Hi, Subscribers. How was your week? This blog uses the power of Play to guide our daily lives. Play can help you grow personally and professionally and helps to power up your creativity, problem-solving skills, and overall well-being. Let’s set ourselves up for success and inspiration and remember to find joy in every step of our development.
It’s time for an accountability check-in. I did not take a nap, nor did I go down the K-drama rabbit hole. The churros were delicious and even tastier since my kid treated us. 😋This was a week of connections. I baked cakes with my mom, caught up with friends, and joined the Identity and Belonging Lab. I also realized I am not always intentional in my communities because of an insightful conversation with my Flowlab5 community. You can learn about both at the end of this blog. Other wins included gently enforcing a boundary and replicating a cherished family recipe. My final win feels more like a loss because I learned that the etymology of concierge is “slave.” Therefore my time as The Clarity Concierge is at an end. 😔I will be The Clarity Confidant from now on since I excel at holding space discretely and confidentially.
This week, we will draw inspiration from the Affirmators! Tarot by Suzi Barrett. Our questions this week come from a wise tarantula named Shelly. What are my intentions for the week ahead? We begin with the Five of Wands reversed. An intention is a plan and can be a guiding light. If we imagine each dragonfly as an intention, it’s easy to understand why they are in conflict. The hardest part of setting an intention is figuring out what you want to do. Most of the dragonflies are locked into 1:1 combat, but one at the top is fighting two other dragonflies. Since they all look similar, they are our to-do list, vying for our attention. There is no shame in your intention being to set an intention.
What are the potential obstacles that might get in my way? The Hanged Man reversed depicts a frog dangling from a rope tied to its back leg. It is hard to surrender to the process. The frog does not look anxious and appears to have a strategic vantage point. I like to imagine the frog looking down at all of the struggling dragonflies. Perhaps it is admiring their agility and the patterns their wings make. I look at what is before me when overwhelmed with my to-do list. Maybe it is my morning coffee or tea, the piles of laundry, or that time-sensitive post. When I deal with the present, the future takes care of itself. Perhaps the mental load you are carrying is causing decision fatigue. I am thirsty, so I intend to remedy that by seeking hydration. I can then parlay that into an intention for self-care without additional effort. How do you deal with decision fatigue?
How can I show up with more kindness and compassion for myself and others? Before I get to the card, can I just say how refreshing and nurturing this simple cup of water is? I took a moment to drink it mindfully and can feel the difference hydration makes. This appears to be in stark contrast to The Tower card. Lightning struck a tower, and a goose tumbled into the fiery aftermath. This is the literal embodiment of “your goose is cooked.” However, geese can fly and are known for their long-distance migrations. If our goose stops panicking, it will realize that it can fly. Choosing to make yourself a priority can feel as if everything is falling apart because you are disrupting the status quo. You may encounter resistance from others and even from yourself. For example, if you are thirsty, you may delay getting some water to finish this one thing. Putting yourself on the back burner teaches others to treat you the same way. Once you begin to assert yourself, they may push back. When I gently enforced a boundary, I was worried that I would upset my friends, but they were very supportive, and I could share my talents AND not feel resentful.
What are the small, achievable steps I can take to move closer to my goals? The Queen of Cups is a beautiful Black mermaid holding a cup with her trusty seahorse at her side. She is all about nurturing and being a water denizen, very much in touch with intuition. The Queen of Cups reminds us that being a leader is caring for our needs. The seahorse observes what she does. Are you modeling supportive behavior? Do your people feel safe around you? We use the “I am okay/You are okay” model where I work. If one party is not okay, we give them the space and time to process their needs. A small step is working on what is in your immediate control. Our biological needs can impact our interactions and decision-making. Hydration is a key part of self-care. What are your current physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual needs? Which one would have the most significant impact? Are you okay? Namaste
“The Identity & Belonging Lab is for impact leaders and aspiring changemakers on a journey to discover—and ACT—on theirs.” If you are interested, you can join here: https://www.skool.com/identity-belonging-lab.
Flowlab5 - “Our mission is to increase access to economic opportunity and support self-employment for the disability, neurodivergent, and caregiver community, creating a foundation for financial independence and sustainable work within their first 5 years in business.” You can join here: https://www.flowlab5.org/.
Registration is open for my January Clarity Playshop! https://forms.gle/CzzYxvDpuHmMGWet6
It’s a great opportunity if you want to:
· Access your intuition and gain crystal-clear vision.
· Break free from analysis paralysis and make decisions with ease.
· Combat burnout and reclaim your creative spark
If you want to incorporate more play to help you deal with the heavy things, my current offerings are listed on my Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/thingstothinkabout. I also encourage you to share your experiences and strategies with the community. Your voice matters, and your journey can inspire others.
