I don’t know about you but I find the first half of the year is full of personal growth.

I tend to get a lot of inspiration but an equal amount of growing pains in the process.

Spring for me is a time of renewal but it’s not all tiptoeing through the tulips if I’m being honest.

I find that it all starts to happen in February.  In the past I tried my darndest every year to create new habits and resolutions in January but about a week or so in it  felt like pulling teeth.   I think I need the intensity and impatience of February to feel uncomfortable enough to explore new paths.  For me January just needs to be a time to get oriented again after a busy holiday season.

So for me any renewal and fresh ideas truly begin to seed themselves in February, I find myself a bit up and down in discovery-mode through March and April and then I find my footing somewhere in May once I’ve established a real direction for the year.   

In a world where everything happens so fast and we are given so much information I think it’s important to get in touch with our needs and give ourselves a lot of time to really decide what they are and what direction we want to go in.

Over the past decade I’ve really honed the skill of observing my own patterns which has taken the pressure off of this experience.   It really helps to be able to get in touch with why you are feeling restless, impatient, or overwhelmed because all the clues are in those feelings.  Those feelings are asking for your attention. 

At the end of January this year the angst started percolating for me.  The thought popped into my head to make an appointment with my therapist to see what insights she might have.  And then she emailed me the next day to announce she was retiring!  Crazy.

I was pretty heartbroken to be losing her wisdom.  It took me a long time to find Susan.

We ended up cramming four sessions into one month because I needed to soak up as much as I could.  I actually went into this year with a goal of majorly focusing on parenting especially when it comes to the very complex needs of my eldest child.  And my husband was switching to an even more intense role in his school so I felt like I was going to be parenting alone more often and needed to be prepared.

But what I realized in my final sessions with Susan was what I have had to come back to every single time.   I need to focus on my mental health and wellness and then I can hone any parenting skills from a place of calm confidence.  

So, I got back to where I always find myself.   In my meditation chair in the mornings.   I meditated each day and then journalled about what I wanted to bring into my life.  I tapped into my inner wisdom because I am the expert on my life and experience.  I just need to remember that.  I can read all the books but if I am not in touch with myself then none of these skills can be applied in my own way.     

The truth is that I can only truly control my own reactions and my experience so when I can get a handle on where my real power lies –  things around me just fall into place.

By March I felt so much more in tune with my son’s needs.   My husband remarked that I was noticeably calm in parenting moments – unruffled most of the time especially compared to him haha.   I had become the voice of reason and more of a calm leader in our house setting the tone and the amazing thing is that everyone else seemed to be chilling out a bit too.

This isn’t the first time this setting the tone for the family thing has happened.  A time that sticks out is back when my husband was a newer vice principal.  He was so stressed out and I kept telling him to meditate because it had changed my life.  He brushed it off.  So I decided I wouldn’t bring it up anymore and I would just do it for me.  I got up and meditated every day.  One summer day I meditated in the backyard and then I went around the front to watch the sunrise.   He was already out there having a peaceful moment of his own.  I had to get past that initial feeling of “hey, that’s my sunrise spot, get outta here!” to then feel grateful he was actually doing something to help himself.   Since then he has built his own morning routine that includes meditation because he knows the power it has to change an entire day as much as nutrition and exercise.

Important: Where we put our attention matters.   It has to be intentional.  Good vibes don’t just come out of nowhere.  We have to focus on the positive change we want to create and sitting in meditation amplifies those goals.

On that note, I really think you should meditate with me at a FREE live zoom class next Wednesday night (April 19) at 8pm EST.  You can register here: How To Curate Calm: A Group Meditation Night

This evening will serve to ignite your practice.   

Please join the group to experience:

-Meditating within a group setting (it’s really something!).

-Getting to know me better and experiencing my unique approach to meditation.

-Discuss your experience afterward (if you want) and ask questions.

Take it from me…the girl who nervously met a stranger to learn to meditate over a decade ago and then meditated her way through all of life’s bumps and curves up until this day…this can really help you.

So join me next Wed on Zoom!