Inspiration – Page 3

Forward is Forward

“Slow and steady wins the race.” This has always been one of my favorite quotes.

However, “YOUR SPEED DOESN’T MATTER, FORWARD IS FORWARD” is definitely more reflective of me. 🐢

At various workshops and retreats geared toward entrepreneurs, I have been asked, “Are you a sprinter or a marathoner?”

I REALLY DISLIKE this question. 🐢

I am neither. I am both. 🐢

I am the procrastinator who magically transforms procrastination in a veiled “project plan”- writing it out and setting the direction and timing which REALLY becomes me changing the deadlines and sabotaging myself— but to others this looks like a wonderful marathoner steadily moving along the race. 🐢

The reality- while the race is going on, I am drinking coffee, chatting and texting with people all while binge-watching television at a darling cafe along the race route. 🐢

At some point- probably when the crowds start to thin and the cheers start to fade, I realize that I committed to this race and people are expecting me at the finish line. Waiting with their handmade signs and lovingly cheering me (or tapping their watch wondering where the he** I am). So, I gulp down the last of my americano, tip the waitstaff who are now my bffs and jump back in the race. 🐢

And NOW, I’ve got to sprint. Seriously haul a**. Foregoing sleep and other pleasurable experiences in an effort to get to the finish line. 🐢

Ooooh, I’ll let you in on a little secret. While sprinting (or maintaining a highly erratic and caffeinated jog), I click into a competitive mode where I now want to be one of the best. Not necessarily THE best. I understand that particular honor is reserved for the masterful sprinter or the marathoner who truly has been chugging along in the race. But I want to be ONE of the best. And that competitive drive then kicks me into super-high gear. 🐢

At this stage of the story, you are either thinking I am a total nut job or your new super hero. Either way, I trust that you realize that this is the “Brain of Bryn” at work. 🐢 FORWARD IS FORWARD.

My way. Imperfectly. A little wacky. A lot chaotic. But also filled with delightful coffee, cafés and conversations.

Can you relate?

When You Know Better, Do Better

Woke up with a renewed sense of purpose.

A fresh perspective. A willingness to “do better”.

❤️ Had a long, emotional, honest conversation with a dear friend yesterday. Via FaceTime. So for both of us, there was no hiding behind those long distance phone lines. Tears, laughter and truth written all over our faces.

❤️ Together, we uncovered issues- and the behaviors that led us to the issues- like peeling the layers of the onion. We stayed present. We shared what was really going on. We laughed at how much our lives have mirrored each other’s for the past 30 years. We helped the other map out a plan. To get unstuck.

❤️ This is EXACTLY what I do with clients every day. It was my honor to do that work with a friend. But more importantly, I am so incredibly grateful that my longtime, remarkable friend was there to give me that same gift yesterday.

Just a Thought: It Will Come

It Will Come.

Do not worry about how the good that has been planned for you will come.
It will come.

Do not worry, obsess, think you have to control it, go out hunting for it, or tangle your mind trying to figure out how and when it will find you.
It will find you.

Surrender to your Higher Power each day. Trust your Higher Power. Then, stay peaceful.

Trust and listen to yourself. That is how the good you want will come to you.

Your healing. Your joy. Your relationships. Your solutions. That job. That desired change. That opportunity. It will come to you- naturally, with ease, and in a host of ways.

That answer will come. The direction will come. The money. The idea. The energy. The creativity. The path will open itself to you. Trust that, for it has already been planned.

It is futile, a waste and drain of energy, to worry about how it will come. It is already there. You have it already. It is in place. You just cannot see it!

You will be brought to it or it will be brought to you.

What I believe.

Found this in The Language of Letting Go- one of the many spiritual books on my shelves. It struck me right between the eyes. I cried tears of joy and possibility. YES YES- THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE. I typed it up, printed it out, framed it and put it in my office to read every day.

Now I wanted to share it with all of you. It is what I choose to believe.

What do you hold as sacred truth in your life?

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Rainy Days and Madness

Sometimes my “glass half full” attitude can produce some of the best memories- if I do say so myself.

For much of the summer of 2018, I was in Washington, DC taking in the sights and spending time with important people in my life. Unfortunately, this also included 100-degree days and humidity, as I had truly never experienced before. I felt like a damp, wilting flower most of the time.

Have I mentioned that my favorite season is winter and my very favorite holiday is the first snowfall (an actual floating holiday in my life and business)? So you can only imagine the extra effort it took to keep a happy face and positive attitude during the adventures which often included two kids — who I am certain would have been very content playing video games in the air conditioning all day long. (But it was not going to happen!)

