Going Slow to Go Fast
Have you ever been in a situation where the action you’re inspired to take seems contrary to the forward motion you’d like to make?
Me too.
What's your tendency?
Do you take that action? Do you trust you'll get where you're going - or to an even more rewarding destination - more quickly than you'd planned?
That's a big growth edge for me - one that is a lot of fun to play around with.
As I near the end of my pregnancy - nearly 37 weeks - my body is slowing significantly. I’m doing my best to make my top priority listening to what my body needs right now.
What is it telling me?
Slow down. Relax. Nap. Nourish.
Clean. Clear. Prepare. Nest.
Release. Trust. Allow.
It is clearly not telling me to push hard in my business, to finish projects, to accomplish big things in that realm (it’s already accomplishing much in another realm :)).
But that's hard for me to let go of at times.
I am grateful to be in control of my own time - though in the end we all are. I am grateful to be able to take life at a slower pace and honor my body and baby.
This is my first pregnancy, however, where I’ve been the owner and CEO of my own business - which is like a baby unto itself. Putting that baby to rest in a way that will allow me to be present with my family on my maternity sabbatical AND to deliver consistent, compelling content to you, dear reader, seems in conflict with the energy (or lack thereof) I feel in my body. I plan to set myself up to launch - stronger, with more perspective and energy than ever before - when I return.
My body, however, is the one dictating exactly what it needs. My job right now is to listen.
That is the thing about trust: you have to know, deep down, that where you are is exactly where you need to be, that everything is always working out as a part of a much greater plan than you can see.
The only thing in my way of my ability to listen to my body, are my own fixed ideas about how productive I should be, how much money I should bring in, how I should be able to do it all: successfully run my own business, prepare for a new baby, move forward as if I weren't creating a new life inside me and be present with my family all the while.
Being a modern day woman is a paradox at times.
And yet, when I let go and trust, I know that in the end all of that desired productivity won't make a difference in the grand scheme of things. The heights I will reach with my business in the future are clear - and have very little to do with what loose ends I am able to tie up in these last days and weeks.
This summer and early fall, I may have a slew of aligned tips for you and your home... and I may not!
I’m doing my best to trust in divine timing and know that however things settle is exactly as they are meant to.
Of course, that trust wavers - moment by moment, day by day, week by week.
During the full moon energy at the end of April, I asked myself what obstacles were standing in my way - something that can be illuminated more clearly that time of month.
What immediately popped into my rational mind - directly after expressing how I've accepted the slow pace of life right now - was that this slowness is an obstacle to my productivity!
Of course, it’s all in how you look at things. My drive to be productive is most likely in direct conflict with my body’s much greater and more important need for deep relaxation - relaxation in the very bones of my pelvis, in my mind. It is directly in conflict with the energy of opening and allowing in a very new and different kind of energy into my life.
And then there’s that fantastic saying (oh how I love you): "You have to go slow to go fast."
That is something I practice in my business regularly - with quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily planning. I am always more productive when I’ve taken the time to aim my arrow of desire in the right direction.
This shift away from an incredibly productive work life has been a big one for me - a mindset shift more than anything - something that I’ve spent the past eight months unwrapping... with more layers exposed every day.
Depending on how much time the baby allows me, how much my body allows me, and how much I can bend time to accomplish a lot in very short bursts of energy, I do plan to release some amazing new content I’ve been creating.
The piece I’m most excited about is a lower price point workshop all about how to maintain sanity in your life and your home when you have kids in the mix - a topic I’ve become quite intimate with.
How to simplify.
How to declutter.
How to Feng Shui.
How to focus on the important things
How to create a lasting impact
- an easy to maintain space -
so that you are not constantly overwhelmed by the state of your space and the pace of your life.
Turns out, I have a bulk of knowledge on the subject and the project grew in front of my eyes into a 10 part video series: many digestible chunks that take you down a very clear and rewarding path towards sanity in your space as a parent.
Get excited. It's coming - sooner or later. :)
Are there parts of your life that conflict with your joy? Parts of your home? Actions you are inspired to take that feel at odds with where you thought you were going?
Generally there are.
In the midst of this experiment we call life, I encourage you to dig into those places, to listen to that deep inner knowing, to follow your joy and take the actions that come from inspiration... even if that sometimes means slowing down to a pace where you can absorb the essence in order to spring forward faster than you thought imaginable.
I’ll let you know how that goes in my life.
:) Tenaya
