mindset

Permission

by Katie Welker

What does your morning routine look like? And trust me, it’s okay if your answer is, “I don’t have one.”

It took a long time for me to create one, and I still let it ebb and flow. But one piece I’ve kept consistent is my gratitude journal.

It’s called “The Five Minute Journal” and I’ve been using it consistently for about a year or so. It’s quick and to the point, hence the name.

This morning I was writing three things I was grateful for in my journal.

1. Sadie (our dog) making me laugh while she galloped in the snow

2. My healthy body and mind

3. Slow mornings and the permission I give myself to have flexibility

Number three is the kicker. I’m always grateful for slow mornings – that’s the biggest piece of my routine I’ve worked to create – the pace. But I often forget to appreciate how I gave myself permission to allow this.

I gave myself permission to create my days this way, and therefore gave myself permission to create my life this way.

No one walked up to me and said, “Hey Katie, you can go ahead and change up your routine and provide yourself some more peace and less chaos.”

I did that. I told myself, “you can do this, go ahead.”

I gave myself permission to slow down.

I gave myself permission to change my routine.

I gave myself permission to do what I wanted simply because I wanted to!

No shame. No judgement. Just joy.

So let me ask you, what will you give yourself permission to do next?

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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