Welcome. Life is full and often messy so I love that you chose to spend a few minutes on this assessment.
I’m delighted that you’re prioritizing your wellbeing and exploring how to continue your journey to wholeness and greater freedom. If you’re here, you may have been following me and my work for a while and you’re feeling ready for what’s next. Or you may be feeling weary and in need of brave community (this is incredibly important!) and deeper support to help you keep going, slow and steady. On purpose.
WEARY AND COMMITTED: name your experience AS YOU READ THROUGH THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTIONS
You may see yourself in some or all of the following descriptions. One is better than the other – the important thing is to bring awareness to where and how we are – to the reality of our current experience. Only then can we intentionally lay a path forward.
I recommend that you set aside 30-60 minutes to journal your responses to these descriptions. Depending on what comes up for you, you could consider bringing your thoughts/feelings into therapy or get out for a walk with a trusted friend and hash it out.
You may or may not have experience attuning to your inner experience. If you’re up for it, notice the parts of what you read that provoke a strong emotion (you may notice this as a thought/story or an image, a strong emotion, or a physical experience). First, just try to name what you notice without judgement. An emotion wheel can help. Bringing awareness to our full lived experience is an important skill. It asks of us to learn to get comfortable with discomfort instead of turning away/running/numbing.
You’re practicing, walking lighter, and feeling hopeful most (or more) of the time
You are being challenged to question, examine, challenge the status quo. You are doing hard work to take responsibility for your mind-body-emotional health and to get honest about what you want and need. You’re beginning to learn more about who and how you are, shame and judgement-free. You’re practicing asking for help and staying with discomfort. Practicing the pause. Practicing presence. Sometimes you tilt a little far or get pulled off course, or get distracted by comparison or shiny things. You are less triggered or reactive than before.
You still struggle with allowing yourself to feel joy because what if something bad comes around the next bend. You may want to quit or occasionally fall back into old patterns. It’s hard to see your progress at times. You benefit from outside witnesses and accountability and understand the value and necessity of brave and values-aligned community (though you may not have found “your people” yet). You don’t always feel safe to be yourself but you’re making progress in using your voice and you feel a new spark of hope and joyful possibility.
You’re committed, have a clear life vision, and in significant and exciting transition
You’re seeking healthy community and releasing old, less healthy relationships. You are finding more freedom, confidence, permission. You are building a healthy and trusting relationship with yourself and you’re becoming more clear on your strengths and weaknesses. You’re learning to give yourself permission to rest and weaving new gentle rhythms, habits, and practices into your life. You notice a feeling of lightness and exhale. You are opening up more and more to the truth that joy and pain coexist in your life. You practice “both/and.” You’re fairly boundaried and resourced and you regularly take imperfect action rather than hiding or living in fear.
You want to give back. Self doubt still arises at times – you’re human after all – but you’re learning to use or reclaim your voice. You’re learning to acknowledge the truth that you are gifted and lovable and though you’re in progress you are deserving of love and compassion right now. You’ve begun or want to craft a compelling life vision. You’re allowing yourself more often to be seen and heard and living with more curiosity and less judgment. Mindfulness and body awareness are increasing. You practice self-forgiveness. You’re quicker to notice your old triggers and default patterns, and quick to gently redirect. You laugh more freely and heartily these days.
STAY THE COURSE
Growth or becoming our most honest and healthy selves is more circular than linear and there is no one-size-fits-all, clear cut road map to wholeness, purpose, and joy for every human. Each new season of life invites us to journey deeper, to stay open to joyful possibility and learn to sit with discomfort and uncertainty, to build upon the scaffolding of yesterday, to make new connections and increase in wisdom and understanding.
And yet, pausing to check-in and notice our growth or how far we’ve come instills a sense of pride, it offers evidence that we are capable of doing hard things, and of the power of one intentional step or breath or conscious choice after another. It deepens our commitment to the work when life feels hard and we want to quit.
At this stage of the journey I recommend focusing on:
- Getting to know and befriend your true self and releasing unhealthy relationships.
- Clarifying your values and crafting a life vision in order to live on purpose.
- Putting down deep, hardy roots of self-awareness and self-compassion and practicing imperfect action.
TWO FREE RESOURCES TO EXPLORE WHEN YOU’RE “WEARY AND COMMITTED”
When you signed up to take the assessment you also received a welcome email that included a link and password to the Resource Library. I recommend you head there and take a look at the following resources:
1.The Feel More Empowered Workshop: just take what stands out to you for now and leave the rest. You can come back later and rewatch when you feel ready. Focus on information that will help you learn ways to calm anxiety or stress and the truth that no matter how long you’ve been struggling with a pattern (of thought, behaviour, emotion) you can learn to create new patterns.
2. The Seasonal Living Resources: a practice of seasonal living helps you make peace with messiness of life. It helps you learn to open up to joy in the midst of pain, grief, or struggle. And it reminds you to consciously scan for the wisdom and beauty in every season of life – even the hardest of them.
