I can't decide

I had a really hard time deciding what to write about today.

Should I write about all the beautiful feedback we received on last week’s podcast episode? All the women who reached out with some version of “I feel so seen! It wasn’t until I was 30/40/50/60/70 that I understood that my unique way of seeing the world was not a limitation but a superpower, one that lets me serve the unserved, see what is unseen, and fix the problems that would otherwise go unfixed?”

I should probably write about the fact that last week in this newsletter, I described recent events in our family as being earth-shaking, and suddenly on the heels of intense floods and wind here in the NYC area, the east coast literally shook on Friday. And if that didn’t feel apocalyptic enough, the earth will go almost completely dark today. There’s surely a message in there.

(Yep, that’s the view from inside my pocket as I ran while the earth shook.)

Do I write about all the beautiful signs of spring bursting with life around me? I couldn’t stop watching the bickering doves I filmed in my backyard. They pecked at each other in a conflicted mating dance until she (full disclosure: I have no idea if she’s a she, but she is in my mind, so I’m going with it) claimed her right to choose her experience and stepped away for some breathing space. Yay for bird boundaries. May we all learn from them. That would make a great newsletter.

But, what about these flowers? They’re so bright and beautiful and fleeting. So, maybe I should be writing about savoring each moment.

Frankly, I don’t know what to write about. If things feel like a lot to you right now, know that you’re not alone. It feels like a lot to me, too. I just keep reminding myself to keep coming back to the present when my thoughts try to get ahead of me or start wondering what I could’ve done differently in the past. Like all the other “too much” moments in life, we will find our way through if we can stay where we are.

Mindful Monday Journal Prompt

What are you holding right now?

Set a timer for five minutes and write it all down. Don’t let your pen leave the paper for even one second. Just keep writing until the timer stops. When you’ve written it all down, take a big sigh of relief, then look at your big, messy list and ask yourself what most needs your energy and attention right now.

Write that down on a separate sheet of paper. Make a plan for yourself to get focused on that.

Take the other sheet, the one with the chaos, and put it out of your arm’s reach. It’ll still be there when you need to come back to it. When you return, some of those things will have sorted themselves. The others will wait. 

Our mission right now: focus on what matters most, right now. 

Thanks for being here. I’m so grateful that we are in this beautiful mess together.

Rising Higher, Together

This May 17, we will host our first-ever LIVE Uplifters gathering. We still have a few tickets left, so I hope you’ll join me and our guests from the first year of The Uplifters Podcast for a day of collaboration and creative growth in NYC on May 17.

Check out the agenda and get info on tickets HERE. 

Paid Subscriber Bonuses You’ll Find in Today’s Newsletter

✨ You can listen to every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, or wherever you get your podcasts. For those of you who are more visual, you’ll find the extended-cut video of my conversation with Taylor Ratliff from last week’s episode, and hear from her how she makes learning more tailored. (See what I did there? 😜)

✨ Join our April Workshop: Clearing Clutter to Make Space for Self-Care. When your life is filled with excess belongings, making space for healthy habits can be challenging. Join Clutter Coach Melanie Cohen and me for a workshop to help you carve out space for what matters most.