CHOOSE A NEW CORE VALUE TO FLEX.
Make no mistake. Core values are not simply random ideologies, life quotes, or a collection of words we offer others or ourselves for much-needed inspiration.
Core values are muscles. Actual muscles like any other which can be flexed to improve form and function for greater success in leadership and life. Core values are the true spine of our strength.
1. Pick one of your own core values to work out this week. Select it with intention. Practice it with intention.
2. Write down what you learn and wish to consistently embed into your unique practice of courage.
3. Ask a loved one what they observed in you at week's end. Learn what arises as it relates to this exercise.
Let's get intentional with our gratitude. Whether you already have a gratitude practice or not, this week's exercise is meant to deepen our awareness of the subtle nature gratitude can often assume in our lives. Gratitude is commonly quiet; this week, let's bring it center stage and give it a microphone.
1. Write down your gratitude at the end of each day.
2. Pause to notice the energy in your body when you finish writing down your gratitude. Seriously--pause to notice.
3. Pick a central place to keep your gratitude. In a journal, smartphone, or a post-it note folded up in a mason jar to read at year's end.
Let's put some intentional action behind our weekly intention this week. If we look for external influences to guide us, we will find many everywhere, fostering confusion and emotional exhaustion. If we look within, we will reacquaint ourselves with the one inner voice personalized to us to offer focus and direction--for our lives, our potential, and our purpose.
1. Choose a method or way of quieting the external influences daily this week. A nature walk, meditation, prayer, a workout, a repetitive action of some kind. Whatever works for you to truly get still and listen to the silence.
2. Leave your phone or screens behind during this time.
3. What do you hear? How will you apply what you hear this week?
4. What served you in this stillness practice? What was difficult? Be honest and real with yourself.
Let's bring more intentional exercise to our curiosity this week. Curiosity is a muscle we choose to flex. If we're out of curiosity shape, we can begin to practice by taking conscious note of the beliefs, insights, experiences, and perspectives that call to us.
1. Consider your goals. What would you like to learn more about as you work to attain these goals?
2. Consider your community. Who in your life exercises genuine engagement and curiosity? What is their curiosity made of? If you don't know, don't guess. Ask them. Learn how they flex this curiosity muscle.
3. If feeling deeply out of curiosity shape, simply begin by taking conscious notice of your experiences, surroundings, interactions, and thoughts this week. Jot down key areas that you'd like to better understand or appreciate more deeply.
Awareness of our curiosity is often the first step to stoking its fire. A lit curiosity moves us away from apathy and limiting behaviors and toward intention and purposeful action.
IDENTIFY AND TAKE ONE ACTION TO TAKE BACK YOUR STORY. DON'T PLAY SMALL; NO ONE EVER REGRETS RAISING THE BAR. EVER.
1. What action is best for me to take this week to own my story again?
2. What specific mindset is needed to take this action? How will I pivot back to this mindset when necessary?
3. What impact do I intend to have when I take this action this week?
CHOOSE ONE SPECIFIC WAY TO LEAN INTO JOY AND CULTIVATE IT IN OTHERS THIS WEEK.
1. Who in your life can you offer more joy to this week? Why?
2. How will you show them? What benefit could this practice have for the both of you?
3. Take the action. Listen to the experience. What did you learn by choosing joy and offering it to others with greater intention?
1. Following the initial prompt, observe yourself throughout the week in a variety of situations.
2. Note when you observe and when you transition to thinking or over-thinking. Take heart; give yourself grace to practice.
OBSERVE HOW YOU'RE SHOWING UP.
Observe yourself with self-compassion and curiosity as you engage in this week's prompt.
BRING TO MIND ONE SPECIFIC GOAL.
1. How do you wish to integrate this goal into your life?
2. Name the fears you have with such integration.
3. What must fall away for this goal to become a reality?
4. What will have to rise up for this goal to take shape?
5. Imagine the goal is accomplished. How do you feel?
6. As you reflect on this exercise, what is the next right thing for you to do to create this reality?
1. Yup, you read that right. As you move through this exercise, sit or stand comfortably, close your eyes, and open your palms.
2. Go inward and listen for a few moments. What needs to fall away so you can step further into your potential?
3. What needs to be honored as it falls away so you can fully release it?
4. Open your eyes. Create a plan for how you will specifically honor what is/needs to fall away this week.
5. Whenever you feel weighted down, open your hands and return to this exercise.
1. Take yourself to a physical space where you can get present with yourself with minimal distractions. Just for a few minutes.
2. Go inward and listen. Hear the chatter of your mind. Then place your palms on your heart. Listen to your heartbeat.
3. Take two, long, slow deep breaths. With each exhale, listen to your body. Listen as it begins to speak quietly to you.
