why I just threw out my 2016 plan

Instead of asking yourself, “What do I want to create in 2016?”

Ask yourself this:

"What is exciting me now?"

Really -

What truly lights you up when you imagine it happening?

What fills your soul by the mere idea of it entering your mind and body?

 

If you don’t know the answer to those questions, then….

 

[DING DING DING!]

 

...you just scored yourself an opportunity!

 

(Yes, you read that correctly. An opportunity. )

vision box

 

Not knowing exactly where you want to put your focus and energy can open up doors to new adventures - IF you actually take a pause and be open to the mystery.

 

Instead of spinning your wheels in whatever you think you should be doing this January, try the following:

 

  • Stop doing what you usually do.

  • Empty the clutter inside and out.

  • Dare to do nothing.

 

Why?

 

If you keep doing what you normally do, you’re not leaving any room for a new idea to enter your being.

 

Action without intention behind it is a ticket to burnout and Netflix binges.

 

Instead, take a conscious pause and LISTEN.

 

Here’s an example:

 

When I asked myself recently what is most exciting me right now, the answer scared me. I knew what wasn’t exciting me - i.e. most of the plans for 2016 that I had laid out back in November - but what was exciting me felt unclear.

 

I tried to plan out 2016 in a different way, but it just wasn’t coming to me.

 

So I gave myself permission to chill.

 

I started reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and decided to donate a big chunk of my wardrobe to Goodwill. I learned how to properly fold my clothes instead of throwing them into the drawers crumpled up. I gave away or threw out things that weren’t bringing me joy in my home.

 

I gave up on trying to make my business plan for 2016 and I cancelled some of the programming that I thought I should be doing. Although the people-pleaser in me freaked out, there was a deep part of me that trusted I was doing exactly what was best for me, and therefore everyone else.

 

I had days where I literally felt like I couldn’t get out of bed. (And I barely did.)

 

Tears streamed down my face as I read chapters of Agnes de Mille’s autobiography - connecting to something within me that I couldn’t quite put words to.

 

The only thing I did binge-watch was Kyle Cease’s “I Hope I Screw This Up” program, which blew my mind apart. (Thank you, Elizabeth DiAlto for mentioning his name on one of your recent webinars.)

 

I sought things that brought me joy and lit me up in the moment - whether or not they made sense or felt “productive.”

 

As I did all that, I realized that a bunch of addictive habits that had crept in in the last few months were falling away. My daily chai latte fix got replaced with a nettles/oatstraw/raspberry leaf tea concoction. Instead of defaulting to Netflix or Facebook in my downtime, the desire to journal and meditate returned to me.

 

And while I’m still not clear on what my 2016 will look like, I’m trusting that it will reveal itself.

 

Let me add in that this all felt risky to me. I’m not independently wealthy, nor do I even have a substantial savings account. To stop working or planning for awhile - in spite of the financial worries that creeped up - was HUGE for me. And it still is. But it’s working.

 

So what next?

 

Of all the clearing out I did, there's one date in January that I decided not to cancel: Wednesday January 27th, when I was planning on leading a workshop.

 

But here’s the thing -

 

It feels stale to call it a workshop or a webinar.

 

I don’t want to lead another “workshop.”

 

But I do want to facilitate an experience - for myself and for anyone who’s game.

 

While I don’t know yet what the exact content will be for this event, I do know what I want it to accomplish:

 

  1. To allow me to be in my truest expression and joy, while giving other attendees permission to do the same.

  2. To dance into the unknown (literally or figuratively) with courage and curiosity, even among fear or doubts.

  3. To create a visceral experience of freedom from past shackles and deep trust in oneself.

 

I envision a room of people, gathered in a white brick room. Tears. Laughter. Connection. Movement. I feel myself in total flow, letting words speak through me and holding space for magic to happen. I imagine leaving that room with a deep sense of knowing in my body, with the clarity I was craving, with the courage to keep going.

 

So if these ideas excite YOU, I invite you to join me for this experience.

 

This is not about me “teaching” you something. This is about you saying YES to that part of yourself that craves a paradigm shift, that knows there’s something else out there for you. I don’t know the answers, but I do know that we can create possibilities together.

 

Click here to register for “This Is Not a Webinar” on January 27th (ONLINE).

 

I recognize that signing up for something that doesn’t really have a name or outline is a little risky. That’s exactly why I am asking you to sign up.

 

A creative life means taking steps into the unknown constantly.

 

This is just practice for the future stuff you’re going to create.

 

Let’s go.

And whether or not you join me for this step into the unknown together, I'll keep you updated on where it all leads me since this blog is another thing that I decided to keep going into the new year ;)

How about you? Tell me in the comments -

What's feeling stale and what is exciting you NOW? 

Will you take any steps to let go or make space? 

 

to the truth in you,

Jess