In a world that sometimes feels like it's spinning faster than we can keep up, the concept of burnout has become a constant companion for many of us and as I continue to hear all your stories from my chair, I can tell I am not alone. From the lingering shadows of post-COVID fatigue to the daily bombardment of global news, job security worries, election year anxieties, and even the seemingly trivial yet noticeable rising costs of life's little pleasures, like chocolate, stress has become as regular as our morning coffee.
I found myself navigating through this haze, recognizing the need for change but uncertain where to begin. My first step on this journey of rejuvenation and discovery was as unexpected as it was transformative: a Tony Robbins personal development seminar.
Known to many as the self-help guru with a smile lined up like a pack of perfect chiclets (for those too young its perfectly squared up gum that those of us older than 40 remember) that matches his reputation. I'll be honest.... Tony Robbins was a figure I approached with skepticism. His gatherings filled stadiums in a way that uncomfortably reminded me of a promise keeper event.
Yet, desperate for a shift and intrigued by the promise of personal transformation, I committed to the four-day & 11 hour/afternoon experience after an unusual encounter with Sean. He had attended one of his free events. It was a particularly trying week, he was struggling to find time for himself and I had just uncomfortably fired a client for the second time this year. So naturally, both of us feeling low, we were asking for support in all the wrong ways from one another. We were in the kitchen and he had disclosed some uncomfortable news. I was unable to respond, which is particularly common for me to be totally disconnected from how I feel. He asked me a series of questions about what I felt physically before he asked how I emotionally felt. And I just started to cry because I had connected with him in a way I hadn't in almost 4 years. It was a game changer..... a small committed change that he learned in a feebie session.
The seminar was virtual. We cleaned house, meal prepped, got up early, drank our dose of caffeine and sat down to learn new things..... and I was embarrassed at first. Everyone was dancing into their cameras, bounding around, screaming from home.... but it was cathartic at its core.
Somehow, in all my business goals and life goals I forgot how to play. I forgot how to set shit aside. Not everything is a pressing matter that needs to be achieved for the sake of retirement and money. We have sacrificed joy for survival and the stress is taking years off our lives.
Of all the takeaways that are too big to describe, the few things I would like you to remember in the age of social media mindfuck-it-all mayhem is this:
Fuck what anyone else thinks of you especially when they aren't in the arena fighting your fight or something similar to it.
Take 15-20 minutes a day to deliberately unplug and set your intentions... not your goals, your intentions. Mindfully embrace what a life well intended looks like.
Your patterns of behavior are not who you are. Patterns are just survival mechanisms that worked for you in the past. They can be broken. You are capable.
You... all of you. the good the bad and the ugly... is worthy. Like entirely worthy.
And lastly.... drink celery juice. I don't know what that was such a huge daily thing we both latched onto but we did. Every. morning since..... on an empty stomach. lol!
I think I chose a different topic, all hair aside this month because I see so many of you beginning 2024 tired, burnt out, struggling too hard to get ahead, when we forgot to just hold space for each other, remember what it's like to be funny, be disheveled, be imperfect, be you and embrace even the little things you truly appreciate. This spring remember that even caterpillers have to self liquify to be butterflies and it's not always a pretty process...being an adult. I hope a few reminders from this stylist will get you through the dark days of a civil winter ahead..... and if you need an ear, or a bottle of celery juice. I got you.