Be Fluid

I don’t know about you but as a child, I thought that my family knew what was best all the time. What we did and believed was elite and any other opinion was “wrong.” I’m talking about things like Chevy trucks, John Deere Tractors, and Pepsi. I remember the first time I saw my older sister drink a Dr. Pepper and my 8-year-old sassy self told her that in our family we drank Pepsi so she needed to make a different choice… and yes that is read with ALL THE SASS. My sister was aware of something that I didn’t know at that time. She had lived enough life to learn that it is okay to choose something different than those before us. 

As you grow and evolve, you may find that you are ready to make some choices that look different than those of the people around you. Maybe even different from the choices you’ve made in the past. I’m here to tell you, THAT IS OKAY. The apple may not fall far from the tree, but it is still an individual. If you remember from this blog on growing and evolving we talked all about how no matter your age you never stop growing. You become a better version of yourself with each challenge you overcome. That means that your dreams, desires, and opinions change as you overcome these challenges too. 

In a moment of transition, you may find yourself stuck because you are ready to grow, but growth means adopting a new belief system. Think about entering your first career job. You are no longer living under the approach that this job is temporary-this is your forever job. Your dream job. Where you once didn’t care if you were a few minutes late-its a temporary gig, you’re not truly invested, now you are sure to be 10 minutes early every day. Your belief system changed as your priority changed. 

The same goes as you grow into a version of yourself that is a little closer to Purely You. Maybe for a while, your top priority was serving your family. Even if that meant that you gave up sleep, exercise, good nutrition, time with your friends, reading, hobbies, or even a hot cup of coffee. The belief system was: “I will care for them even if I have to sacrifice myself.” Now, that you’re learning how much better you can care for your family if you ALSO take care of yourself, the belief system can become something closer to, “I will care for them because I also care for me.” At first, it might be hard to adopt this new pattern of living. Your family and maybe even your friends might question you. You might questions yourself, “Am I being selfish? What will they think? My mother never took time for herself and she survived, is this the right thing to do?” etc. Or maybe there's a little nudge inside saying something like, “this is not how WE do things.” As in, “We are Irish so this is how we do it.” “I’m from the South so this is how we do it.” “My last name is ____ and this is how we do things.” Just like my sassy self appalled that my very own sister wouldn’t drink the same pop that our parents drank.

Do you see how those belief systems may be keeping you from making choices that allow you to grow into something different? Allowing you to stay just one step away from showing up as your best self? 

Today I challenge you to be fluid. Let yourself grow and change, even if it means releasing an old pattern or belief system. Nothing in this life is permanent, the way you show up in the world should be as fluid as the river runs. You don’t have to be a stick in the mud, leave space for growth, change, and an ever-evolving version of Purely You. 

If you're ready for a little more guidance on your journey to Purely You, email me at [email protected]. I'd love to help you heal from burnout and start giving your family the best of you instead of what is left of you.