I want to share a little bit more about my personal journey, but I also don’t want to. Do you know what I mean? Do you ever get tired of being in your own sad story and you’d rather tell the story of what’s next? Actually, I’m at the point now where I would rather listen to other people’s stories. So, I do. Randomly. Lol.
I’d rather be encouraging more women to get back on track, even if it’s baby steps. In many situations, it has to be slow going, with baby steps for a while, that’s life. Then at some point, and we have to believe it, bam! We hit it, hit the gas, and are propelling ourselves at warp speed to our goal, we get there, it’s awesome, we’re set, and then we can just set a new goal!
I know about the things that hold us back, and once you get into the world of doing for others 24 hours a day, working to pay the bills, having only so much time outside of the work day, and that absolutely has to go to our family responsibilities or another job, that days turn into weeks into years, and we’re still nowhere.
Let’s help each other. I’m showing up here because I want to remind myself and remind you that we can still find our passions and make the money and get the freedom and build a future and build something for our kids or to help our parents. We can make more money, get the better career, secure our futures, but we have to take small steps because it’s just us. There’s no one coming with a million dollar leave of absence or free babysitting. We can find it, though.
It’s a slow process, moving forward.
For me, I’m at the beginning of final exams week for my Masters degree program. I’ve been writing all day, for three days, had some project to finish last week and another to turn in tomorrow, and the first final exam. My kids are in college, but some of them still demand attention and would you believe homework help? My Monday (7:30 to 4:30) will be all about work, start to finish, so that’s a nine hour block of time that I’ll maybe have fifteen to thirty minutes to study after I procure my lunch and sit to eat it.
Maybe my Monday is just like yours! Maybe not the classes and study, but full beyond trying to make sense of it, we just have to get through it.
Your Monday, and mine, don’t always happen literally on Monday, it could be any day, or a few days in a row are all Mondays.
Like you, some days there just isn’t enough time. All I can do is take a few minutes to make tea, and coffee, and more of each, so I don’t drink too much coffee, but it doesn’t matter because doing school things triggers the coffee desire. Of course, I don’t feel like I’m moving forward, but the masters program is exactly that, but so would taking time to make my website pretty, and that’s not happening before Saturday.
You know what I mean, because we just talked about this a few days ago. Some days our only play in the game is to take care of ourselves and not stop dreaming. What can we do on our ridiculous Mondays?
First, just take some time to breathe. Without thinking, or worrying, or…thinking. Just listen to your breath, even visualize your chest bringing air in and letting it out. If you’re at work or with your kids or family, ok, but just keep your eyes open, nod like you’re listening, and stay calm, pay attention to your long breaths in – in for five seconds, pause, then fill up with air all the way. Let it out slowly.
Then, where do you want to be in one year? Where is home in your dreams? Who is with you? What are you doing there…in your home space…with your favorite people?
That’s it. Just enjoy those thoughts. Your future. A space where you can literally stretch your arms up and out, turn around and smile.
That’s moving forward.
If you feel inspired to make some notes about it in your phone or in a notebook, even better, not required.
This is literally a baby step, and not too much pressure.
Thanks for being here, and if you’d like to get closer to our community, please subscribe to my newsletter, the first one coming out soon, right after my semester ends and I attend my middle daughter’s college grad ceremony this week! Or just stop back later.
The Slow Sojourn 