Creating Space

by Katie Welker

Over the last year or so, I’ve been working with an incredible mindset coach. After working with a therapist on and off for over a decade, I wanted something similar to therapy, but with a stronger focus on the future and how I can live as my most authentic self. Therapy can offer those things too, but I needed to change it up.

While working with my mindset coach, I found myself eager to create more space in my life. It’s like my mind, body and soul were so full all of the time.

There would be times I would need to just sit down and cry. And the best way I’ve ever been able to describe it is that I just felt too full, and the only way I could make more room was to physically release tears from my body and empty out a bit.

And while that feels cathartic and helpful, I didn’t really want crying to be my only solution 😉

So I started to look at how else I could proactively make space.

I started to slow down so I could take a hard look at why everything felt so full.

I started getting to the root of it.

I started asking myself questions.

How was I spending my days? Not just in terms of time, but in terms of energy. Was I spending more time on things than I really needed to? Was I giving too much of my energy to areas that didn’t really value it? Where was I putting my focus? What was I letting reel me in? What did I enjoy? What did I do begrudgingly?

I started to get really curious. And my mindset coach helped guide me through these curiosities so that it was done in a positive, constructive way.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

  1. My grief deserves to be honored and felt, but it does not deserve to linger. Minimizing this creates space for so many other positive, happy emotions.
  2. You can love something and be good at it and still want space from it.
  3. Joy should always ride shotgun in the front seat.
  4. You can take things seriously and still be lighthearted.
  5. Treat others with respect, but put yourself first. You deserve to take up space.

It’s crazy how creating more space has not made me feel empty.

This space is just a conduit for better things to come in.

Because I actually still feel full, but in new ways.

Full of peace. Full of hope. Full of gratitude.

So I encourage you to pause and ask yourself, could you benefit from creating more space?

til next time

xo K

Something old

by Katie Welker

2018 was one of the more ‘solid’ years i’ve had in awhile. It of course had its ups and downs, but it was a year that had me feeling like, well, me. I felt in my own skin more than not, and that was a feeling I want to continue to nourish.

I started a new job at my old company, Creative Circle, and am on a great path with my career. I’m surrounded by people who are creative, smart, kind, and who make me want to do better work each day.

This year I also continued to have the privilege of coaching my old high school cheerleading team. It’s the most challenging job i’ve ever had, but it is easily the most rewarding. I love those girls to pieces and I love watching them grow, both as athletes and as people.

In the past year, a fire has started to burn inside of them. They know they can compete against other incredible teams and hold their own. They know they can go out there and show people how talented and capable they are.

And even though working with a group of teenagers can be tough, it’s pushed me to continue to develop myself as a coach and as a person. I’ve certainly had my own ups and downs, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am a better person because of my experience as a coach. It pushes me to my brink and challenges me to my core, but it brings out so much passion in me that each day i’m overwhelmingly grateful to have this specific opportunity with the old program that raised me.

Most important of all, I spent a lot of time this year with the same friends and family who i’ve had in my corner for too many years to count. My boyfriend and I have now been together for a solid three years, and the foundation we’ve built in that time is more fulfilling than anything i’ve ever known.

I’ve been proactive in spending quality “gal pal” time with some of the most genuine friends I could have ever asked for. My family continues to find ways to be grateful for one another and the life we’ve been given no matter what the circumstances are. We have each others backs and always say “I love you” to one another… what more could I ask for?

So at a time where many are focused on being a “new” version of themselves, or adding “new” goals onto their plates, perhaps it’s just as important that we focus on the old… the familiar.

Let’s be honest about our expectations for ourself, stay close to what already feels good, get rid of what doesn’t serve us, and remember that sometimes finding the best version of yourself doesn’t require you to add on “new” things, it just requires you to look deep inside at what’s been there all along.

xo