Sometimes the difficult choices need to be made. My mind tries to reason itself into a right answer... but right for whom? My mind often chooses from old patterns and places of fear. It tries to keep me connected to what feels safe and familiar.

My inner guidance, my intuition, my energy, however.... these lift me above the fear. These keep me grounded in the present with an eye toward the future. My inner guidance is always inviting me to choose the next right step along my path that will lead me to the next stage of fulfilling my purpose. My inner guidance invites me into the unknown, where new possibilities await.

This often means difficult choices need to be made, and sometimes I even need to let go of good things. Because sometimes even good things aren't quite aligned.

I've learned that uncertainty is a part of my life and that I need to embrace it. As I make the decisions to leave the comfort of the familiar and step into the unknown, I rarely see the full path ahead or know exactly how things will turn out.
​
I just know that when I trust my intuition and choose from this place instead of from fear, Life always brings me exactly what I need next. So I choose to trust and take the next step, even when it's difficult.

Yesterday doesn't need to define today. Carrying around the baggage of our past weighs us down in the present. Release the burdens of outdated beliefs and unrealistic expectations.

It's often easier to rely on old habits and patterns. But when those are no longer serving you, it's time to let them go.
Declutter your life ... your home, your mindset, your to do list, your information sources, your old beliefs and habits. Explore what is no longer serving you and let that stuff go so you can move forward, unencumbered.

Sometimes the process of letting go comes easily ... and other times, it's incredibly challenging. Letting go can take a lot of practice and patience. It begins with making the choice to do it.

Once we decide, and I mean really CHOOSE, to let go the process begins. Sometimes we choose in alignment with our decision and other times, we don't... it's a practice.
​
Your past needn't define your present or your future. You are free to choose differently.
You are free to make new, more aligned choices.

As year end approaches, I've been reflecting on my experiences and all the growth I've had over the last ten years.... major life changes, shifting old belief patterns, and making new choices in all areas of my life.

My journaling practice helped me process, release, and find a better understanding of my experiences along the way.
As I prepare for the new year, I decided it was time to release all the emotional baggage I had been carrying for so long, and that I was ready to let go of the journals, too.

I kept the two most recent years worth of journals for reference, and amongst a group of supportive women, I burned two bins full.

As I watched them burn, I honored my past while gratefully releasing years of sadness, confusion, anger, guilt, and shame that I choose to no longer carry.

My past has been impacting my present for too long. I no longer wish to let my history influence what I choose in the present.
​
I honor my experiences, lessons and growth and I've integrated what I need to.
I choose not to carry the weight of my past, and in letting go, I create space for the new to emerge.
I choose to ground myself and live in the present.
I'm ready to begin my next chapter, unencumbered.
I begin as I wish to continue, liberated and free.

After YEARS of shedding tears of heartbreak, disappointment, and sadness, I now find myself shedding tears of overwhelming gratitude, joy, and love. I am continuing my emotional healing process by releasing layers of old beliefs and old ways of being ... over 40 years of heavy baggage.

It's not always a graceful process and sometimes, especially in times of stress, I revert back to unhealthy and unproductive behaviors. Sometimes I:
*grasp for control instead of allowing for flow
*act or speak in unkind ways
*refuse offers of help
*close myself off in self-protection
*sabotage the good things in my life
*attempt to push away the people I love

Each time these old habits and behaviors come up, I observe them, learn from them, and then let them go. I continue adjusting and adapting to Life and how it is inviting me to grow next.

Usually November and December is when I set robust intentions for the next year. But I'm listening to the Guidance I've been receiving lately, which has been asking me to wait, to be patient, and to finish this year in a restful state. I have had a few years of intense healing and this year brought many additional closures and endings.

And now I need time to reflect, integrate, and recharge. Sometimes taking a break is more important than pushing ahead.

So I am allowing myself to relax, to play and have fun, and to enjoy life's beauty and pleasures. This doesn't mean I'm not working at all, it just means I am working differently, with more intention, and maybe even working a little less at times... without ANY guilt about doing so.
​
How are you being invited to close out your year?