4. It will -- give it time. I promise. Our bodies require us to turn inward and be present to listen to their call.
5. What does your body ask of you this week? What does your body need from you this week? Give to it so it may serve you.
1. What do you want more of in your life and/or leadership?
2. What do you want more of in your days? What senses, experiences, and talents do you wish to amplify?
4. How does your inner voice want to speak? What is it whispering to you?
5. In a safe space this week, speak aloud these desires, even if only to yourself. Speak them again.
APRIL 15 - 21, 2018: PRACTICE GRATITUDE.
1. Our purpose lives on the other side of our courage. Free-write this week what feels like the courageous actions you must take to move further into joy, further toward our calling.
2. Note the themes that continue to arise consistently. Take note of the limiting beliefs that surface as well.
3. For every limiting belief, write down an empowering version of that belief. Practice the pivot from fear to love ON PAPER.
Adopt the pace of nature this week. Patience, forgiveness, and presence. Get outside into nature wherever possible. When in nature, time slows down and our senses open up more clearly to the present moment. When we are present, we make more conscious, integral choices.
1. Take a walk, take in your surroundings consciously. What do you seek to forgive? What do you notice in your mind, body, and spirit? What do you see, smell, taste, hear, and feel? What do you somehow just know on the other side of this time in nature?
2. Embed what you learn in nature this week into your goal-oriented actions, whatever they may be. Take note of your energy following each action. Take note of your progress too. Where do you feel empowered? Where do you feel stuck?
3. Should you find yourself rushing in this presence practice, acknowledge the rush with love and choose again.
1. Take a moment to return to the prompt above. Jot down what you learned, what you wish to carry with you.
2. Repeat with another feeling; a feeling quietly (or loudly) waiting for the oxygen it needs to heal by feeling it all the way through.
3. We never reach the end of this work. Therefore, mindfully embed it into your regular integration practice.
1. Take a moment to return to the weekly intention above. How do your scars tell a piece of your story?
2. How is your emerging life purpose being shaped by your scars? And by your healing?
3. Free-write how you wish to serve in a way that honors your own scars and those of others.
4. Embed your strengths, desires, and specific ways you'd like to contribute. Notice what themes emerge.
1. Taking the weekly prompt in mind, practice embedding this one thing into all you do this week. For example, if you chose patience, practice embedding patience into your communication, interaction, daily actions, work, daily living, and self-love.
3. Embed throughout the week and return to your notes. What did you learn about yourself? How will this integration continue to serve you? How does it connect to you stepping further into your potential?
JUNE 10 - 16, 2018: CHOOSE RESONANCE.
2. Observe where this comes easily and where such integration is challenging. Observe with compassion and curiosity.
JUNE 17 - 23, 2018: COMMIT DAILY TO THIS ONE THING.
1. Give space to this one courageous thing. It may be a one-time action or it may be a consistent one.
2. Jot down what you learn, how you feel, and how this action itself (regardless of its result) moves you forward.
3. Exhale at week's end. Notice how this practice can be integrated--one courageous thing at a time--more consciously into all you do.
JUNE 24 - 30, 2018: BEGIN TO UNLEARN ONE THING.
1. Commit to unlearning one thing by releasing it from your grasp. Truths are beliefs held in our grasp. Habits are repetitive actions held in our grasp. Anxious thoughts on repeat are held in the grasp of our mind.
2. Name what you want to unlearn. Write it down. Speak it aloud, to yourself, an empty room, a forest of trees, or to a trusted confidante. Speak it aloud again. Share why unlearning this one thing will serve you and your current purpose.
3. Unlearning is often all about response. Take note of when opportunities to unlearn present themselves this week and your response.
1. Following your observation prompt above, practice I AM statements that resonate with you and serve you this week.
2. Voice them aloud as you practice. For example, state I AM in a conversation with your favorite person, in a job interview or networking connection, in a team meeting, or with your family or community. Note how this impacts your energy and connection.
3. Bonus Step: Notice the I AM statements of those in your care, on your team, in your community.
JULY 15 - 21, 2018: WHAT DO YOU WISH TO SHED?
1. What is pulling and weighing down the deep essence of who you are?
2. What 'shoulds' do you wish to shed to step further into your potential?
3. What are you drawn to now that mirrors what you were drawn to in your youth?
4. Pick one 'should' to consciously focus on shedding this week. How will this serve your energy and your action?
1. Attitude integrates into all our actions. How will you practice an attitude of abundance this week?
2. What actions will you take to further cultivate this abundance?
3. What specifically do you want to remember about your inner abundance in any life weather?
1. Following your free-writing or in the midst of it, take it outside into nature. No matter where you live, find a spot of nature.
