It makes me go … wait, what?!
Somehow an entire year has passed since I spent a month in Greece with my almost-2-year-old. (And what a year it has been!)
Since we’re no longer traveling, I've been feeling extra nostalgic and thinking back on what an epic month it was.
… I checked something off my bucket list (I’d always dreamed of recreating the time my mom spent with me in Greece when I was Dylan’s age)
… Celebrated the financial and location independence that allowed me to take the trip, while at the same time awoke to just how much I depended on people in other ways (like for childcare help—HOW do single moms do it??)
… I kickstarted my best quarter ever (while working less than I had in years)
And as I scrolled back through my social media posts from that time, I realized that my most popular one needed to be re-shared (see below).
Because it’s even more relevant now than it was back then.
It’s about how we’re conditioned to block ourselves from receiving.
(And how it’s such a normal part of the way we operate that we usually don’t even realize we’re doing it!)
When I wrote the post, I was talking about how hard it is under NORMAL circumstances.
(It felt SO awkward and "braggy" to me to share posts about my dream vacation in Greece!)
But 2020 has been anything but normal.
And if you’re anything like me, then when your attention is focused on the true suffering of others around you
… disease and death, economic hardship, racial injustice …
That’s when it feels especially difficult to welcome in your own abundance with open arms.
But what if it’s possible (and ok) to maintain your compassion + the ability to examine yourself and your life self-critically … while still receiving MORE?
I say it is. (Even if it’s a work in progress.)
And your job is just to find that balance.
So if lately you’ve been caught in inaction, or working harder than ever but not seeing results, then maybe this blog (and the post below) is meant for you today 💛
Jenna
✨💛✨
Do you let yourself RECEIVE?? Example:
“Oh, no, that’s ok! I don’t want to use up your water!!”
-- said my mom the first night she arrived here at the cottage, after I suggested she use bottled water rather than that awful stuff from the underground cistern that smells like old garbage.
Did you grow up with a model of self-sacrifice, too? Then stick around - you’ll probably get a kick out of what comes next!
A few minutes later we got into an argument over who should get up with the baby in the morning and let the other sleep in: me, who’s been here for weeks and is fully acclimated, or her, who just spent 24 hours traveling!
And over the last two days I’ve marveled at how painful it is for her to let me pay for anything, even though I’m treating her to an all-expense-paid vacay for her “big” birthday.
But even though I’m laughing about it, I’m crying, too…
Because I see versions of this play out every day with my clients, and I know for sure I’ve lived it myself!!
Is it hard for you to receive, too? If so, maybe you find yourself:
❇️ With a sneaking suspicion that YOU’re the one blocking yourself from clients that want to pay you
❇️ Hearing your partner say, “Well why didn’t you just say so?” after you finally blow a gasket and say you need some help
❇️ Feeling guilty about the investments you make in your business (so you just make lots of tiny ones instead, like binge-shopping at Marshall’s)
❇️ Absolutely exhausted from doing everything for everyone and then *trying* to show your biz-baby some love, too. (But everything the biz-baby puts out has to be extra extra perfect if you’re ever going to truly deserve to make money from it!)
❇️ Saying “I’m sorry.” A lot and habitually.
If one or more of these made you go, “Uh, yup!” then I’m dying to share three magic words that will start to shift everything for you:
I’M NOT SORRY.
Say it when your inner critic pipes up to shame you.
Say it before every sales call.
Say it with every investment.
Say it when you do something frivolous.
Say it when you feel weird asking for support / space / understanding / money / love
Say it when you stop yourself from sharing because “others” will think you’re full of yourself.
Say it when you catch yourself sounding like your mother 😄
And then do the thing that made you uncomfortable.
