
We live in a world that tells us we must be relevant and in tuned with the norm. I remember when this self-care craze started and everyone talked about the need to drink a gallon of water, exercise, create a self-care routine, and buy a shirt that said you were doing all of these things. Then post about it on social media because the world needs to know you endorse self-care. This dogma saddened me. Something so sacred as the authentic care of the one temple soul, mind and spirit we have, gets exploited for public opinion and affirmation. Self-care has transitioned from self-intimacy to algebraic equations- under this new principle.
So now we are in quarter two. Welcome. I want you to do something because the posts will start flowing soon of people pushing you to prepare for this new quarter. Asking you to check off the goals you’ve completed and to reflect on the ones you have not. I would like to suggest another alternative. Rest for one day and be gentle with yourself. Look at the goals you’ve created and honestly decide are they really your goals, is this really what you want to do. How do they help you in the long run? Will attending a social event help you manifest your purpose or will it look cute. Complete transparency with yourself is what is needed this quarter. I’ve learned that I only procrastinate when it comes to things that are not my purpose or passion. If it is a goal aligned with my passion, there is nothing anyone can do to stop me.
Total transparency: I don’t like water or working out and I love doughnuts. I have gained about 5 pounds and it is due to the aforementioned. My day of rest has helped me come up with a solution that is intrinsically designed for me. My self-care is defined by me intimately; inner Elle appreciates that. My goals are sacred they are not shared with others because they are not the author and finisher of me. So my friends I encourage you to have a gentle conversation with yourself, total transparency. Start Q2 in light, love, and freedom. I join you on this quest.
With Love,
Elle Harris