Push. Heave. Ugh! Sweat. Tears. Exhaustion.
Pushing is what must happen to birth a child.
But there is also a time and a place for pushing.
To push for the sake of pushing can create insanity and overwhelm.
I know because I spent last year pushing way too hard in my business.
And I am still exhausted.
Can you relate?
The support I received from my business mentor was all about taking action and pushing through.
Push through the resistance.
Push past the fear.
Push past and ignore the truth.
Just push.
So I pushed. I kept doing the things that didn't feel correct for me. I put myself out there, doing Facebook Lives and boosting ads.
It's really no surprise that I began burning out and Facebook banned my ad account.
It's in those moments that defeat comes up. Exhaustion leads to frustration which leads to beating ourselves up. We second guess our decisions. We believe we are not cut out for this work. We conclude that success is not for us - that it's only for everyone else.
But success IS for everyone of us.
It IS for me.
It IS for you.
The real question is what if pushing is not for everyone? I mean some women choose not to birth a child. Others choose never to birth a business.
We know there are ways around pushing. Having a c-section is an option one may or may not choose.
In business, we can hire consultants or employees. We can also slow down our pace to accommodate right timing or maneuver around unforeseen obstacles.
My point is that you choose to push or not. You choose to seek support or not. You decide to take a different path or not. The choice is yours.
Would it be okay to acknowledge when timing is simply not right? Would it be okay to honor our inner knowingness and align with what feels right?
Then maybe pushing could be a last resort instead of the typical reaction your highly-elevated-cortisol-driven-life created.
There is always a time and place for pushing. Like when you are near the finish line and adrenaline kicks in to get you across. Or when you know a deadline is approaching and you absolutely have to stay up to complete the work.
But if we are pushing just for the sake of pushing, it is time to take a break to reflect on what is working and what is not. It is also a great time to assess how you are truly feeling emotionally, mentally, and physically.
What if you could change your level of pushing? Would you?
There is more to this life than just pushing through. I guarantee you will reap more rewards when you learn to go with the flow with grace and patience.
If you know in your heart that something feels "off", listen to that feeling. Find the right mentors and friends who listen to you and your needs.
Take note if it is time to jump ship from those who are constantly telling you what they want you to do instead of allowing you to trust yourself. Abandon the old ways of being and doing that have kept you stuck for way too long.
For me, it was all about taking a deep dive and assessing what felt good to me in my business and my life. I had to begin trusting myself again. I had to realize that the things I do comes from who I am, not with whom I surround myself. That's a hard thing to learn.
It's not about them.
It's about YOU.
It's about you choosing YOU and honoring your timing, your energy, your wants, and your truth. Let yourself be set free...