I was afraid to take the leap, afraid to put more pressure on myself, afraid to put more weight on my plate.
But honestly, it just felt like a truly impossible thing — to start an email list from scratch is kind of wild considering that at one point at the highest my email list had 25K subscribers.
To start with ZERO and know that I would need to nurture it to grow it felt … impossible.
There is a theme in my Brave Yes Coaching sessions with women who are ready to reclaim their wholeness and design an inner and outer life that is more fulfilling and makes a bigger impact.
They didn’t chase their childhood dream like they wanted to.
Such is the case of my guest this week on The Brave Yes Show.
Julie Artz longed to be a writer as a young girl.
But she was told that wouldn’t be a good job, that she might become a struggling artist.
And so she put that dream away for a long time.
Until a life change that was out of her control opened a new door for her — a door she was excited to walk through and afraid of as well.
A perfect Brave Yes moment for sure.
Listen to Julie’s Brave Yes Voices story now and prepare to be inspired.
Julie Artz spent her young life sneaking into wardrobes searching for Narnia. When people started thinking that was creepy, she had to find other ways to explore her passion for mystical adventures. Now she finds those long-sought doors to magical story worlds in her work as an author, developmental editor, and book coach. An active member of the writing community, she volunteers for SCBWI and Pitch Wars and is a member of EFA and AWP. Julie lives in an enchanted forest outside of Redmond, Washington, with her husband, two strong-willed teenagers, and a couple of naughty furry familiars. You can find her as @JulieArtz on Twitter and Instagram.
Making time for your dreams and inner longings sometimes feels like an overwhelming, impossible feat. Life just seems to take over and the urgent matters grow exponentially.
This past year — despite not being as busy out in the world as we have been in the past — has been no less a struggle. The difference this year is that we’re juggling so much more without support.
And yet, our dreams and inner longings do not disappear in times like these.
My clients have no less desires — only less energy.
They want to become authors and writers — but they are zapped by anxiety and obligations.
They want to take their businesses to the next level — but they are depleted by the daily responsibilities of home, family and keeping the business going.
They want to go for a promotion or a new job but they are just barely able to get through the day let alone do job hunts and deal with the stress of change.
And I get it.
This past weekend, I was walking my dog and I had this feeling wash over me — a feeling of being at the end of a very long marathon and just barely able to cross the finish line. In fact, the vision was that I may not ever reach the finish line.
LIke most of my clients, I have been multitasking for a year — making sure my teenagers are both staying healthy in mind, body and spirit, keeping up with their academic loads and smoothing over rough patches of sibling and friendship conflicts. I’ve cooked all of the meals, washed many dishes and cleaned the kitchen after dinner AND lunch. And I have had very little solitude and time for myself.
Oh, and I’ve kept my coaching business up and running.
It’s a struggle and the juggle isn’t over, yet.
Choosing yourself is one of my Brave Yes Tips and it’s during these times that we MUST take a step back and remember that no matter what is happening — we are still human beings with desires and needs. (Subscribe to my Brave Yes Newsletter and download my 10 Brave Yes Living Tips.
So what do we do?
How do we make time for our dreams in the midst of life and chaos and uncertainty?
That’s what this week’s episode of The Brave Yes is all about. I share my 3 best tips on what you need to do as well as give you an overview of the Brave Yes Journey itself so you can see where you might be on the spectrum.
One of my favorite RAVES that I get from my clients is how I helped them get back to themselves again. This is often done through journaling.
But it can be through any medium, honestly.
How You Return to yourself isn’t the point … so long as you do.
So many women feel lost, as if they are just going through the motions of their life.
If this is you, this latest Brave Yes episode is for you.
What does it mean to unearth your passions?
Far too many women are walking around in this world not knowing themselves having spent too many years focused on tending to others and making sure other people shine and thrive. Like your kids. Like your co-workers and boss. Like your partner. Like your friends or family members.
Well, when is it your time to shine?
And that’s what this show is about today. Giving you the permission to dive into your own “innerhood” to figure out what lights you up, what sets you on fire and what gives you purpose and meaning.
This is the BEST time to Connect with YOURSELF.
This is the time to learn how to become your own BFF.
This is your chance to focus on mothering yourself in the most rich, nourishing possible way.
As a coach who often helps women re-create their careers and find their bold, authentic life path, I find this inner work to be the most powerful work women can for for themselves.
And yet I do realize many are afraid to look under the surface of themselves too much.
But it can be fun! I promise.
So I thought it would be fun to share with you some 5 ways you can Unearth Your Passion in a Quiet Pandemic Winter.
I think this time of the year is always perfect for this kind of inner work.
But especially so right now during this crisis where thriving in place is the goal.
Interested in learning more about yourself and your strengths? I invite you to join my Rise Stronger in 2021 Challenge. It’s designed to give you 6 science-backed tools to bring you greater well-being and resilience. Each day for 7 days, you will receive an email from me with a new element to explore and sink into in your real life. I hope each element will inspire you to do things a little differently so you can be stronger for whatever you choose to do in 2021 or whatever comes your way. Sign up now.
For me, it’s to focus on being stronger and stronger so I have the energy and the inner and outer resources to live into my Brave Yes Journey.
Yes, live INTO it … not just dream about it or plan it.
I’m a girl of action.
But until last year, I was often a girl of more inaction than action —even though the common thing I hear from people who follow me on social media is this: You’re doing amazing things.
I am passionate about helping you feel more fulfilled and to find more meaning in this one precious life you get.
And so that means we have to get you spinning into an upward spiral — not falling into the downward spiral of survival mode.
Goals. Resolutions. Intentions. Wishes. Promises.
That all sounds good this time of the year when we are desperate for a fresh start, especially a fresh start after the most ridiculous, challenging year any of us can remember.
But here’s the thing. Unless you address the underlying foundation of your own wellness, goals are going to feel like just one more thing to do. So, this episode is dedicated to the permission slip to focus on just being strong enough to handle anything.
The Brave Yes Show is here to motivate you and inspire you to live a more authentic life —- one that is in full alignment with your soul’s longings and desires.
And we start not with the big brave yeses … but with the simple act of being more resilient – something we all need right now.
My own story begins with this. I spent years setting big goals — goals I wasn’t ready for in my life because I was too busy living in survival mode.
The Rise Stronger in 2021 Challenge is designed to give you 6 science-backed tools to bring you greater well-being and resilience. Each day for 7 days, you will receive an email from me with a new element to explore and sink into in your real life. I hope each element will inspire you to do things a little differently so you can be stronger for whatever you choose to do in 2021 or whatever comes your way. Sign up now.
I spend a lot of time talking to my clients — and my teenage daughters — about how to avoid making mistakes.
But the truth is that we learn so much better from our mistakes than we do from our successes.
No one really wants to fail at things. Not me.
But in order to live more authentically we have to be more vulnerable and show up in a new way with those we love and the world.
Today’s permission slip is all about encouraging you to take imperfect action and celebrate your mistakes.
I hope this latest episode of The Brave Yes Podcast gives you the permission you need to see your mistakes as something that isn’t inherently wrong with you but just a part of the human experience.
In this imperfect year of 2020 I thought it would be fun to lead you through a few questions and my share my own stories of MY mistakes in 2020 and the celebrations behind each and every one of them.
Oh, and a, bonus … I’ll throw in a prompt at the end to help you celebrate your wins as well. Because we’re all about honoring it ALL around here.
On Jan. 4, I am kicking off my brand new Rise Stronger in 2021 Free 7-Day Challenge. Sign up now and get ready to learn well-being and resilience skills to make you stronger for whatever the new year will bring and to make a bigger impact in your life. Register here.
