Do It Yourself...Together

I come from the school of do it yourself.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved to figure things out -
To get an idea and then make it come to life.

The harder it is to do, the better.

Teaching myself to sew
Writing workout plans
Taking something I love and turning it into a business.

Doing things on my own seemed to bring greater rewards when I achieved.
”I did it myself,” my inner two-year old cheers.

But doing things on my own brings a special brand of anxiety -
What if I can’t do it? What if I can’t do it right? What does that say about me?

Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten better at asking for help.

I’ve learned that having a teacher is really important.
And having peers on my journey that I can look to for support and inspiration.

Even for things I could do on my own.

This past year, I took a few stained glass workshops.

I could have read some books, watched some YouTube tutorials, invested lots of money on supplies, and eventually figured the process out on my own.

But having a teacher helped me feel so much more confident,
Helped me learn faster, and with less frustration.
And having peers to commiserate and celebrate with made the process more fun.

Last month, I took a glass flameworking class,
Learning to melt and shape glass to make delicate icicles.

And I realized there’s no way I would have felt brave enough to learn this on my own:

Using the propane and oxygen-fueled torch without proper knowledge of what I was doing was surely an invitation to disaster!

But with some proper instruction, I quickly got the hang of it
And was able to make some beautiful creations.

Journaling, for me, always fell in the DIY category.

It was something I figured out on my own.
It was something I did on my own.
Why would I involve anyone else?

I mean, I wouldn’t invite you over to my house and have you bring a deck of cards
So we could play solitaire together at my dining room table.
That’d be weird, right?

Why would I want to journal with anyone else?

That’s what I thought.
Until I tried it.
And started seeing magic happen.

Over the last year or so, I’ve journaled with hundreds of people.

And every time, the magic shows up.

It doesn’t matter who is in the (Zoom) room -
Friends, colleagues, strangers -

When people come with an open heart
And the intention to be a part of the group
It opens the door for all the good things to happen.

This past week, I held a journaling mini-retreat
And welcomed a dozen beautiful women to the sacred space.

We talked about relationships and connection.
Participants shared from the heart -
Deep, vulnerable, and authentic.

I loved to watch their faces as they made new discoveries,
Connected the dots,
Realized they weren’t alone.

I watched them reach out to each other
To offer support and encouragement.
Open the door to friendship.

And when it was time to go,
Feel like our time together was too short.

I felt this way with my morning journaling group -
Beautiful women from different parts of the world,
Starting as strangers,
But not for long.

This month, we talked about bodies.
Our bodies.

And we went deep from the beginning -

Reflecting on how we feel about our bodies
How we treat them
Why we do what we do with and to them.
How we want to do better, be better for ourselves -
What that looks like.

And these brave women shared -
Deeply, vulnerably, authentically.

Over our time together,
I witnessed realizations and insights
Saw them display compassion, care, and love -

For others.
And themselves.

I saw and heard real change -

A shift from harsh judgments
To kindness and appreciation.

And I felt it in myself.

Could each of us done this work separately?
Yes.

Would we have?
Could we have done so as smoothly?

Maybe not.

If you are feeling like you need a little something in your life,
If you’re tired of going it alone all the time,
If you want support and company on your journey,

Let’s have a chat.

My February group starts on Monday, February 6.
Our focus: Better Relationships.

We’re holding a spot for you.

Schedule a call HERE.

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Use these prompts as written or as inspiration to uncover what you need in your life this week. And know that I’m always here to support you and answer questions you have along the way!

• Where in your life have you felt the power of community?

• What in your life do you prefer to do alone vs. with others?

• How do you know when you need a community for support?

• When do you know it’s time to find a teacher or a mentor?

• What could you accomplish more easily if you had a little more support?

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One Journaling Idea I Love:

Book of Wishes

Use your journal to capture all the wishes you have - wishes for yourself, wishes for others, wishes for the world.

Then go to work making your wishes come true!

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Work with Me in 2023!

I work with clients both 1:1 and in my group programs to journal their way to joy, self-love, and to a life you don’t want a vacation from.

Interested in learning more? Click HERE to set up a time to chat.

I can’t wait to journal with you! 💛

Happy Journaling!