Do you find that you’re feeling quite fearful right now? With everything going on in the world it’s natural to feel unsettled. I know I have. It’s a time to trust in the process of life. Yes, do the planning, the preparation and take the action, but then trust that everything is happening exactly as it’s meant to be.
I’ve personally been going through a period of transformation, and I’ve been thinking about what it is I’ve been doing. I’ve realised for me this has been a time of 5 R’s. I’m going to share them with you:
1. A time to … Reframe
One of the things I like to do, and do it all the time, much to the annoyance of people that like to complain – is to reframe.
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For example, I don’t like the restrictive feeling around the word, ‘Lockdown’, so it’s been renamed in our house. It’s now called a 🌺 Spring Retreat 🌺 Lockdown has such a negative vibe. Not for me!
Reframe this new version of the world we’re currently in, start to notice how you can feel more positive about what’s going on. Maybe it’s a Spring Retreat for you too, maybe it gives you chance to learn some new things online, or dance, sing, play more. There will be some positives, if only you take the time to look for them.
2. A time to … Retreat
You may have found yourself hiding away, and that’s okay. Perhaps you’ve been over cautious, worried what people might say if you’re out there promoting your business, when there are so many other things to be focusing on. It’s okay as a Queen to retreat, in fact I’d say it’s a vital part of running your Queendom. You will be an all round better leader when you take time to fill up your own goblet, before helping others fill theirs. (My ‘Queen’ role model/inspiration is Medieval, hence the goblet. No chopping off heads in my world though!)
As a leader, aka a Queen, you need to be pro-active and not re-active. You also need to know when it’s time to slow things down.
I’ve been in a place of full stop, never mind slowing down, when it comes to my blog posts. I’ve been trusting I’ll have the right thing to say at the right time. I knew I needed to retreat, rather than step in to sharing too much too soon.
When you retreat, new ideas come forward. You’ll know when it’s time to come out of your safe space, invite in optimism and start planning for brighter things to come.
3. It’s a time to … Recharge
I said in a Facebook post recently, that sometimes you need to step back to step forward, particularly when you’re a Queen. How often do you take the time to recharge?
One of my coaches helped me realise I hadn’t taken a break for nearly two years, so I took a week off, and I have another week off planned very soon. The step back allows you to review what’s working, what’s not, and to replenish yourself. I always say that if you were working for someone else, you’d take time out for holidays, days off etc.
Now is the perfect time to restore your soul, to do all of those things that light you up. What lights you up?
Lots of people are cleaning, decorating and gardening. All wonderful things to do, but what about you? What do you need to recharge you?
For me it’s all things creative, card-making, crochet, doodling, Bullet Journalling, gardening and pottering around the house. Add in some beautiful walks in nature, Qi Gong, dancing, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), lots of reading, some standard journalling and of course many, many cups of cappuccino. That all fills me up, so that I’m ready to serve again.
4. It’s a time to … Reflect
While these times are weird, for sure, they are also the perfect opportunity to spend some time reflecting on what really matters in your life and your business.
As a Queen you want to be your best when you put yourself out there, and that means taking great care of yourself.
We’ve just been watching the second half of the New Amsterdam series (a hospital drama). A Trauma Surgeon has just been introduced to the series, and he was sharing how taking time for his self-care is the best way he can show up for his patients. It was initially frowned upon by a colleague, until he explained why it was so important. While it might seem counter-intuitive, sometimes it’s absolutely THE number one best thing you can do to serve your clients in the best way.
Be gentle and kind to yourself, celebrate how far you’ve come and all that you’ve achieved, both internally and externally. Be mindful of the words you choose right now, whether that’s for you or others.
While you’re probably used to working from home, things may have changed for you, particularly if you have young family to think about, or perhaps you’re spending more time with your other half. Be kind to yourself as you go through a period of adjustment.
Thankfully, my hubby and I get on very well, so we are really enjoying the downtime together. I say downtime, he gets a list of daily jobs to do, I kick butt at home too, haha. Don’t worry, I do my fair share as well!
As part of my transformation, I’ve been doing some work with two lovely coaches – Debi Haden & Janine Kathleen Shapiro, and here are two key things I’ve learned from them over the past couple of weeks, one of the areas we’ve worked on was another one of my 5 R’s.
5. It’s a time to … Release
Debi: Release anything that no longer serves you. If it’s a ‘should’ or ‘must’, then ask yourself why you’re doing it.
Janine: What parts of your life feel heavy?
These are things we already know and, like me, you possibly even work with clients on this, but sometimes we need others to help us move forward. When you go a lot deeper on this, you find out so much more about yourself than you expected. As a Queen, you don’t need to hold onto things that don’t serve you. Banish them from your Queendom entirely and free up some space for lots of fabulous new things to come in.
You won’t need to feel afraid of letting things go, when you trust. You may well have heard the phrase of the opposite of fear being love. It never quite resonated with me. I realised recently, that for me the opposite of fear is trust. Trusting the process of life, trusting that everything happens exactly as it’s meant to, trusting the universe to provide. Fear dissipates when you have this level of trust.
The universe is still supporting you, the universe is still listening, there is still no limit to all that you can experience, even right now. Especially right now, as you take the time to reframe, rest, recharge and reflect – exploring more about who you are and what you want in your life. Maybe you’ll also realise that you need a retreat too.
Remember the universe has a plan for you, are you listening?
PS. You don’t need to be a Queen on your own. If you want support, check out my Straighten Your Crown Sessions.
