Lessons on Giving Myself Permission
With a transition to a new role within a new organization, I had the opportunity to reflect on what was important to me and how I wanted to bring, or manifest, those things that were important into my journey. One new thinking or practice I decided to bring forward was the idea of giving myself permission — to reduce unnecessary pressure, anxiety, and impact to the joy I wanted in my life as I started this new chapter of my career.
I’m really inspired by Brené Brown and one of the activities she talks about is the idea of writing permission slips for ourselves. The idea harkens me back to those neat notes we would so carefully bring to our teachers as children that may allow us to take part in a special event or even leave school early. While there is much more under the surface to what Brené shares, the concept itself resonated with me and has become a key component of my morning ritual. My practice does not result in actual writing. Instead it’s become a simple mantra where after my morning (very, very, brief) yoga and (even more brief meditation) I give myself permission to be curious, to be excited, to make mistakes, to be wrong, to be right, to be successful, to be joyful…the list can go on depending on the day.
My practice is quick and sometimes clumsy — but always mindful.
