Real Talk? I really didn’t want to post on Instagram yesterday. More real talk? This pandemic has been both a gift and a struggle. Yesterday was a really weird mix of both.⠀
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For the last 5 years I often worked 12-16 hour days, 5-6 days a week. The 6 months before COVID I had finally started to narrow down my work day and was getting things to line up exactly how I wanted. It took 4 1/2 years to get there in my business. And then COVID happened and it literally all fell apart into nothing. The bright side has been that it’s given me a chance to focus on my online business that I had already started well before COVID. But if I’m being totally honest, it really sucks to have put in so much work into building a business and not have any idea if any of it will be there when COVID ends. Yesterday was one of those days where I was oscillating between these 2 thoughts.⠀
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I’m not telling you this for any kind of sympathy. I’m telling you this because I think some people can identify with it and get help from what I’m about to say. A lot of people are struggling right now, and I think of myself as being a pretty real and open yoga instructor. None of that woo-woo green juice bullshit. So this is a blog to tell you that sometimes shit sucks and it’s ok to feel that way.⠀
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But it’s also an blog to tell you that after being in your shit, it’s important to eventually take steps towards actually doing something about your shit. No one can tell you how long it will take you to pick yourself back up. That is a totally individualized thing. But someone can remind you that it’s important to do so eventually.⠀
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James Clear was that person for me yesterday. I got his weekly email of quotes (if you’re not on his email list or haven’t read Atomic Habits I HIGHLY recommend you go do both) and this one was what I needed to read yesterday. I hope you find it helpful as well:⠀
“Action forces prioritization. If you’re stuck deciding between options, force yourself to act. You can only act on one thing at a time, which means you will have to make something the top priority.⠀⠀
Even if you pick wrong, you’ll learn something.”‘
That’s where my IG post ended, but I’m going to continue it. Yesterday I wallowed in my shit a bit. Today is a brand new day and I’m choosing action. Last night I meditated using the Calm app (again highly recommend checking it out if you want to get into meditating). Here’s a quote from Judith Minty, who apparently was an English professor and poet (I had never heard of her before):
”I give you this to take with you: Nothing remains as it was. If you know this, you can begin again, with pure joy in the uprooting.”
I found this unbelievably comforting so I hope you do too. I’ll leave you with my own thoughts:
It’s better to embrace the waves and learn to surf than try to fight them and be pulled to sea.
Till next time,
Kate
P.S. If you enjoyed this blog post and want more yoga tips to help you build a stronger, more flexible and dependable body, join my mailing list where I send out weekly tips like this. You can sign up here. Please also feel free to share this with anyone who you think might benefit from these tips!