**This post was originally sent via ConvertKit on April 6th, 2021**
Welcome to The Pause
Welcome to the first installment of The Pause. The purpose of this newsletter is to help you proactively take a moment for yourself in the hustle and bustle of regular life to realign.
Each newsletter you get will have a theme -- for instance, this week's theme is about being intentional. We'll start each pause by having a casual conversation about the theme, maybe I'll share some thoughts or an anecdote, and then we'll turn the lens on you so you can take a moment to reflect and adjust your life accordingly.
This newsletter is meant to be fun! There are no right or wrong answers to the questions, there's just what's true for you. Get curious. Go as deep or as shallow as you feel like. Share your answers with me or keep them to yourself. The Pause is for you. Take whatever works for you and then keep it pushin'.
And with that...LET'S PAUSE!!!
🧘🏻♀️ Being Intentional
This past Saturday was my birthday and all I truly desired was some time alone. I'm one of those people who loves being alone because of the clarity I get about my life. For me there's a strong correlation between how much alone time I'm getting and how intentional I feel I'm being in my life.
Since the start of covid, alone time has become a commodity. Yes, partially because my husband started working from home...but mostly because we welcomed our first baby in April of last year.
Becoming a parent for the first time feels something like if you were to skydive solo the first time you ever jumped out of a plane. Exhilarating? Absolutely. Terrifying? You bet. Screaming What the f*ck did I just do to my life while rapidly trying to figure out how to save yourself from crashing into Earth at warp speed? Mmmmmm...yep. That too. Throw a global pandemic on top of that and it was nearly impossible to find which way was up.
I don't know about you, but up until very recently I felt like I was only able to be reactive in my life. It really felt like life was happening to me and I just had to white-knuckle my way through it. There was no time (or space!) to be alone. No time to get strategic. There was intense uncertainty about what life might look like in the near future, and mixed messages about what was safe and what wasn't. Life was throwing 2010 Tim Lincecum curveballs and I had no idea how to find my footing (like when we woke up one morning and the whole sky was orange...wtf even was that?).
But, things have recently changed. My husband and I are both fully vaxxed as of last week. Same with my parents. Same with his parents. One by one we're getting the texts from our friends that they're vaxxed. The sun is slowly but surely beginning to rise.
This past Friday I spent an entire night and morning at a hotel...by myself. No baby. No husband. Just me, myself, and I. I paused, just like we're doing now, and got really clear about what being intentional looks like for this newly evolved version of me.
To me, being intentional means being proactive about my life. It means being strategic and deciding on purpose how I want to think, feel, and act regardless of the circumstances that come my way. It means getting specific about exactly how I'm going to invest my time, energy, money, and love to create a life that reflects what I value. Being intentional keeps me from engaging in activities I simply feel meh about. Especially after covid...ain't NOBODY got time for that.
After my night alone, the majority of my anxiety and feeling like I'm drowning has subsided. The past few days I've predominantly felt something I haven't felt in a long time...peace.
I hope you take a few minutes and give yourself the space to explore what it means to you to be intentional. Whatever comes up, let it be. Remember, there's no right or wrong answer. There's only what's true to you.
⏸ Pause & Reconnect
How do you define being intentional?
On a scale of 1-10, how intentional (per your own definition) are you being on a daily basis?
Would you like to be more intentional in any areas of your life? If yes, where and why?
What are 3 adjustments you can make, today, to be more intentional?
And THAT'S IT. Thank you so much for being a part of the very first version of The Pause. If you're down, I'd love to hear your answers. Otherwise, unpause and get back to living your (realigned) life.
- Lindsey
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Big, big love to you. 🤍