Hello, Subscribers. One of my former leaders told us it's not worth doing if it isn’t fun. This forms the core philosophy of my weekly writings and will help you prepare for the week through the power of play to set yourself up for success. As your guide, I believe incorporating play into your daily routine can enhance your creativity, problem-solving skills, and overall well-being, leading to personal and professional growth. I glean insights from my inner child about behaviors and patterns and can help you do the same. Let’s get set up for success. Want this weekly newsletter delivered directly to your mailbox? Sign up and never miss a week.
It’s time for an accountability check-in. We survived the first week of school. My sleep schedule is off its hinges as we navigate school-life balance. Homework may as well be another school day. Preparing the night before was very successful and helped to make a smooth morning routine. My Thursday night audio room was not well attended, but the Mindful or Mind Full: Fomo to Jomo with Nikki St Paul was and had good engagement. I am very excited to be a speaker at the Neuroverse Virtual Summit. It's this coming Friday, and you can sign up by clicking on the link at the end. This Saturday is also my next Clarity Playshop, and you can sign at the link on the end. As you can see, I am still struggling with a jam-packed calendar, but I am taking a day off on Friday and have nothing planned for today.
When most people hear about my process for the first time, they are confused. We are going to use random pictures to tell a story, and this is going to address the issue? It is even worse when I bring out the Pokémon cards. When we get into it and all the connections start clicking and the insights show up, the excitement is palatable. This week, I am going to be my client. I am a career professional with kids and am getting burned out and debating taking a LinkedIn vacation. I will use The Light Seer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne to explore my challenges. I am currently feeling stuck and fear missing out on networking opportunities and clients.
What is the challenge? The 4 of Swords depicts a tan brunette girl with long hair wearing a red shirt and blue pants curled up in a nest. A heart lays at her knee and some red string, maybe from her shirt is caught on some of the pointed twigs that make up the nest. The lady in this card looks peaceful and protected as she sleeps. Rest is a challenge for me. It is not only insomnia, my poor sleep hygiene and tendency to overbook myself does not help. Yesterday, and the day before that, I must have scrolled for about thirty minutes looking for the perfect book or video to help me sleep. I am afraid to slow down to go faster. I feel that resting is a cop-out and that I am hiding from my problems. Yet, when I broke my phone a few months ago, I regained so much time and was able to be more intentional about where I spent my time. When I push myself too hard, I get rundownitis and have to rest anyway. Both of these ladies are doing something nourishing and caring.
What would help? The 9 of Pentacles shows a Black woman with dark long curly natural hair wearing a white dress and plucking a pentacle fruit on which a bird has alighted. She is joyous in this picture. Giving myself time to appreciate what I have created and process what it means for me would help me to better communicate with others. This woman looks confident and carefree. She recognizes her abundance and feels worthy of reaping the fruit of her labor. Perhaps physical, mental, and social rest would allow me to shift my mindset and respond versus react. I know that my best ideas come when I am happy or at play. I even posted this week that rest is resistance, so why be a hypocrite? When I took a week off from LinkedIn, I did come back restored and energized.
What is a way forward? The final card is the 7 of Pentacles reversed. It depicts a white man with a mustache wearing a black t-shirt sharing energy with a plant and a cross-section of the earth below. The plant’s roots are intertwined with seven pentacles. My friend Yinka Ewuola gave me the idea of bamboo. Bamboo develops its roots before finally emerging with remarkable growth. At this point in my life, I think I keep pulling out the roots to see if anything is growing instead of trusting the process. You can’t pour from an empty cup. If the person in the picture were not rested, they would have no energy to share with their plant. Putting this all together, taking the vacation would help me to stop pulling up my roots. It would give me time to be more strategic and confident and allow me to nurture all these projects and have the energy to pour into what matters. I will finish my August commitments and obligations and rest. Namaste
As my own client, how do I feel now? I have a sense of calm about my decision and am looking forward to the results. I am not spending energy thinking about “Will I or won’t I?” I have made a public declaration that will help keep me accountable. If you enjoy this newsletter and would like to continue receiving it during September, be sure to sign up and never miss a week.
Links:
Sign up for my free Neuroverse event:: https://calendar.app.google/85kkw5THoERH5SbU9
FOMO to JOMO: https://www.youtube.com/live/9OnFEMWgv0E
The Clarity Playshop https://forms.gle/KuyHdK59QhuqP5gt9
