Permission Slips

Do you remember when you were a kid and you brought home a permission slip for your parents to sign? Maybe you have kids now and have recently signed a permission slip.

They were so clear – here is the adventure, where is what is going to unfold, and here is where the grown up signs.

No confusion or ambiguity. The adventure was happening and you were officially invited to it!

There is so much about this I love! Knowing that something unexpected and fun was going to happen. Talk to my parents about it. Daydreaming about the adventure and what amazing things could happen!

No worrying about missing class. No stress about what else might be happening. No fretting about responsibility. There was a plan to break out of the routine and enjoy a new experience.

Sometimes we need permission

Last week, I also stood on stage in front of about 500 people and gave them permission to find the joy in their life. I gave them an actual permission slip and I want to give one to you also.

I was the keynote speaker for the morning session of a national conference. The topic was Finding Joy and Protecting Your Mental Health in Challenging Times. The first thing I did when I got on stage was look out across all the people in the room and took a deep breath. Actually, I took 3 long deep breaths and invited them all to take these breaths with me.

Anytime I’m on stage, I want the experience to last longer than the time I have with the microphone. So we did multiple exercises, because hearing about joy and mental health practices is one thing. Feeling them is another. You know, I love a good action step!

The permission slip was shared towards the end of the session. Once they left the room, once the conference was over, I wanted everyone there to know that they could keep practicing on their own. Have you ever found that it is easier to practice when someone else is leading the exercise? Yeah, me too! So this is one way to remember, we each can do good things for ourselves, by ourselves.

Self care is not selfish. Self care is critical to take care of ourselves so we can keep doing all the important things we do. Self care is critical so we can get up tomorrow and face the hard things. Experiencing joy is part of self care!

I have to admit, after I gave everyone their permission slip I had them all stand up. I had them stand with their feet wide, chest tall, and hands on their hips. Then for 1 minute we all said, “I am AMAZING” over and over and over again. The smiles and laughter and chatter that followed filled my heart! It is powerful to feel a room of hundreds of people step into their joy together! It was such an honor to facilitate that moment!

Golden Nugget of the Week:

1. You have permission to experience joy everyday! Your official permission slip is below.

2. When there is not a natural moment of joy in your day, create it! Have a dance party in your kitchen, call up a friend and tell them they are amazing, or go hug a tree.

3. Sometimes we need to face the hard things that are unfolding in our lives. It is just as important to cultivate joy and goodness in our lives. So remember, life is about both/and…it is not either/or. Last week I sent you an email all about this, how celebrating can feel hard. If you missed it, here it is for you again 🙂

One step at a time

During my time on stage, I shared 7 tools for people to take home. We practiced 3 of them together. I talked about using any one of the tools for just 2 minutes a day. Yes, just 2 minutes a day can change your perspective, shift how you feel, and help you protect your mental health.

Sometimes we think self care is a big ordeal that has to take a long time. It can be. A spa day is always delicious in my book. It is also not always possible, at least in my day to day life. Everyday I CAN find 2 minutes to close my eyes and breath, or think about 3 things I did that I’m proud of, or walk around the block.

It is the small steps that we take each and everyday that can have the biggest impact. Take your 2 minutes every day…you have a permission slip just in case you need it 😉

———-Work with me———-

If my stories and golden nuggets resonate with you, perhaps you want to work with me in a more personalized way!

I offer keynotes, workshops, and trainings for organizations talking about conflict resolution, mental health, and having hard conversations. They are always customized to the organizations, full of action-based exercises, and created to  provide real life tools to use as soon as you leave the session. I share personal stories just like I do here.

I also work with individuals in personal sessions to help you find the way through challenging situations. From coperate coaching to parent training to couples therapy, I’m here to listen, problem solve, and co-create new ways for you to move forward in your life at home and at the office. At times offering in-person intensives where we spend time in action making change.

Go to my contact page and let me know how we can work together!