I do have a couple questions to ask you…but first, I have something I’ve been needing to share for a long time now.
It happens to all of us. We get boxed in.
Life starts to take on a template or a routine or “rules” about how things are…and without questioning it, we find ourselves just trying to stay inside the lines.
It’s happened to me lately with my business. I’ve been holding SO MUCH goodness back from sharing with you all because I had boxed myself in... we humans have the tendency to do that with all sorts of things: our life, our relationships, our God.
Why It Began
When I met my husband, I was swept away by the love of my life. We had a whirlwind dating year, a 6 month blissed out engagement and wedding of our dreams. Three months into our marriage we were ecstatic to find out we were pregnant with our first child- I headed into mamahood riding high with love and life and big dreams.
Then baby came and I was blindsided with the intensity of it. My heart expanded so fast that the growing pains nearly knock me off my feet (and often did). My own life got so completely turned upside down- I could hardly handle the paradox of all the intense feelings.
I quickly began to feel insecure. I felt lost and drained and directionless. And I began WellGrounded Life from a heart surge of love and hope when I was smack dab in the midst of hard mama-times.
My First “Box”
When WellGrounded Life began my first focus was on healing the depletion, self-neglect and overwhelm so many moms find themselves in whether it is after 6 months or 6 years of mothering without learning how to calm, nourish and refill the well along the way.
In many ways, as I was loving my own sweet mama-heart back to herself, back to life, back to fullness and health and well being…I kept passing on the tool and strategies that worked for me.
And as WellGrounded Life grew, I was floored with gratitude at how many women became a part of this circle. This community is beyond precious to me, it is like I sent out a smoke signal to the world and from every corner, the most loving, smart, fun, insightful, kind, generous, gentle and authentic women gathered – I truly truly love each one of you.
When Business Becomes Soulful
One of the utterly unexpected aspects of starting WellGrounded Life was how running a BUSINESS radically changed who I am, how I understand myself and how I see the world. And the journey navigating the world of mamahood and business owner…oh goodness, I have so much to share about this.
It’s beyond thrilling to me that you really REALLY can have a fully alive, integrated, family-first, soulful, prosperous and joyful life and business as a mom in the world. No doubt it will look waaay different than anything you are used to seeing as “business” but I completely believe it is the way of the future.
This new model is a path to integrate who we are, our deepest values, our greatest gifts of service, our whole hearts and the true priorities of our lives.
It isn’t about sacrifice it’s about wide open choice that is SELF defined. It’s about holding firm to what comes first in your life and then literally building your life {and business if that is a right part for you} around it. It takes a whole lotta commitment, re-centering, courage and a firm commitment to huge amounts of laughter, love and getting up when you’ve fallen…but the pay off is beyond BEYOND what we could imagine.
OK I’m doing my best to keep this long love letter on point. 😉
Spreading My Wings
I need to let you know that there has been this whole beautiful, messy, life expanding side of my journey that I’ve kept from you.
Thoughts, ideas, reflections, advice, mistakes made, successes celebrated…all around:
-identifying your purpose,
-finding your passion,
-deepening your spiritual relationship with God as you become more of service to the world,
-getting really comfortable with profit and prosperity,
-learning how to teach your gifts and build a thriving online community and business,
-prioritizing your family and marriage,
-claiming an extraordinary life,
-building a business that spreads goodness and value and love around the world-
…thoughts about these things fill stacks of my journals.
So what I want to share is that I’m going to spread my wings a bit through WellGrounded Life.
I know we are all on different parts of the journey- but the journey isn’t compartmentalized.
- I know some of you are ready to finally put yourself back on the front burner and learn ways to nourish and care for yourself so you can regain your vitality and wellbeing.
- Some of you are ready to find passion again in your life after feel lost and numb for too long.
- Some will want to explore starting their own heart-centered business to bring financial blessing to their family and fill a need to contribute their gifts to the world.
- Others are ready for a hormone upgrade and alignment.
- Still others are needing soul care in order to walk this wild and wonderful mama journey.
My dream is that WellGrounded Life can meet you exactly where you are and offer the support you need most, wherever that is along the way.
I’m planning to bring in all my journey and I’m sorry I didn’t do this sooner– I could jump out of my skin I’m so thrilled about some of the new offerings and support I’m working on. WellGrounded Life has always been my heart song belted out to the best of my ability in order to love, equip, inspire and support mothers all over the world.
Your turn
So, right now, I have a favor to ask.
I’d love to check in and get a good sense of where you are at and what you’d most love to see support and help around in your life. Would you take a few minutes to answer a few questions for me? Click here for the questions.
And I would love to hear as well, how this applies to your life. Where are you feeling boxed in (by your own doing) right now? What “rules” about life are you living under without questioning them? Where could you rewrite a new dream or stretch your wings wider a bit? Come over to the blog and please share with me in the comments.
With a heart swelling with so much love and excitement,
Lisa
p.s. I want to be sure I’m hitting on everything that you most would love support around, would you take 3 minutes and answer a couple questions for me, here? Boatloads of gratitude and love for your amazing presence in this community!
