BEING CONTENT IN AN OVERSTUFFED WORLD

It’s that time of year, my friends, and we are deeply immersed in all of it:

Holiday cheer and lonely despair.

Overindulging and bellies a-bulging.

Snowmen and cocoa, and relatives who drive us loco.

Busy-ness and fun, desperation for more sun.

Naughty and nice, and falling on the ice.

Activities that are rewarding, like skiing and snowboarding.

Are you exhausted and stuffed? Have you had enough?

December – in the Northern hemisphere at least – is when we are biologically programmed to slow down and turn inward; it’s a perfect time for reflection, cozying up to the fire, and reducing our external obligations.

Yet the season demands the opposite of us: lots of socializing, mass consumerism, and constant cheerfulness that can fray the nerves of the best of us. On top of that, the holidays can be hard if you are celebrating solo or missing people who are no longer part of your life.

If you are a yoga professional or health and wellness coach, you might notice an energetic shift in your clients this time of year, as people are both fired up and frazzled, happy yet scattered . . . often running on adrenaline.

So what’s a person to do?!

How can we authentically enjoy this season without becoming scroogey, or exhausted and resentful? The secret lies in understanding what truly nourishes you, and how much of it you need.

Whether you are considering social obligations or setting 2019 goals for your health and wellness business, I invite you to consider a process that I’ve found helpful, as have many of my coaching clients.

Here’s how it works:

Ask yourself over and over again if the choices you are making are nourishing you.

Things change quickly. Halloween might find you with lots of energy and perfectly satiated, and by December you’re fighting a cold, tired, and “malnourished,” as it were. So it’s worth revisiting your choices on a regular basis to make sure you are appropriately nourished.

It’s easy to become under-nourished in some areas, especially when you are too busy to get enough of what makes you happy and healthy. Likewise, it’s easy to get overstuffed in other areas, partaking in too much of a good thing, which leaves us feeling bloated and unable to actually enjoy the moment.

K.I.S.S. – Keep it Simple, Sister!

You don’t need a complicated system to make this work, just a few reality-checking questions for both your personal life and business life.

YOUR PERSONAL LIFE

• Take stock of your personal life by asking, “What do I need more of right now in order to feel healthier and happier?” AND . . .
• “What do I need less of right now in order to feel healthier and happier?”
• Listen to your heart, trust your instincts, and honor the information you receive. Your first response is usually right on, so go with it!
• Whether you need to increase nourishing activities, or detox from the ones that are making you stuffed, remember that you have to make yourself priority #1 if you want to show up fully for others. So no guilt, no drama, no shame . . . just tuning in, and making the best possible decisions for yourself.

YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE

• The first step here is creating a vision and plan for what you want to achieve in your business in the year ahead. Building a thriving yoga, fitness, or health coaching business should be a fun (albeit not effortless) endeavor! So if developing a strategic vision feels overwhelming, I encourage you to get support for this “Part 1” task (visit my 1-on-1 coaching page to learn more about how I might be able to help you).
• Then you will check in with the same questions you asked yourself in the “Personal” section above, but using your business as the focal point.
• “What does my business need more of right now in order to be nourished and reach my goals?” AND…
• “What does my business need less of right now in order reach my goals for next year?”
• Complete honesty is imperative here! You might feel like you are unbelievably busy all the time, working your hardest, and yet be shocked to realize that 75% of your time is spent on activities that aren’t actually moving you toward your goals.
• Your business is its own unique entity; a separate mouth to feed. While you might be great at giving it the nourishment that is in your comfort zone, what it might need in order to thrive is a brand new recipe, something you’re not quite sure how to prepare. This often requires doing things differently and taking some risks, but the persistence will be worth it – I promise!

Leave a comment:

I’d love to hear how you’re feeling right now, in the throes of December busy-ness. What parts of your life and business need more nourishment, and where would you benefit from a little detoxing? Please share your thoughts below.