The missing ingredient for better Mondays...
This past weekend was the first weekend in a loooooong time that I didn’t crack open my laptop to work AT ALL.
Instead, we went to a music festival at a farm on Friday and Saturday and we rode bikes around town to see even more live music on Sunday.
I allowed myself to feel like a kid again, by…
Dancing and swaying to live music in an old barn with twinkly lights (we got to see Jenny Lewis, The Drive By Truckers, and the Wood Brothers!)
Riding bikes around our neighborhood, happily flying on the down hill coasts and listening to local musicians play music from their porch (that's my sweet pastel bike in the pic above!)
Letting go of a “plan” and seeing where our adventures would take us
And here's what I realized.
The amount of fun I had this weekend and the energy I feel today are directly correlated to the amount of PERMISSION I gave myself.
And, I’ll admit, the decision to give myself permission to play this weekend wasn’t entirely easy.
Because I had a To Do List with errands and emails and tasks wanting to be checked off.
And lots of “shoulds” that should’ve gotten done.
And fear-based “not-enoughs” trying to get my attention.
And conditioning that tells us that permission is something to be granted by someone ELSE, not ourselves!
All of this led to an idea…
I want to do an experiment.
Mostly because I need it, but I’m inviting you to join in case you need it too.
What would happen if you gave yourself permission to do at least one thing that nourishes you each day for five days?
... WITH the support of other women doing the same thing and cheerin' you on?
It might be giving yourself permission for a “BIG” thing, like…
Taking that sabbatical at work that you’ve already earned but felt bad about how it might impact your coworkers
Booking that vacation that you’ve been dreaming about since before the pandemic
Following that [persistently inconvenient] whisper to try that hobby or business idea or method of support that you’ve been longing for
Quitting the thing that you’ve been trying to pretend is going better than it really is
Or, it could be giving yourself permission for a “smaller” thing, like…
Making the breakfast you’ve been craving [this morning it was a tomato + basil + arugula + feta frittata - here's the recipe]
Asking for a meeting to be a phone call instead of a zoom meeting so you can be outside on a walk at the same time
Changing something (like your outfit // your playlist // your work environment) to bring more joy to what you’re doing
I invite you and the women in your life to join me for Permission Palooza - it’s happening October 10th - 14th in a pop-up Facebook group*.
Here’s what we’ll do together:
Each day, you’re invited to share something that you’re giving yourself permission to do or be or say yes to.
We’ll cheer each other on along the way.
I’ll do a live report “from the field” each of the five days about what I’m giving myself permission to do and what I’m learning from this experiment.
I’ll walk you through the “Stop Doing List” exercise (one of my favorite heart centered exercises!) on Wednesday, October 12th at 2pm ET. This will be recorded in the group so you can watch it whenever you like.
Here are the logistics:
To join the group, click here. I’ll approve your request to join before 9am ET on Monday, October 10th.
The group will be archived on Saturday, October 15th. You’ll still be able to access the group and all of the posts after the 15th, but no new posts will be added after our 5-day experiment.
*I know many of us are tired of ol’ Facebook (I get it, I am too), but I find that it’s the easiest free way to connect and interact with each other for a small window of time.
What will giving yourself permission do for you, [FIRST NAME GOES HERE]?
I'm so excited to see what nourishment and delight you get from giving yourself permission.
Join us in this free, 5-day experiment!
With love,
Stacy
PS. Is there a woman in your life that could benefit from a big ol' BOOST of permission? Feel free to share this blog post with her and invite her to Permission Palooza next week!
