Be True to Yourself

I hope this finds you rested and relaxed after a long Memorial Day weekend!

This holiday is about remembering the people who fought for our freedoms, and it's a good reminder to pause for a moment in gratitude for all that we have. We have so much opportunity to be true to ourselves here in the US, and yet so many of us are too afraid or stuck to live our lives from a heart-centered authentic place. In my article below, I share a technique I use to stay true to myself and my dreams every week. I hope you enjoy!

A dear client of mine found this old email exchange between us in her archives last week from when she was first in a coaching program with me in 2009.

It was a good reminder for both of us about saying Yes to ourselves and No to others in order to be true to ourselves and our businesses. I thought it would be nice to share it with you as well.

By the way, I still do use this technique to stay true to myself, and after a lot of practice ~ I'm pretty good at it now! I hope you block off some time for yourself over this long weekend, too!

Enjoy!

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Hi Joanna!!

This e-mail is another one of what I would like to call your 4As: Amazing Advice As Always!!!

I want to print it and tape it to my planner...

From the heart...

Carving out 3 things: Self-care, On my practice and In my practice...I love it.

Say YES to me and my practice and NO to other people.

Much love and gratitude,

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Dear ,

If it's from your heart, it will touch people and they will pay attention. People respond to things they resonate with, and when you reach out from your heart you connect with their hearts.

Remember that this is YOUR practice, and you can take all the time you need. In fact, it's crucial to take all the self-care time you need.

I know that a rigid schedule isn't for you, and it's not for me either. Let me tell you a bit about what I do and how it helps me. I think I mentioned this at our mastermind last time. I create my schedule weekly based on what's going on and what's available - who's in town, what kind of events are happening, holidays, clients, personal needs etc..

What I have is a commitment to myself each week to do three things: self-care, working ON my practice, and working IN my practice.

When and how I do this changes each week based on what's happening, but it keeps me focused and on track while also allowing the fluidity that I need with my schedule.

This means that each week, on Sunday for example, I sit down with my schedule and carve out these 3 blocks of time for my practice. (Whether it's an evening after work, a few hours on weekend day, etc..)

So here's how this could work for you.

Make a decision to designate 3 blocks of time each week on growing your practice.

• One block is strictly for self-care,
• Another is for working ON your practice (writing newsletter, reaching out to new clients, designing programs/packages, learning new skills, networking etc..)
• The last block is for being IN your practice at your office space with clients or just visualizing, brainstorming and being creative if you don't have any bookings.

This means that sometimes you are going to have to say No to other people and let people down.

But this kind of commitment to yourself is necessary to make the changes and growth in your life so that you can lead the kind of life you want to lead.

It does take a bit of discipline to say Yes to yourself and your practice and say No to other people every week, but it pays off in the end. You're less frazzled, and there is less stress about trying to meet deadlines for yourself.

This is something I am still perfecting, but it has helped me get where I am today.

I hope you have a wonderful vacation! And when you get back, sit down with your calendar and block off some time for YOU.

Warmly,

Joanna