Friday reflection
Replenish
Hello, dear subscribers. I hope you’re not too weary on this Friday. I hope you’re feeling hopeful, and connected to your truest self.
I don’t want to be presumptuous, but nearly everyone I know is feeling depleted right now, so I am going to go ahead and assume that you are, too, in one way or another.
So I want to ask you:
What would be enough to replenish you? Don’t just think about it: Set a timer for 5 minutes (no matter how much you have going on, you can give yourself 5 minutes), and write down whatever comes up for you — in a journal, a blank Google Doc, whatever. Don’t worry about sounding good or smart or reasonable…just write what comes up.
Now, ask yourself: What would be enough to do in service of the vision that your first response began to bring to life?
I did this exercise myself earlier this week, and my response to the first question included dramatically reduced work hours, maybe even walking away from my business entirely for a time to write the book that’s been gestating in me for a while now. When I asked, “What would be enough to do in service of that vision?”, I made a commitment to myself: Start every weekday by working on my book for at least 20 minutes, before I turn my attention to client work. (My story circles continue to reinforce my belief that we can make astonishing progress in in 20-30 minutes.) This morning, I did just that, and wow, the feeling of having my own back was amazing — and heavily replenishing.
Your version of this might look like creating meeting-free Fridays, or biking during your lunch hour Monday/Wednesday/Friday, or taking yourself to the movies once a week. I’d genuinely love to hear what you come up with.
I want to be clear: Sometimes, we can only be in integrity with ourselves by making bigger moves — changing jobs, for example, or going on sabbatical — but so often, that feeling that we’re craving, of soul-level replenishment, is accessible when we’re willing to commit to making small changes.
Because ultimately, that’s what replenishment is about: Restoring our commitment to taking care of ourselves. We have so much power in this regard. We just (….”just”) need to find the courage to exercise it. And that is so much easier when we know we aren’t alone. So again, please share in the comments: What is one thing you will do to turn your vision for replenishment into a reality?
And if joining a Friday story circle might be just the thing you need to replenish yourself, then please don’t forget that your subscription gives you access to one story circle a month. They’re every Friday (including today!) at noon ET/11am CT/10am MT/9am PT, and the Zoom link is the same every time:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4923105028
You are a mighty force ❤️.
- Amanda