it’s ok to turn your light off for a while
a week ago i posted this on instagram:
the lighthouse, today, is reminding me that i don't have to be shiny and bright all the time... i can let the lighthouses in my life shine bright for me…
it has been a tough couple of weeks, months really, for me personally. i travelled across the world to canada to have one last visit with my beloved grandma, who passed away just 4 days after my return to australia.
even though i planned for a 5 weeks trip overseas, even though i had my goodbye and some closure, even though i knew it was coming… nothing really prepares you for the impact it will really have.
everything in biz and in life kind of came to a standstill for a while… i needed to give myself time and space to just BE.
in the past week i have talked with a biz builder who has been struggling under the weight of depression, who hasn’t been able to do a single thing with her brand new biz because she literally just can’t do a single thing.
i have talked with a biz builder who has been a bit lost with what to do next so she is just taking a complete break and spending time exploring her creativity. she’s worried what impact the break will have, if she will lose followers, lose trust.
i have talked with a biz builder who has had to put all of her ideas and plans for her biz on the back burner while she just copes with life and family and kids and home and all of the other responsibilities that seem to take priority.
i have talked with a biz builder who has lost her mojo after some setbacks and some disappointing results. she’s retreated into life as a stay at home mum, and is wondering how to get back on the horse, get back to creating and dreaming big.
the reason why i wanted to share these stories is because i think we ALL have a story we could share about a time when we just couldn’t work on our biz. when we had to give ourselves a break. you might be experiencing it right this minute.
you are not alone. i am not alone.
you cannot take care of anything or anyone else until you take care of you. you do not have to shine all the time. you can just stand there, you can just be.
here are some ideas that i hope will help…
give yourself permission to have some space.
remember: space creates flow and flow is the opposite of stuck. space is a really good thing! you need it, so allow it. without feeling guilty!
share your story.
i know it seems scary to share something so personal with your biz fans & followers, but i guarantee that someone out there needs to hear your story. when you be you, when you keep it real, when you allow yourself to be vulnerable… really amazing things happen.
plan for it.
reflect back on the past few years and look for patterns. are there other times when life was too busy to get much done in biz? are there other times when you’ve needed to retreat because you just didn’t have the mojo to keep going? are there other times when there were lulls or slow periods that were disappointing.
when you can predict that they are coming you can actually add them into your plans. who says you have to be ON and productive and hustling 365 days a year?
i now plan for every july/aug to be slow because i know i will be in canada. i plan for dec/jan to be slow because it’s summer holidays here in aus and i know i will be playing at the beach. i know that january is about dreaming and planning and working ON my biz instead of IN my biz, so i declare february 1st the new official start of the year.
give yourself the space you know you need, when you know you are going to need it.
surround yourself with lighthouse keepers.
these are the souls that get you and get what you are going through, without judgement. they will help you to keep building what you are building, or at least keep standing, even during those times when it all is too hard. surround yourself with people who will keep shining bright even when you can’t.
when all of the other lights are shining it is ok for you to switch yours off for a little while.
that is the biggest thing i’ve learnt over the past few weeks.
i’m so grateful for the lighthouses in my life and all the love and light sent my way. i’m grateful that i have built a business that allows me to have some time and space. i’m grateful that i went home when i did (and that clearly the universe really is taking care of me).
i’m ok.
and you will be too.
if you need a little light sent your way, please let me know. i’m ready to shine again.
we lighthouses take care of each other.