here’s the thing

It’s that time of year again. That fresh feeling. That moment of transition. For the past five years, I’ve chosen a word for the year, and each one has given me purpose and helped me to harness that fresh energy of January well into the year.

I adore diving into the deeper layers of what I really want, what feels really important. And I love this process.

In 2016, I chose bloom. And, boy, has it been true. Actually, I think I might have misspelled it. I think it maybe should have been BOOM – as in Copper Boom, and in more ways than one!

Bloom was about coming into my own, and about allowing the roots that I’d planted to grow into something bigger. It had a sense of really becoming more visible. And it encouraged me to share more, do more, grow more.

I’m grateful for bloom, and I’m also grateful that 2016 is done and 2017 lies ahead. The end of 2016 was particularly challenging – I got ill, I had to really make some difficult decisions with Copper Boom, and the state of the world really got me down. I’m glad to be looking at a fresh page, another new beginning.

Pace: my new phase

This year, I’ve decided on pace as my word. After a year of blooming and booming, it feels important – essential – to be finding my own pace, a sustainable way forward.

Pace is a verb and a noun: I will pace myself, and I will find my own pace. The grammar nerd in me loves that it is both.

This year, I am settling into my new home city, hopefully into a new owned home (fingers crossed please!), and into these two businesses I hope to run for years to come. All of this speaks of finding a sustainable pace – this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Pace also has a deeply personal significance to me. I’m getting married this year (like a real life grown up) and Pace will be my married name. So this year is also about embracing all the coming-of-age and transitions and love that comes with marriage and commitment. It reminds me of my place in the growing family around me, and that I get to choose how I show up to connection and commitment.

I love that pace is rooted in peace – and inner peace is something I look for every day.

I love the sensation of really feeling comfortable in my own skin when I think of pace.

I love that I don’t have to rush or strive. I get to set the pace.

My hopes for this year? They are many. And it’s not that my ambition has downsized. I just want to build my life, live my life, embrace my life at my own pace.

Jenny x

And you? Do you choose a word for the year? I’d love to hear!

We all, at some point, talk about the changes we want to make in our businesses and lives. I know, I talk to clients who want change all the time. And at this time of year, there’s a lot of it about.

In my experience, people are either ready to explore options (with guidance or on their own) or stuck in refusing to consider anything at all. Occasionally, we’re somewhere in between, or pendulum-swinging between the two.

That stuck-ness is fear and resistance. And it’s part of the process. Sometimes we have to pretend everything’s fine and shoot down every idea and observation anyone has – or that we have about ourselves. Our ego is fragile and needs to be right.

Until it doesn’t. Until we let ourselves get quiet enough to hear the small, persistent voice within that says, “This isn’t working for me. I’m not sure what the answer is yet, but I’m ready to ask the question.”

That voice is different to fear and ego. Our authentic voice doesn’t say, “This is bullshit. I shouldn’t have to put up with this. Everybody else should change.”

Being ready – really ready – can feel terrifying in a totally different way.

It means we’re ready to challenge the status quo. It feels like courage, even if we haven’t actually done anything differently yet. It feels like stepping into a different world. And it can feel like coming home.

There are a lot of people out there promising to change you or your business or your life without acknowledging that real change isn’t effortless. Real change comes from within and requires energy and readiness and adrenaline and that oh-my-god-I-can’t-believe-I’m-doing-this feeling.

I’ve been sucked into these promises too. And I’ve discovered that there’s a big difference in their effectiveness: if I’m not ready, it’s not worth it.

Don’t invest in courses or mentoring or coaching if you’re not ready to really ask the big questions, explore possibilities and cultivate the vulnerability of the creative process.

If you still feel stuck, a bit too attached to your status quo and staying safe, you need to explore that before you go any further. Or find a course or coach who can help you explore your resistance. That’s worth it – but only if you know you’re ready to shift it.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re on your way to being ready. And if you are, I’m here, cheering you on (and even if the support you need isn’t my professional support). The thing is, if you’re ready, I’m on your side, whatever “ready” means, because I’m ready too. I’m walking the path of always asking the difficult questions and sitting with the tricky answers. And celebrating the heart-soaring moments, too.

As a coach and mentor, I know when clients aren’t ready. And I know that they’ll listen but not really make a change. The most satisfying clients are the ones who are ready. Do it when you’re ready.