Letting Go

I just returned from leading an amazing three day Self Renewal Retreat for Women from around the U.S. at the Crossings and am wiped out! (If you attend retreats--thank your retreat leaders profusely--retreats are wonderful transformative experiences for the participants, but truly labors of love on the part of the facilitators/organizers. They take a tremendous amount of energy to lead, primarily because the facilitator is responsible for "holding" the energy of the circle all weekend and ensuring that the experience feels safe and supportive to those present.)

This morning before my yoga class, the phrase "let life breathe you" came to me. I heard this recently from a friend and just saying it really helps me to release, let go and relax.

This is my busiest time of year work-wise. I am organizing and presenting at five national events over the course of about five weeks and this is on top of managing my businesses, coaching clients and hiring for several open positions. (Don't worry, I take a ton of time off in Dec. and Jan. and just scheduled an extreme self-care day for later this month.)

The idea that there is a much larger force that is "breathing" me and is ultimately in charge, sure is comforting!

Like most of us, I can often fall into that mode of thinking that I have to do it all. (Being the oldest of seven kids doesn't help this either.)

This Thursday, I'll be speaking to several large audiences at the PA Conference for Women. I love to speak, teach and to offer new perspectives in the hope that those attending might have a shift and feel more empowered about how they see their lives. But, it's easy start believing that I'm the captain of the ship and it's my sole responsibility to ..... (fill in the blank: create a great experience for my audience, make sure people leave with tools and inspiration, plan out every minute of my child's schedule while I'm gone, etc.). You get the picture.

The quote "For peace of mind, we have to resign as general manager of the Universe" by actor Larry Eisenberg always makes me smile.

Who would want to be general manager of the Universe? Not me, that's for sure. I don't even want to be general manager of my family's laundry!

Learning to let go takes time and it's an ongoing lesson. But man, when you can finally release those tense, stretched rubber bands of feeling "overly-responsible" about whatever it is that you tend to carry on your shoulders, it sure does feel good to hear them "snap" and watch them go flying through the air.