This week, a question was posed to me while journaling: what would you do if it didn’t feel so risky?

Here is my honest and vulnerable response.  Straight from my journal to your inbox:

“I would write.  I would share the words within my heart without restraint or hesitation.  I would be vulnerable as I put pen to paper.  I would share just how deeply I feel: how I hurt and how I love.  

I would buy a home.  A home with an old soul that I’d be overjoyed to call mine.  Its antique wooden bones would show character and a history of being well-loved.  It’d have a big backyard-plenty big for a garden to grow herbs, vegetables, and most importantly, flowers.  I’d fill the home with the people and things I love most.  Every inch of the space would feel like an extension of my deepest intentions.

I would travel…a lot.  Every month, I’d visit somewhere new.  I’d open myself up to new people and experiences.  I’d let other people in…even if that meant, at some point, I’d lose them too.  

I’d slow down and be with myself more.  I’d face my fears and make space for my thoughts.  I’d listen to my heart more and my anxiety less.  I’d make decisions that feel fun and disregard empty obligations and image.  

I’d say I love you more. 

I’d say I’m sorry more.

I’d be more in my body than in my head.  I’d focus on the present rather than project into the future.  I’d hike often.  I’d spend so much time in nature that I was practically one with the trees and the sea.  I’d delete social media and go back to a flip phone.  I’d spend more time in books and in meaningful conversations.  

I’d be unapologetically myself.  I’d commit to joy as a practice and surrender to the good and divine in my life.  I’d be my true Self.  The one that’s beneath the sadness, fear, and anger.  The one that just wants to give and be love.  The one that is soft and gentle.  Untouched and kind.  Vulnerable in every sense of the word.  

I would be her.

I am her.”

I share this note with you in the hopes of encouraging you to ask yourself this same question: what would you do if it didn’t feel so risky?

See what comes from within.  You may be surprised by your answers.  I know I surely was.

Once you see in written word how much you’ve been afraid to do, you can call yourself into action.  Is this truly the life I want to live?  Is this how I want to show up in my day to day life?

We can let the risk scare us from living in alignment with our truest desires for our lives…or we can let the risk inspire us into action.

What can you do to step into the truest expression of yourself?

Who can you lean on for support?

What systems do you need to have in place to allow you to explore risk while still feel safe and held?

Many of us lead lives full of responsibility especially if we are entrepreneurs or leaders within our communities.  It may feel hard, or nearly impossible, to make a change and carve out space in your life for risk.  My biggest pieces of advice if you’re feeling like you don’t have the capacity for change:

~Get honest.  How busy are you actually?  Is 100% of your time actually attached to obligation or are there time sucks that can be eliminated (such as scrolling on social media)?

~Get help.  Call in accountability partners.  Lean on people of inspiration for advice.  Outsource tasks that are eating up your time (and your sanity) to free up time and energy for your truest desires.  You don’t have to make these changes alone.

~Get brave.  The moment we try to take a risk, our minds will try to tell us all the reasons why we shouldn’t.  All the reasons why we should just stay put.  Allow your bravery and hunger for the life you dream of cut through the self-sabotage.  Not everything we tell ourselves is true.  Tap into your inner knowing to access what is true and beautiful for you.

You can do this.  You deserve this.

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