I think I have it in my mind that what I want is “too much”. I think I keep myself boxed in by thinking that I just need to focus on my marriage, holding down my job and raising my kids and that when they are gone, I can do something else. My boys are 10 & 13 and I feel this time scarcity- like I’m going to regret not spending enough time with them. I have it in my head that starting my own business will require such a sacrifice of time away from them and then I’ll end up with so much regret. Am I alone in this? But, what I really long for is to quit my full-time social work job and start a business that would allow me to be home with them after school and get to hang out with them more.
I certainly KNOW you aren’t alone in this, Kristi!
Personally, I also know I had in my head for a long time what it would mean to start a business…and while it is so very easy for a business to just become another siphon sucking you dry it is also possible for it to play a hugely different role in your life!
Love hearing how you see your dream work fits in with your family priority!
Thank you Lisa for your response! I loved your survey questions. I realized that I left out sharing that another challenge for me is not having a frame of reference for having my own business and balancing family life. Most of my mama friends either work or stay at home full-time. I have a single friend who is a successfull entrepreneur but she works ALL the time. I am recognizning that I don’t really have a support system or mentors who have their own business and have a family. I follow wonderful blogs like yours that make me believe it is possible but I also don’t know what it really takes on a practical level. Just more thoughts that I left out on the survey. Thanks Lisa! I think your work is beautiful!
Oooo. I did the survey and I just thought of another idea of how I can learn more. Journal prompts for me to write on.
Love this idea!
I very much identify with Kristi. With a 19 and 14 year old at home, I intensely feel that my time with them is sort. Yet, there are these inspirations that keep coming up. I’m trying to find peace and contentment in the waiting.
Also, I recently saw an interactive online journal. The author writes a post, and then has 4 or 5 specific questions (with spaces to answer) at the end. That might be a great tool for you to incorporate, especially if there was a way for responders to print or save it for themselves. That way they could refer back to it over time.
Lastly, I just completed the survey. Just taking the time to think through those questions was very enlightening. Thanks, Lisa!! 🙂
Love seeking the peace and contentment in the waiting- I practice those virtues so often, knowing what I want now will look different than what I want later and not rushing the process!
So awesome to hear the survey served you- I’m so grateful for your time in giving me your feedback!
You ladies are so wise to know the time with your children is short..I’m a grandmother of young children… I feel that about them.. I know soon they are going to be teenagers and not want to play as much with Nanny. So what I’m saying is that your family will continue to have season that need more of your attention than other months. This is why even with grown children I have a web based home business.
Ladies I encourage you to use this time.. read study pray & journal. One season to the next doesn’t just happen over night.. look at the trees.. or a seed.. it goes through stages. So even if this is the right time for your dream to be in full bloom it might be the right time to plant some seeds.
oh typo.. that should say So even if this IS NOT th right time for your dream to be in full bloom it might be the right time to plant some seeds.
Erin, I just wanted to say thank you for your comments. I have 2 children 6 and 7 and life can be very busy. I have all these dreams and plans which I wonder how to achieve them. The time with them is so short and I want to make the most of it. You reinforced a great lesson about planting a seed. I can get started and I can start as little as I need and focus on maybe one seed and nurture that rather than trying to grow a forest and getting lost in it!!!
Yes.. plant those seeds, you probably have some you have been holding on to..ready to put in a little pot…thank you for your kind words…
Oh Erin, Such wisdom, yes…thank you! Everything has a season and honoring that is so essential to living our best lives and to not miss the gems along the way!
I am a teacher and I love the actual work. What I don’t enjoy is the structure, the framework of the job. I feel a growing dissatisfaction that I have to address- for my health and well being. It’s just what does doing something different look like and how do I go about implementing it without that neccessary ‘vision’?
Nicky– listen to the dissatisfaction and peel away the layers to be really sure what that message is really trying to say to you. It may look totally different than what you are thinking right now, small shifts can really make huge impacts!
I loooooove where you’re going with this!! I filled out the survey, too, I’m excited to see what you’re up to!! I hope we can be in cahoots someday as my new dream job is helping women be FanTABulous. It’s awesome to walk this journey together as women!
Congratulations Tabitha for your new dream job and direction! It is amazing to lift each other up! 🙂
Your Questions really resonate with me. But I cant find the words to properly express them tonight. Will sleep on it and fill out the questionnaire.
We have just returned from holiday and the calm and peace I felt during it I really want to translate into my daily life. Its so important for me to really deepen what I want versus what I get caught up in.
Its a fast paced world we live in, yet on holidays your life slows right down and there’s nothing to distract you, but your family and new environment and no guilt at all !!! There is the right balance but how do we make this happen.
Yes, Shalini…regaining the calm and peace within even amidst the outer storms from time to time is so essential to defining our life on our own times…keeping the slow within, love the image.
Filled out your survey! I think my biggest challenge as a work-from-home mom is not feeling guilty when I take the time to play or just be. Because my home is my workplace, there is always something I COULD be doing—whether it’s mopping the floor or writing a blog post! So I struggle with feeling guilty when I’m not working, yet deeply wanting more time to just play with my daughter and my husband.