{Psst!: In this blog post I am wearing Ridge Merino hat, long sleeve shirt, and boyshort. More information at the bottom of this post. Photo by Laura of Own Your Sexy during the Hurray Vacay in California at the Mayacamas Ranch.}
I’ve been doing a lot of soul work lately. Well, for years now. And truthfully, my whole life. And the more I learn and the deeper I go into this kind of work, the more I realize that we are each on our own journeys. You can call it many things: a path, a calling, fate, design, purpose, flow … whatever you like. And what occurred to me recently is just how custom made each pathway and journey is designed for each of us. I happen to think that it’s divinely planned by a higher power. You may believe something else. But the truth remains the same: it’s really up to us if we want to join in that journey or fight it along the way.
Pursue some path,
however narrow and crooked,
in which you can walk
with love and reverence.
–Henry David Thoreau
Along our big life journey we’ll have several smaller journeys, assignments, tasks, even detours. Sometimes the smaller parts of the journey obviously fit in with our notion of the bigger plan. Other times, we’re left scratching our heads and wondering “why this right now?” or “I thought I was headed in a different direction!” or “how in the world is this going to get me to where I’m supposed to go?” I think that’s okay. It’s okay because we’re not really supposed to see the entire journey. It’s not meant for us to see and understand. Our tasks as the co-creator of our journey is to show up, say yes, and give it our all. I say this without saying “look, it’s easy!” because those “simple” few tasks are BIG and require our whole being.
A career path is rarely a path at all. A more interesting life is usually
a more crooked, winding path of missteps, luck and vigorous work.
It is almost always a clumsy balance between the things
you try to make happen and the things that happen to you.
I won’t sit here and write to you saying that I’ve got it all figured out or that I know everything. Nope! Conversely, as I am learning about this and as I share it with you, I hope to learn more and more and more. I hope to learn from you. I hope we can learn together. And I certainly hope that we can help and understand ourselves better in order to help and understand each other better. Because our world neeeeeeds more hope and help and understanding.
Part of my journey is to share what I’m learning with you. And I thank you so much for allowing me to do so. Below, I’m sharing some of my favorite advice for how to embrace and say hurray for your own journey. Because enjoying and releasing into the journey is where the real joy in life lies. These are not quick fixes or easy steps to get you to a place of hurray. They are practices and ideas and tools to help you form your own way of being. If you have ever felt like you want to be “there” already, or you want to figure it all out, and you can’t wait to finally arrive, this one is for you. I encourage you to open up your heart and mind to the idea of life as a journey instead of a race with a start and a finish line. Ready to say hurray? Let’s go!
Embrace Today
Are you waiting to embrace your journey? If you have been holding back from fully showing up, really going for it, or stepping into your journey because you feel like you want to wait until the plan is clear, the money is there, or you’ve learned enough, I have news for you: you’re already on the path. Your journey has already begun. You are there. It’s all laid out. And now it’s up to you to embrace it.
Sometimes it is better to begin the journey, to get under way,
then it is to sit back and wait until such time that you’re convinced
that all conditions are perfect and that
there’ll be no surprises along the route.
-John Engler
We are not promised anything. We are not promised that the conditions will ever “be right” to us tomorrow. And we are not even promised tomorrow. One thing that lead me to fully embrace my current journey was the passing of a friend. At only 35 years old, he was tragically and suddenly called to heaven. At the time, I was 31. I asked myself, “What am I waiting for?” This was a big question. And the next was “If I stopped waiting to live fully, what would that look like?” And, to be honest, I wasn’t sure what the answer was. I just had a very clear yearning to “live fully”, to show up, to live out loud, to stop waiting to live. In this case, for me personally, living fully meant (and means) many things.
Style notes: Wearing Ridge Merino tank and baselayer leggings. More information at the bottom of this post. Photo by Laura of Own Your Sexy during the Hurray Vacay in California at the Mayacamas Ranch.
And one thing was traveling and getting to know my roots. My family was having a reunion in Puerto Rico, and I told myself I had to wait so I wasn’t going. But after this tragedy, I called up my photographer friend, Becky Yee, and told her “I don’t know how we’re going to make it happen, but I want to go to Puerto Rico. Do you want to come?” She said yes. So we hopped a flight to Puerto Rico without a real sure knowing of where we would stay, how I would fund it, or what we would do. It pushed me outside my comfort zone in so many ways. And it was so worth it. It was a big leap in saying yes to my journey and it lead me to my most hurray-filled years of traveling ever.
When we are sure that we are on the right road
there is no need to plan our journey too far ahead.
No need to burden ourselves with doubts and fears
as to the obstacles that may bar our progress.
We cannot take more than one step at a time.
–Orison Swett Marden
Keep in mind, embracing today doesn’t mean you have to suddenly move across the globe or quit your job. Embracing can look like release, acceptance, slowing down, or even patience. The key is to embrace the task you have been given. It may look like action, and it may look like rest. Embracing can look like one step or a giant leap. It’s one step more than you had taken, isn’t it? Do not rush but do not wait. Do not pressure yourself to jump, but don’t resist jumping if that’s what you’re called to do.
What can you do today to take a step toward fully living and embracing your journey? What task is at hand now? Tune in and ask.
Be Flexible
There is no such thing as living in a straight line or a clear path. Things will come our way that we could not foresee, or that feel like bumps in the road. If we are stiff and rigid, we will break. If we are flexible and can lovingly bend and dance along with the twists and turns, we can say hurray.
