Even your dreams will become a prison if you don’t give yourself the room to be flexible.

To change. 

To grow. 

Just because that’s what you wanted 10 years ago, doesn’t mean that’s what you need now.

Here’s your permission to transform. 

I take vitamins and supplements.

I work out 3-5 times a week.

I eat relatively healthy and over the past few weeks I’ve been eating extremely healthy because I absolutely did not want to get sick this holiday season.

But sometimes your body tells you it’s time to rest.

And so the Tuesday before the Thanksgiving holiday, I went from a mild cough to fever, chills, and barely being able to get up from the couch long enough to take more medicine.

But the miraculous thing during this illness was that there was no room to think about anything else.

I didn’t have the energy to be bummed out for not flying home to see my family.

I missed the biweekly call for the Long Table Fellowship (the thing I look forward to the most).

I couldn’t be mopey about being single at the holidays.

Or feel guilty about not shooting new video content.

My only focus was getting better.

Who knew a sinus infection could be so enlightening?

I’m the king of moving in slow motion, of taking my time to make decisions, and not overworking myself.

But I’ve also been putting extraordinary time-based stress on myself with the launch of the Reset Workbook and my new course the 90 Day Reset.

After so many months of hard work I wanted to run across the finish line with a gleaming smile and a six pack of abs.

But to be honest, the lesson I’ve been learning this year is that it’s okay to surrender.

I can’t always fight against the difficulties of life, the overwhelming emotions, the pressure that I mainly put on myself. But I can learn acceptance.

Here’s why the art of surrendering is important in the context of achieving long-term goals:

1. Surrendering is accepting the current situation, even if it’s challenging. It’s stepping out of your current struggle and surrendering to the present moment. That might mean pausing for a moment so you can find your footing.

2. Surrendering doesn’t mean giving up on goals; instead, it means acknowledging and adapting to the reality of the present. This is true resilience in practice because you maintain focus on long-term objectives despite temporary challenges.

3. Surrendering encourages a flexible mindset. Even when you’ve made a plan you have to be open to making adjustments, revisions, and opening yourself up to unexpected opportunities you never would have imagined. And in my case, sometimes it means extending the timeline to achieve those big beautiful goals.

4. Surrendering involves a mindful awareness of the current situation without judgment. This mindfulness can lead to more informed and thoughtful decision-making. By understanding the factors at play, you can make choices that align with your long-term goals rather than reacting impulsively to immediate stressors.

5. Surrendering means conserving energy. Constantly battling against challenges can deplete mental and emotional resources, but not every fight is your fight. And not every problem needs to be solved today. Some things can wait until next week. You have to be discerning where you invest your limited energy.

Surrendering doesn’t negate the importance of goals. It just shifts the focus from resistance to collaboration with the universe.

I’m here currently and I want to be there eventually.

But for now I’ll acknowledge the present moment, adapt to challenges, and maintain a resilient and flexible mindset. 

I’m choosing peace and enjoying the journey from here to there.

PS. I went to a conference for coaches last weekend and it was inspiring and also probably the primary reason why I’m under the weather this week. But there was one more beautiful realization.

I am an artist, a teacher, and a coach. I don’t have lofty aspirations of being a guru sitting on a mountaintop with all the answers; Instead my aim is to share fragments of my heart with you so you’re inspired to ask questions that lead to your own profound discoveries. 

I’m messy, imperfect, and currently drinking elderberry syrup straight from the bottle because, well, there are no clean spoons in this house. And through my journey, I’ve discovered the undeniable truth: imperfect, messy growth is the most authentic path to personal development.  

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There are so many things competing for our attention these days and it seems like everyone is a little more irritable, a little more exhausted, a little more emotionally fatigued.

Given a limited amount of energy, we have to be careful where we direct our focus.

And recently I’ve found my face glued to this magical device that houses all the information in the universe. But more often than not, it’s primary purpose in my life is endlessly scrolling through photos and text and funny videos of little children saying ridiculous things.

When I decided that I wanted to start creating more, I knew the first step was to quiet the noise and focus on producing my own content.

And so I have a question for you: What do you want to create today?

Make it something simple.

Then set a timer for 25 minutes and see how far you get it.

When the timer goes off you’re done.

If you’re in the groove and want to keep going, reset the timer for another 25 minutes.

Do this every day for a month and see your creative practice change your life trajectory.