2. Speak your free write aloud in nature, even if only to your favorite tree.
3. Note what is propelling you forward and what is holding you back.
4. Consciously name what needs to be named to move forward successfully. Take all the time you need to do this exercise.
We do not integrate who we are into what we do without getting real with the deepest part of ourselves. So listen and honor.
1. Once you take the action, take a moment to jot down briefly what came from it -- internally and externally.
When we take action mindfully rather than mindlessly, we can learn a lot about how actions nourish and empower us. When we fail to reflect--even for a moment--on our actions, we can lose a key ingredient to the action itself -- depth of purpose.
2. What did you learn? What is the next right thing? How do you feel? How will this action serve your purpose?
1. Following the prompt, exercise this honesty in your week. Integrate it into your choices, your actions.
2. When you catch yourself forgetting, avoiding, or numbing, acknowledge this and pivot in love back to the practice. This isn't a destination; this is a practice and it gets easier in time with practice.
3. Take note at week's end how honesty served you well.
We move further into the life we really want when we integrate what we already have with conscious courage.
1. What one action can you take this week to deepen your appreciation of what you already have?
2. What one action can you take this week to step closer to what you want as well?
We commonly block our raw power and intention behind all the 'shoulds' and our believe of 'what is the right thing to do.' Yet our deepest intention never wavers; it waits quietly for us to unearth and heed its wisdom.
It is time to do what feels right to you, regardless of what is expected.
1. Free-write what unkempt intentions are buried beneath the external influences and expectations. Below are a couple questions should you desire guidance in the exercise. You are encouraged, however, to free-write all of what comes to the surface. It doesn't have to make sense -- just begin pen to page.
2. What needs to be heard? What wants to be practiced? What actions will make this possible?
3. Integrate what you learn in this free-write into your life. Share it with a trusted partner or friend. Don't leave it in a journal.
Take ten minutes—yes, only ten—at week’s end to reflect on your integration practice.
Reference the prompts above as needed.
What is going well thus far? Where do you feel stuck or in struggle?
Choose light this week by taking action with the people, places, activities, and things that bring out your inner light.
Take note of what you learn, how you feel, your energy, anything else that resonates with you as you carry out this intention.
Following the prompt exercise, own what you named this week.
Put into practice the one action you will take this week.
Take note of your experience of the practice as much as its outcome at week’s end.
How will you continue to move this forward next week?
Do the next right thing. It may be an actual action, a ‘doing.’ The nudge may also be inaction — more like being.
Heed any and all that rises to the surface of your consciousness this week.
Take note of what you learn by listening to your intuition this week.
How has this served you this week? Name it. Share it.
Practice the strong, positive habits with deeper intention this week. Notice how they serve you in the moment.
Pick two habits that aren’t serving you well. What are you getting out of them? Honor your inner wisdom.
Name the associated triggers; bring these triggers into the light of your consciousness.
Name one way these habits can be replaced or improved for your highest good. How might your strong habits assist you?
Visualize yourself evolving and changing accordingly. What does this more empowering habit feel like to you?
Practice this week. Give yourself grace. Notice what you learn about yourself.
Take action on the prompts above this week. Commit to taking outer action in accordance with who you really are rather than the labels you occupy in your days.
Responsibilities may never leave us but our approach to and engagement with them is always within our reach.
Observe what you learn about yourself in the practice.
Put yourself in the way of nature this week.
Choose to listen to nature as it is — be present to its wisdom without taking from it.
Shadow integration begins when we name our shadows in the light of day, recognizing them and how they serve us.
Acknowledge how these shadows are impacting your current progress.
For each shadow, consider the following: When did I last feel this way? When I did first feel this way?
Share this piece of your practice—THE PRACTICE PURGE—with a trusted soul in confidence.
Once spoken aloud, continue to acknowledge these shadows as they rise up, compassionately integrating them into your awareness as you move forward.
What do I want to integrate more consciously into my everyday this month?
What specific three actions will I take this month to practice courage?
What actions will I take this week to practice courage and joy?
When doubts, anxieties, or the busyness of life rises up, how will I respond?
How will I know I have practiced this week? What outcome or self-observation will mirror my practice back to me?
What truths will I actively continue to integrate into how I show up in the world?
How will it feel to actually integrate these truths into my life, love, leadership, and listening consistently?
Following the prompts above, take a courageous step to name these desires with someone you trust and who will hold sacred space for you as you share them aloud. Share these desires to share more of yourself.