One particularly excruciatingly humid day, after finding cool relief amongst the exhibits at the National Gallery of Art, we decided to make one more stop before going home. The National Archives were only 7 blocks away and the kids really needed to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights up close and personal (said the adults). I mean, we were in D.C., so time to take advantage of all the history there was to offer. Now here is where that “glass half full” attitude of mine comes into play. As we walked out of the museum to head over to the archives, it started to rain. A certain adult in our group thought we should hail a cab or summon an Uber.

But I exclaimed, “It’s only a few blocks and the rain will feel SOOOOO good in this heat!”

After a little discussion, my positive attitude prevailed and off we went.

Oh you know what’s coming, right? You see this movie scene playing out, don’t you?

Me: Soaked through and amused.

Yes, a few blocks away the skies opened up. I mean down-poured. Flash-flooding type of rain. And no matter what we did- where we ran for shelter, we were getting soaked. So, what did this woman filled with positive attitude say, “let’s just keep going because we are wet already”. By the time we walked into the National Archives, you could literally wring out our clothes, shoes and bag and now we were freezing from the blasting air conditioning. The other three were not a happy bunch, but I just kept laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

A few days later, it was our last day in the city and I did not want to let the rain stop us. No one wants to sit inside on the last day. Time for some adventures. However, this time I knew I needed to redeem myself from the prior soppy adventure. Solution: I bought 4 of the most fantastic umbrellas I could find at a moment’s notice. We were going to tackle this adventure in style. We danced in the rain. We laughed and splashed and twirled the umbrellas. More great memories- just a little drier this time.

Making memories. Making fun. Making lemonade from lemons.

These stories will serve as a great reminder to me on the days that I feel defeated or when circumstances are overwhelming or fraught with obstacles. Time to dig in deep and pull out my positive attitude and maybe that colorful umbrella.

Breaking the Rules

Last year, I did some thinking about the concept of choosing my ONE WORD. One word for the year, as so many inspirational leaders suggest. And I suppose I can just jump to the bottom line and tell you that there will not be one word for the year. I am a gal who needs one word for the MONTH.

January: Recalibrate. That is the word I chose.

Recalibrating in January. It was a month of doing a bit of an assessment– what is working in my life and business and what is NOT working. Then, I made a list of some things that could stand to change in 2018 (not any “resolutions”, but a little list in a journal and a couple of post it notes that basically honed in on a few action items).

From there, rather than fully recalibrating, I left the journal and post it notes in a corner of my bedroom and… proceeded to continue to indulge for the rest of the January- just as I had done in December. Eating off my plan. Not exercising much. Watching Hulu. Hanging out for hours with friends. Determining some critical next moves in my business, yet not stepping into them at all. Honestly, it felt great!

January. The month of the traditional New Year. My birthday. My Bryn Johnson Group company anniversary. Snow. The month when I am still celebrating- like residual happiness from the holiday season.

And why not?

Who says that I must start all these new behaviors and idea implementation in January? Well—THEY do. Whoever THEY is.

Just for the record. I am done listening to THEY.

I realize that I always do this type of January celebrating and acting on my “not quite ready to get started yet” feeling – every year. It is actually part of the recalibrating. Well, this year I said to myself, “What if I break the ‘rules’ and begin my year in February instead of January?”

Mind blowing!

Result: I declared that my year in business and life runs February to January.

Wow, that felt so freeing!! It immediately brought me such a happy feeling.

So I started thinking, what other “rules” could I break? Ideas that are just not working for me, but I continue to take action on them based on a false sense of what THEY might say. What I am “supposed” to do. What is expected of me by people I cannot name, but who feel very real.

I came up with a couple of quick ones off the top of my head:

THEY: Your Christmas tree should be put away by Epiphany/ Three Kings Day/ January 6 every year.

MY RESPONSE: Rather than putting it away, I decorated my 7-ft pencil Christmas tree (perfect for NYC apartment living) with hearts, ribbons, sequins, glitter, red, pink and white for Valentines Day. Twinkling white lights on the dark, cold winter nights. Bringing me happiness.

THEY: If you are going to spend $$ on a co-working space, utilize one of the no-frills neighborhood options to get started.

MY RESPONSE: Nope. Commuting 45-60 minutes to 1 of the 2 (soon to be 3) locations in NYC of THE MOST FABULOUS social club/homebase/working spaces that I could ever imagine. Perfect for me. Bringing me happiness.

Do you see a theme? Busting out of those confines that are basically imagined. Imposed by THEY – who I cannot even name with any real certainty. Breaking the “rules” and bringing happiness to my life.

February’s word: Renegade.

Digging deep for those “rules” I have been clinging to for decades and looking for ways to break them if they no longer appear to serve me.

Join me? What “rules” are really not working for you in career or life any longer?

📷: thanks to gratisography.com

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