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As the seasons are changing, we can learn something from tall, strong trees.  They shed their leaves in the Fall, they let them go.  And yet, the trees continue to grow.  Season after season.

And we can learn from the exercise we probably did as kids, the monkey bars.  Swinging from one to the next one could be painful at times–hard work.  But the reality was, you couldn’t get to the next bar unless you let go of the bar behind you.

 

What great lessons in life.  You can’t grow unless you shed things that no longer serve you from one season into the next.  And you can’t move forward unless you let go of things holding you back from behind so you can move forward.

Perspective.  Ah, perspective.  It always seems so comforting upon reflection.  In the thick of things…hard to grab hold of sometimes.  That’s why I find it so important to take a moment and let the electricity of a situation pass if you can before responding.  I’m learning not to let my emotions vote!  Shedding the emotion connected to the immediacy of situations allows perspective to come in for better decisions.  Letting go of your hold on the moment, even for a count of ten, can sometimes open up possibilities that weren’t there before.

And, boy oh boy.  Letting go and Letting God!  How often have we heard that!  I’ve written before about how hard that has been for me.  I’m a Type A…Capital A person!  However, because the process of aging and surviving losses has provided indisputable lessons in how God really is the one in control, I’ve learned it is SO much better to let Him have it.  My faith has strengthened as I’ve learned to let go.  My stress has lessened.  My sizzle has turned up!  YAY!

It’s all so connected.  Exercise.  Meditation.  Prayer.  Letting go of those moments that you think need your immediate attention, action and resolution and the thinking that ONLY YOU have the answers.  Really?  Maybe not.  Letting go and letting situations unfold in God’s timing.  Letting go and letting thoughts and solutions simmer a bit.  Adding that bit of spice or a seasoning tip from a friend that wasn’t in the cookbook.  Sometimes like a wonderful dish, solutions taste better the next day.

I’ve found letting go is powerful.  Of course, I’m not suggesting you sit back and expect God, the Universe or your friends to handle your business while you lie on the beach.  No, it’s taking a step back, taking that pause that can refresh while you indeed make your moves to press on.   Keeps burnout at bay.  I’ve been there, and do not want to go there again.  And, if you haven’t guessed, letting go works in business, in relationships, on days when your body needs a rest…for so much of life.

So, tell me your stories of Letting Go–

When did you let go of something you thought you had to hold on to only to find something better was trying to make it’s way to you in the end?

Hugs,

Amy

 

 

 

 

I love this mug I got from the former “O” store in Chicago.  I love drinking coffee from it and thinking about my “what’s next”.  Life’s journey certainly hasn’t been a straight line.  People look at me and think, “She’s got it made.  What a success!”

If they only knew.

This Harvard MBA and marketing executive has had to weather MANY storms–the Weather Channel ain’t got nothing on me!  Divorces. Lawsuits. Layoffs. Foreclosure. Bankruptcy.  Uh-Huh.  Didn’t know all that, did-ja?  But I’m still standing.  Still smiling.  This mug says is best.  “Use what you have to run toward your best.”  That’s all anyone can do.  The key is–don’t get stuck.

I read.  A lot.  I’ve read about how when setbacks happen, the best way to get over them is to outgrow them.

Outgrow rejection.  Outgrow heartbreak.  That job that didn’t work out.  That lover that broke your heart.  Be someone that would NOT want to be in that job or with that person because you have GROWN into something better, bigger and stronger.  In this way, you can be sure that a life changing event does not have to stop your life.   It change just change your direction.  It can help you PIVOT.

Pivot Points are there to to show you when to make the turns that can help you grow, and growth sometime hurts.  The term “growing pains” isn’t a fallacy.  In physiological terms, muscles and bones actually hurt as they go through growth spurts.  I remember, don’t you?

And, JE-SUS!  When your heart gets broken, when you lose that job, when your business doesn’t gain the heights you thought it would, when the ride or die friend doesn’t ride anymore….you think life is over.  Well, IT ISN’T, unless you decide it is.  What you are facing is a Pivot Point.  Which way will you go?  Forward, Backward or Stuck?

I choose Forward.  And most times, I don’t know what that means.  I only know that if I keep putting one foot in front of the other, through tears, through fear, through …PISSOFF-ITY (that’s my new word for being mad!), I will see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Sometimes, you can’t see the light, unless you see the darkness first.  Because if you don’t see darkness, the light seems frivolous, not worth pursuing, not pragmatic, not practical, not SAFE.

Well.  That’s when Faith steps in. And as Stormie Norman says, God gives you just enough light for the step you’re on.  And guess what else?  YOU are the light at the end of the tunnel.

One of the biggest “AH-HA” moments of Pivot Points is knowing when to turn to YOU! 

Stop giving away your power to someone else to solve your problems. To find solutions.  To make a way.  Seek advice, yes.  Decide for you, NO!!!  You’ve done it before.  You can do it again.  I get it.  Sometimes you are just TIRED.  You want someone else to take over for a minute so you can rest.  Then that minute turns into a week, the week into a month, a month into a year.  Next thing you know, your power is reduced, and you start feeling like you aren’t a BadAss anymore.

Well, Welcome back to BADASS LAND, Dorothy!  Click your heels, three times.  You were already Home.  Time to pivot back to YOU.

What I’ve found is that when you keep moving forward, keep pivoting and making the turn toward a better direction, major surprises are in store!  I am SOOO excited to begin teaching marketing at Loyola University!  Got great advice to seek it out, and I decided to reach out about it months ago, just put it OUT THERE.  And through a long time relationship with a friend who already was teaching there, we became re-connected, and I invested time to explore possibilities.  Was it worth it.  YES!  How did I know?  Even though I wasn’t paid to audit her class, I was EXCITED.  I loved being back in the classroom with students.   Had a ball.  Market-TING is my THING!!  So, I kept moving toward it.  Then when I got the call about an opening to teach with only two weeks to prepare, it was an easy YES.

So, here’s the the deal as I see it.  Life will show you road signs: turn left, right, stop, slow down, speed up.  But the most important thing is:  KEEP IT MOVING.  If you come up to a stop sign, do like you do when you drive…stop, look both ways, but then MOVE ON THROUGH!!

I could keep this post going forever…but I won’t.  You get my drift.

Pivot Points.  Knowing When To Make The Turn.  The benefits are huge: Build Resilience.  Ignite Reinvention.  Embrace Resurrection in all its many forms. Jesus taught us all how to rise from the dead.  Keep the Faith, Trust Yourself, Just Pivot and Make the Turn.

That’s what Sizzling is all about.

Tell me about your Pivot Points!!  I Want to KNOW!!!

Hugs and Love,

Amy