Last weekend, I took a course that I've procrastinated on for... you will never guess... 23 years.

Whoa.

It was easy to procrastinate on for a variety of reasons. A refresher on old training, let’s say.

Let me share the process I just went through with you because it's significant for all of us.

I talk about freeing up energy when it gets stuck in certain areas of your life, then being able to reallocate that energy and direct it where you want it to create forward momentum. This is a present moment example of that. 

There has been a great deal of adapting on the fly these days, so I thought I would bring that up as a topic of discussion.

As you know, things don't always go as planned. Quite often, we need to pivot unexpectedly in a new direction, one we totally didn't anticipate. 

But adaptation is not failure, nor is it giving up.

Historically, I have been placing a heavy emphasis on how to get things working in my teachings.

I’ve talked about how to exist in hardship, how to move on from that place, and how to deal with the heavy emotions that come up inside you as these situations impact your life experience.

So, let's talk about how to handle things when they actually start working instead.

Very few people talk about holding success once it arrives, about trusting things (and yourself) when they're going well, and not self-sabotaging the good stuff.

There comes a point in every major transformation where you no longer recognize the person you used to be, but you haven't yet become the person you're working toward. It's an unsettling place to stand, but it’s also intensely exciting.

It's your personal blank canvas. What you become next is yours to paint.

This is a short and simple reminder: The small steps you take always carry you somewhere. Whether or not that's where you want to be depends on the baby steps you decide to consistently choose. The small things you do everyday often matter more than the big things you do once, even if they seem too insignificant to matter.

Being resilient isn't always going to feel very strong.

It means wading through what’s tough, making hard decisions and being vulnerable and honest with yourself about how you're really doing. In other words, you express the most resilience when you feel the least comfortable and resilient.

Resilience isn’t about bouncing back.

Imagine this; you’re start a romantic relationship at Point A in your life. You bring your whole self to the table, a heart full of love, but after a time of full emotional investment, it doesn’t work out. You both go your separate ways.

When life asks you for change—to change where you are, what you’re doing, or how you’re showing up, you have to listen. The growth that’s on its way will show up regardless, in one form or another. As humans, we’re built to create not a perfectly manicured life, but a beautifully imperfect one.

New Years is a time of change. Of creating better for ourselves, shooting for the stars and enjoying the process.

I have touched on this topic before, but it's worth revisiting to make sure you set yourself up for success in creating sustainable change and growth throughout the year—without breaking integrity with yourself as so many people do.

There are eleven months standing between us and last January. In those months, you may feel like you've lost some steam. Your circumstances may look different than you had expected or hoped them to when first you jumped excitedly into this year. You may feel tired, even a little hopeless, like your mind and body are trying to wind down with the season but your schedule won't let you. Like you should have accomplished more or are running out of time.

When you make a choice like that, to face something or chase growth, life will meet you in that place to give you exactly what you need: opportunities to face what you're choosing to face. Environments, relationships, circumstances will shift to accommodate your new direction of growth. Life will move heaven and earth, so to speak, to allow you the chance to grow.

When pain feels unbearable, the answer is still love. When the world around us crumbles into chaos, the answer is still love. When darkness presses in, tempting us to collapse, the answer is still love—because love is more powerful than darkness will ever be.

It's exceptionally easy to point fingers and say something negative about someone else. But you know what? It's often even easier to look in the mirror and say something negative about ourselves. It's very true that we can be our own worst critic.

However, there are few things in life that will drain your power faster.

Resistance.

It’s something we all feel and contend with from time to time. It ebbs and flows like the tide, easing us from resilience to the heavy sensation of being stuck, then back again. Fatigue, stress, self care and situational pressure are only a few things that help determine how resilient or resistant we feel on a particular day, or in any particular moment.

Artificial Intelligence thinks so you don’t have to.

It solves problems. It writes, calculates, determines, advises, assists. Not only that, it will talk to you as if it’s your best friend and most supportive colleague. It’s the employee who’s never late and never complains about lack of vacation time or pay.

They say to never look a gift horse in the mouth, but everything comes with a cost.

Being human is a power and responsibility.

We create, we destroy, we love, we hate. We live and die, but in between have beautiful moments of heartbreak and wonder. This life is one fleeting honour to be a part of.

The foundation of this blog and this business is personal empowerment. It’s not fluffy because the world isn’t; it demands a rawness and fortitude from those of us who stand in it. All we can do is live our best lives while we are here.

Sometimes, when you change everything, life gives you everything you asked for.

Often, in the midst of that change, you really have to lean into the faith that everything will all work out in your favour. Control what you can, let go of the desire to control what you can’t. Life is a wild ride. I don’t think any of us can dispute that. If you crave to feel more wildly passionate and alive, you need to create opportunities for yourself to live harder, explore your truths and find out what you're made of.

What was the process like?

Exciting. Deeply fulfilling. Incredible. Incredibly challenging. A dream come true. At times, truly overwhelming.

The Art of Being Human has tested me on so many of the levels I write about inside it. As I’ve talked about both online and in the book, it’s my story but also my legacy. It is everything I have learned in a lifetime of personal development learning and implementation.

You may have heard a similar script in your mind, running on repeat.

I’m not good enough… I’m the exception to the rule… I’ll always come up short… I have the worst luck… Life has it in for me… I’m such an idiot…

If not, that’s great. But if any of these statements resonated, I want you to know that you are normal, not broken.

“It’s hard, just suck it up and accept it.”

An easy statement to make when you’re sitting on the sidelines watching the game.

It’s not so easy to do when you’re the one rolling in the mud. Hurting. Tired. Angry. Forgotten and alone.

The conversation then becomes this… how do you push aside all that pain and carry on when you really want to quit, without sucking it up and pretending you’re not hurting?