This week I travel to Los Angeles for the first live meeting of my year-long “Ignite Your Business” Master-mind with Baeth Davis and her Technology Strategy-Shaman, Ben Thule. As I prepare for the trip, both mentally and physically, I am aware that saying “yes” to something new means being willing to say “no” to, or to let go of, whatever was there before.
What’s coming down the pike that is new in your life? Or if you can’t nail that answer down, how about this: what new thing would you like to be saying yes to in the coming months? Now – as you say yes to the new, what will you have to release/let-go of/ say “no” to?
For my sake and yours, here are a handful of tips about shedding that which is not serving you, and making space for the new.
Stuff: Do you love it, is it beautiful, and are you using it? Things actually use your energy. Example: anytime you open that closet door – the one you don’t even want to look inside, notice the energetic toll. That’s what I mean. Feel free to give it away. Leaving it there because “someday” you’ll have a garage sale isn’t really letting go, it’s just procrastination. Need a way to go about the overwhelming piles of stuff? Try the 9-things-for-9 Days approach. I blogged about it here.
Relationships: Do you feel tired every time after hanging out with this person? If so, time to let them go. This doesn’t mean you have to sit down and “fire” them. Just put your attention on the relationships that energize you, and those that don’t will fall away. Be aware of what I call “mirror-learning,” though. If someone is irritating you, it bears looking at yourself to see how the thing bothering you about them, actually applies to yourself. So thank them for being your teacher before letting go!
Time-sucking habits: What’s Yours? E-mail, You-Tube, Facebook, the latest issue of People magazine… The trick with these is scheduling them in, and limiting your time there. Think beforehand about what your aim is. Is it marketing, or is it diversion? Either is fine, but knowing helps decide how much of your precious time you are willing to put there.
Icky But Necessary Tasks: Housekeeping, shopping, tending your yard – what fits on this list for you? I always remember hearing Stephen Covey talk about the point at which he finally realized how much his time was worth, and how senseless it was for him to spend it doing a $10/hour task. Consider that it may be time to hire help. It’s a win-win situation – you give work to someone, and they take care of your icky-task! … This is advice I really need to take myself. It’s a real challenge for those of us brought up to be “self-suficient.”
Old Mind Sets: Is there a pattern to the mental chatter that emerges when you think about the new thing? Are there old messages you are giving yourself that may have out-worn their usefulness? Figure out how you DO want to talk to yourself about it. Talk to yourself as you would to your most cherished friend.
Finally, Make the New Delightful! Whatever new thing you are stepping into, start thinking about it in the most delicious terms possible. For me, that’s words like “miraculous,” “magical,” “amazing.” You have the power to set the tone of what this new experience will hold for you, through setting your intention out loud, through affirmations, etc. So take that power and use the heck out of it!
Coach’s Challenge: Start small. Pick one new thing you want to take on. Now pick one old thing you will let go of. Do it. Let me know how it goes!
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