This week has been a whirlwind of ups and downs. It started really great. One of my personal goals for this year is to connect with more people – build relationships, create community, and expand my inner circle. This happens to be associated with one of my core values (connection), which is why it became a priority this year after spending too much time indoors or behind a Zoom black screen last year.
I connected with a ton of fabulous people, many of whom are other women in business. We talked about the importance of business systems, connections, and mentoring. I felt like the week was building momentum in a fabulous direction. What I didn’t realize was that some of those new connections would be with Emergency doctors and nurses…
On Thursday last week, I woke up with a weird feeling in my chest. I got out of bed and realized I had an oddly high blood pressure reading and heart rate along with the chest feeling, leading me to rush into the car (my husband driving) to go to a walk-in clinic and get checked over. On the way, however, I developed chest pains and was terrified at the idea that at 39 years old, I might be having a heart attack. My husband made a quick turn, and to the hospital emergency we went.
When I got there, I was immediately sent to triage, where they found my heart racing at dangerous levels and instantly whisked me into a room to get hooked up to a bunch of monitors and cords.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a heart attack.
Instead, it turns out that an infection that I had before Christmas, which required multiple rounds of antibiotics to finally get rid of, led to suspected damage in my stomach/esophagus, leading to me developing an acid reflux condition (hopefully short-lived).
I’m incredibly grateful for the amazing people who choose to work in an ER. The doctors, nurses, and lab technicians—all were very reassuring and kind and took the time to ensure my heart was thoroughly checked before they switched to the GI tract theory. They helped me realize that my high blood pressure and high heart rate were actually anxiety about having to go into the ER for chest pains at 39 and not some scary underlying condition.
What has this scary experience, added to an amazingly connected week, taught me?
While reflecting on my week, I realized that amid all the chaos, there were many opportunities to connect with people and my inner self. When forced to lay still on a bed for 4 hours and then in a chair for another 2-3 hours, with wires and monitors hooked up so you can’t really do anything, you are forced to think about what brought you to that point. Thankfully, I am healthy, even though I don’t eat as well as I should, and I could definitely exercise more often than I already do. Thankfully, those are all things I can start improving now instead of waiting for another scary occurrence like Thursday.
However, this experience also helped me connect with the future identity I’m working towards. That successful (my version of success…) author and coach helping people connect with their intuition and the possibility of living the life of their dreams through harmony, not hustle. Ultimately, I don’t want to end up in a hospital bed with an actual condition without living fully and in a meaningful way.
Another interesting piece the Universe decided to add to the timing—the book in my purse was Slow Productivity by Cal Newport. It considers the anti-productivity movement, which I didn’t realize I was part of during the pandemic.
It helped me realize that I’m building the courage and determination to slow down in order to achieve quality productivity over hustle. Instead of pushing hard as many do in the coaching, consulting, and even writing industries, I’m embracing strategies and routines in my personal life, career, and business to embrace a slower, more intentional rhythm.
My marketing strategy prioritizes quality and connection over quantity and “stuff,” for lack of a better term. My sales strategy is more about building relationships with people, whether they hire me or not, not cold calling and cold emailing.
Now, with a new prescription for healing my GI tract, I’m also forced to slow down my eating habits. I have to take time to make a healthy meal without fried or highly processed foods. I need to re-learn some cooking strategies that don’t make the pain in my GI tract worse. I also need to slow down to eat each bite and savour it, with breaks in between to allow my stomach to process it better without causing acid reflux.
It's like the Universe decided to shove a message down my throat – SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY!
This really shouldn’t be a surprise to me. Last year, I frequently walked along the pond near my house and sat on a bench to walk the ducks and passers-by. I was embracing simply “Being” and taking the time to really think about who I wanted to become and what that meant for my two businesses.
I am so grateful for that time, as it has helped me realize exactly how my businesses are an extension of me, in the “light” and the “dark,” my yin and my yang. Because they are an extension of me, it only makes sense to consider the strategies and rhythms within them needing to also be part of me.
I could write multiple articles about my journey to embrace the seasonality and cycles of life, my business, and the connection between the two. It has been such a fascinating topic to research and implement in my daily life. I am still learning and tweaking as I go, but it has really been a game changer for my energy levels, productivity (for lack of a better term), and overall harmony in my life.
My goals are in alignment, and my seasons are aligning with my energy levels—everything is starting to click into place.
But what does laying in the hospital with monitors and cords hooked up to my chest have to do with all this?
It reminded me of what I’m not in control of. Those parts of the world that we can’t completely control – some we can influence, like eating healthy and exercising, but we can’t tell our bodies “No, you don’t have a heart problem” or our stomachs “No, you don’t have a soybean allergy.” Sometimes we have to come back to our center and remember, we are only in the Earthly experience for so long. And we can only control so much of it.
Why not embrace the stillness we sometimes feel called to take? Why not slow down and savour the experience along the way?
I plan to enjoy every day, squeezing out joy, laughter, and meaningful connections wherever possible. How about you?
Now, I realize that I’ve been doing the work to figure out what a meaningful future vision means to me. I am so grateful to have the systems and experience to know the destination I’m aiming for and take the steps to get there. My mind keeps coming back to action without a direction, which is a wasted effort. So, I’m glad I now have a clear vision in both my businesses and my life.
Of course, I hope to share how I have done all of the above over time. I’m building programs, free resources, a free online community, and more! But it will be rolling out slowly … I’m planning to enjoy this new journey just as much as any of you who plan to walk alongside me.
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or would like me to explore a specific aspect of what I discuss in my blog. I’d love to hear from you!
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