We often feel pressure to have big, bold, elaborate, world-changing dreams, but sometimes we’re less “dreamer,” and more “get-through-the-day-er,”. These are the top 4 priorities you need right now to get through the day and then some.

Just like we’ve found with everything else, being in a pandemic adds a special nuance to spring cleaning! Follow this checklist to get the most out of yours!

BONUS: How to spring clean with friends!

So here’s the first thing: I don’t follow instructions well. Maybe it’s my own personality flaw, maybe I’ve been conditioned this way through jobs that haven’t often come with instructions anyway… either way, it’s true.

And, as a person who can just about always count on a self-fulfilling prophecy, I struggled with following the “define your niche” instructions for entrepreneurs.

This reflection on trees deconstructs our need to have gotten here on our own, to be independent, in service of others but not of ourselves.

I share this in celebration of our roots, trunks and buds that bloom.

Here’s where this is going:

1. Plan A is can make us feel like a-holes.

2. Plan B is better.

3. Plan C is catalytic.

Join me in Plan C.

Our energy impacts everything! It colors the lens we use to see the world and in turn, our thoughts, feelings, reactions, inactions and results.

And it’s not all rose-colored as the catchy phrase may make us think! Paying it forward takes energy and each of us are in a different spot on how much we’ve got these days. I invite you to give yourself some time to consider your own energy and when it comes to paying to forward, check what your energy is first!

Last week in a conversation I heard a tremendous insight: Entrepreneurship is about Intestinal Fortitude.

I’m compelled by the idea and want to unpack it! What is it? And how can we develop it to inch ourselves closer to our biggest dreams, one inch at a time?

Thanks … FOR NOTHING! Tomatillos, scarf that knocked my earring out, hours I spent prepping for clients, calendar I should have paid attention to….

Oh wait, hah! That’s not gratitude.

Oprah said, “True forgiveness is when you can say 'Thank you for that experience,” and provides a useful shift away from the thanks for nothing list.

Before all the anxious self-talk such as, “can I really do this?” and, “who do I think I am?” not to mention, “am I embarrassing myself?” fully set in my mind, I committed to gratitude as an antidote.

• To, “can I really do this?” Gratitude challenges, “Look at how ready you’ve become!”

• To, “who do I think I am?” Gratitude exclaims, “Notice the authentic strengths you bring with you today.”

• To, “am I embarrassing myself?” Gratitude reminds, “You have so many lessons to treasure and apply.”

How can we listen for change? A path to consider: self-assess, brush up on your active listening, and watch out for toxic positivity. Let’s be present and there for each other.

We’re 4 days in - does it feel like it? In his book Transitions, Making Sense of Life’s Changes, William Bridges differentiates change and transitions. Change is external, tangible, goal-driven, visible. Seasons change, furniture changes, the people in our life change, years change. Transitions though, are internal. They take time and intention, and we can have some say in how they go.

What assumptions propel you forward? Hold you back? When it’s time to kick one to the curb, what do you do? 1) Ask the question. 2) Build some momentum. 3) Put it to the test. In December I traveled the distance between one of my growth goals and a related, limiting assumption in order to have a better chance at living up to my best. Let’s test it!

In October, I set a goal to embody the mindset that life offers neither problems nor challenges, only opportunities thinking this would help me successfully take the steps I need to launch my practice.

And how did it go? Medium, and I wasn’t sure why. In December, still absolutely needing to embody this mindset for my own success, I led a challenge with a few other change agents to investigate my immunity to the growth I sought.

This week we’ll use our most recent reflection to unearth the competing or hidden commitments that shape our undermining behaviors and stop our progress on goals.  

Now that growth goals are established, it’s time to proactively reflect about our actions in relation to our goals. Specifically, what are we doing or not doing that undermines, sabotages or derails us from achieving these goals? This is a BIG question that requires fearless honesty, time, and grace. Luckily, you are in the place to draw energy and support from examples, get guidance on how to boost your reflection.

This Change Challenge was inspired by An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization, and one if its frameworks, Immunity to Change Maps. This framework helps us take on the questions to what extent are we immune to the change we seek? And, what can we do to reflect with more attention to achieving our growth goals?

Yep, it’s time for some change. My intention in this post is to both activate my accountability to this community of change agents and inspire some new ideas for you to incorporate as we travel this journey together.

Our energy impacts everything - our thoughts, feelings, actions and results. And don’t forget, we are complex! Each of us have a unique balance of energies that show up differently when we are having a good day or when things have gone totally off course. The more we can raise awareness of our energy - the more we can make intentional choices about how we show up in ways that serve us and our impact on others.

Taking a leap these days can be intimidating. There is insecurity all around us, insecurity in our community feeling safe and heard, insecurity in our ability to stay safe and well, insecurity in finances, and even the insecurity that comes up after a post on social media. No wonder sometimes we fall back from our most authentic, joyful and courageous selves.

But no one is special, and everyone is needed.