Hi Friends!

Here we are…at the beginning of a new decade. Are you ready for this? I’ve got an idea I’d like to share with you. What if… instead of setting goals and resolutions… you made a choice to stop the pushing and striving, and just decided to be gentle on yourself…follow what brings you joy and happiness.

Our culture tells us to set the goals, to have a plan, to “make it happen”, to work hard, to achieve. It exhausts me just thinking about it. For 10 more years, for the next decade…pushing, striving – it doesn’t sound sustainable or fun.

What if instead, you choose to be gentle, where you:

• Listen to your heart and intuition on what inspires you, what brings you alive, what has meaning for you and makes you happy.
• Take the time to explore, to be curious about what is calling you. Give your imagination some space and time to dream again, to consider possibilities.
• Develop nurturing practices that take care of you, and build your resilience, so you have all sorts of energy left over for what you love. Think taking care of yourself in nurturing ways instead of being hard on yourself.
• Instead of setting big goals and deadlines, you follow what is calling you, what your dreams and inspirations are, then you dedicate time to it. You may find that without the pressure of achieving something by a certain date it turns into an experience that expands and grows in creative and unexpected ways. If you love giving this dream and inspiration your attention so much, it’s a sign you are on the right path…watch it take off!
• Aren’t hard on yourself, you aren’t critical about not achieving something. Instead, you cultivate an appreciation for your pace and approach, you acknowledge all the progress and success that is happening, you celebrate you more of the time. Often times I work with clients who get disappointed about not achieving a goal they have set, when in fact they have made all sorts of progress and are successful. My practice is keep moving forward, following your head AND heart, take inspired steps that fill you up. Watch what happens.
• Have a community or support system that really “gets you”, where you could lean on them for support and encouragement, for coaching and guidance, where you know you are not alone in this process of your dream unfolding.

I’m not suggesting giving up on a dream at all…just a little tweak from the pushing and striving to a more sustainable process of letting it unfold and expand with joy and resilience.

Being gentle on ourselves is a mindset, a commitment, a practice. There is so much that is hard and difficult in our daily routines, why not fall in love with a way of being that says be gentle! When we come from a perspective of being gentle, we open up to expansiveness, creativity, possibility, joy. We can find a way towards our calling that doesn’t tire us, that gives us all the energy and resilience we desire to live our desires. This subtle shift to being gentle may be just what you need to hear that heart’s desire that wants your attention.

I’ve created a simple reminder for you to keep in your journal or to post on a bulletin board about being gentle. You can print it out here: https://jilldianesaunders.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/J49TOP_Care-Instructions.jpg

As I step into this new year, I am in gratitude for all your love and support, for your kindness, for the ways you are making the world a better place. If I can ever support you with being gentle on this journey, I hope you do reach out!

xo,

Jill