Little Voice Stories

My Date with Sylvester Stallone

As you probably know, Philadelphia is home to the “Rocky Steps”. The beautiful set of stairs leading up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art made famous in the iconic scene from the 1976 Rocky movie. A few summers ago on a hot summer day, I visited those famed steps and the Rocky tribute statue for the first time with my niece. Back then- in that moment- I believed the magical feeling of those steps was going to inspire me to get in shape. Lose those extra pounds. Make different choices.

Guess what! It didn’t happen. I didn’t lose the extra pounds. I didn’t get in shape.

In fact, last month I was standing on those same steps feeling awful.

Emotional.
Winded.
Overweight.
Hot.

Acutely aware that the promise I made to myself several years ago in that same spot had been broken.

Broken by ME!

But there I was in the blazing sun with a pasted smile on my face and a lump in my throat trying to ignore the overwhelming rush of defeat. My boyfriend wanted to take photos of us with the Philadelphia skyline backdrop. Take videos running up the steps. Just as I remembered Sylvester Stallone doing so many times in my mind over the past 4 decades. It could have been so fun and silly!

And all I wanted to do was sob!

The broken promise to myself weighing on me like an anchor around my neck. Ruining our sightseeing. Feeling bigger than life.

And then a little voice in my head said:

“What if you really did it this time? What if you didn’t break the promise? What if you followed through? What if you didn’t quit? What if you believed in yourself?”

As I stood in the footprints of Rocky looking out over the city, that little voice turned into a commitment (how does that HAPPEN!?)

Next Spring, I will return to Philadelphia and bound up the stairs in Rocky-style fashion, loudly singing the movie theme song, in amazing shape. Strong. Active. Happy. Inspired. Confident. Accomplished. As my “best self” at 55.

I KNEW this was real and that this time it was going to happen because I was crying beneath my sunglasses. My personal litmus test: When I cry, I know it is real.

Clearly it is time for a change. Time for a challenge. Time to kick it up a few notches. Time to stop breaking promises to myself in many areas of my life, beginning with my health!

Damn, that little voice in my head is so powerful. Replacing the negative self-talk, throughout the years that little voice has challenged me at some of the most pivotal times of my life (oh, there are stories to tell). It has created milestones for me to achieve. And once I hear it, I can’t “un-hear” it.

My best guess is that while I was standing there fighting back my tears as my boyfriend snapped selfies, I was actually at another one of the pivotal points in my life and did not even know it. All I knew was that the “little voice” wouldn’t stop talking.

Where have you received unexpected inspiration?

What were you doing when you heard the message you needed to hear seemingly out of nowhere?

For me, it always happens when I am simply living in the moment. And I certainly never would have guessed that Sylvester Stallone would be involved. Apparently, Sylvester and I have a date in Spring 2022.

First Snow of the Season – Welcome Friends

Whenever someone asks, “What’s your favorite holiday, Bryn?”–
My answer is always “THE FIRST DAY OF SNOW!”

Here in NYC, the snow began this morning.
Although it is the first day back to work from a long weekend, it feels like a holiday in my business!

Snow. Magical. Pure. Full of hope. Lights twinkling off the drifts.

Pure joy to me.

Could this madness be based on the fact that I was born in a rural area outside of Rochester NY in January? I’ll never know. What I do know is that I am already the girl dancing on the sidewalks of NYC catching snowflakes and laughing.

I’ve always had a nose for snow… a little snow radar detector.
Just like one of my favorite television characters ever- Lorelai Gilmore (who also happens to love coffee as much as I do! Bryn trivia: Lorelai is always my answer to “which tv character are you most like?)

This morning I woke up smelling snow and I am never wrong!

Click Above: To see exactly what I am referring to…

❄️ WELCOME FRIENDS ❄️

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?

… And They Lived Happily Ever After

..and they lived happily ever after.

🧚‍♂️ I no longer believe in real life fairytales, Prince Charmings and Knights in Shining Armor coming to rescue me
🧚‍♂️ However, I DO believe that I create my own happiness and my own “happily ever after”
🧚‍♂️ If that happiness just happens to include a certain cute drummer who can be quite a Prince and sweeps me off my feet pretty often with his charm, humor and open heart- Well, that’s okay by me.

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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