Style notes: Wearing Ridge Merino hat, long sleeve shirt, and boyshort. More information at the bottom of this post. Photo by Laura of Own Your Sexy during the Hurray Vacay in California at the Mayacamas Ranch.
I meditate a lot, and some of those meditations are guided visualizations. They are a great way for me to tune in to what’s going on inside me. Earlier this year, I had a really powerful visualization in a Conquer Club meeting (a women in business incubator I am in). I asked for God to show me my 2017 plans. I was so excited to see what the future held! I wasn’t trying to predict, I wanted to be shown. But all I saw was a bright light of abundance. “But what will I be doing? What should I plan for?!” I asked. And I was told to root down into my intention for the year: “To show up fully”, and not to worry about the exact order or sequence. In fact, as I saw myself rooting down and staying in place, small bits of scenes came into my view and would come just within arm’s reach, stay for a bit, and then float away. It felt like I was staying in place, and was being provided with the right thing, at the right time, and for the right length of time. It was planned out far better than I could have ever chosen. Instead of running after each task or project, I stayed rooted and let them come to me, trusting the perfect sequence to unfold in front of me.
Going by my past journey, I am not certain where life will take me,
what turns and twists will happen; nobody knows where they will end up.
As life changes direction, I’ll flow with it.
–Katrina Kaif
Being flexible, for me, includes being rooted and allowing the plan to unfold around me instead of chasing after something and trying to force it to happen on my time. You do not have control over the future. You can plan and anticipate, you can stockpile and coordinate, but you can never know what lies ahead. Take care of the task at hand, and lovingly embrace tomorrow’s task as it comes – even if it looks different than you thought it might.
Style notes: Wearing Ridge Merino tank and baselayer leggings. More information at the bottom of this post. Photo by Laura of Own Your Sexy during the Hurray Vacay in California at the Mayacamas Ranch.
What we set out to do may have been the right path. For then. But what is it now? I started in musical theater and was SURE that my path was to be on Broadway. Now, I am a lingerie expert, business owner, teacher, and soulful writer. Tomorrow, I may be asked to do something completely different. I’m learning to trust and go with the flow. No shame in bending and flowing. No judgement. You are still on YOUR journey.
What is your way over, down, or around? Don’t be afraid to allow change. It’s all part of the same journey – even if one task to the next looks different than what we had in mind. What is one thing you can do right now to practice flexibility and release control?
Build Balance
Strike a balance between action and calm, productivity and patience, striving and surrendering, learning and teaching, pushing and pulling, giving and receiving, creating and resting. Ease your way through this, though. Everyone’s journey will need different amounts of each thing in order to feel balanced.
The hardest thing to find in life is balance –
especially the more success you have,
the more you look to the other side of the gate.
What do I need to stay grounded, in touch, in love,
connected, emotionally balanced? Look within yourself.
-Celine Dion
I suggest that you root yourself, first. Create a foundation of values, beliefs, trust, and experience and then start rising up and pushing your boundaries. Root in the ground in order to rise up. Balance requires patience. Just like when finding my balance in a yoga pose – I do not expect to carelessly plop into a balance pose and nail it. I breathe deep, relax, root into the ground, and slowly rise up. And as I start off with something simple and learn to balance there, I can add on more difficult modifications to the pose to test my new levels of balance. This takes time. You can not rush and rush and squirm around and expect to stay upright.
Style notes: Wearing Ridge Merino hat, long sleeve shirt, and boyshort. Nike ID custom Hurray Kimmay shoes. More information at the bottom of this post. Photo by Laura of Own Your Sexy during the Hurray Vacay in California at the Mayacamas Ranch.
One area in which to build your balance is with your inner and outer life. Your journey is not just about where you go and what you do in the world. It’s also about who you are and what’s going on inside of you. Sometimes the most rewarding growth is all internal. You may have the same job, partner, and house and to the outside world it looks like you’ve remained the same. But you are so different inside. And don’t forget that a new job, partner, or house is not the only key to taking a journey. Invite your inner life to journey with you. Build that balance of inner and outer growth along your journey.
What lies behind you and what lies in front of you,
pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ask your intuition to join your rational thought on your journey. Practice building your balance between your inner and outer growth. What foundations have you built or need to build? What is one step you can take to push yourself and build your balance?
Do Not Compare
Your journey and that of someone else will look totally different. They may carry similar traits or even have similar qualities, but yours is yours and theirs is theirs. Your journey was custom designed for you and who you are and what you’ve been through and what you’ve experienced and what you will experience. Say thank you for – and yes to – your own custom designed journey.
I generally find that comparison is the fast track to unhappiness.
No one ever compares themselves to someone else and comes out even.
-Jack Canfield
On a recent trip to California, I was deep in meditation with Natalie MacNeil at the Conquer Club retreat. I felt like my journey was leading me toward something bigger than I felt ready for. I told God I wasn’t ready for this and that other people were more qualified, were already doing it, or were more suited for such a task. I also noted that He wasn’t asking others to take such big steps, so why me? I was told something along these lines: “You were chosen for this. This journey, these tasks, and this life were custom designed for you. No one else can fulfill this in the way that you can. You can not mess this up. You are designed exactly for this. We’ve been waiting for you.” It was shocking! And it took away a lot of the comparison fears that I had. It was one of the most powerful messages I had ever received. And I believe this to be true for each person – including you.
Style notes: Wearing Ridge Merino beanie, and baselayer leggings. More information at the bottom of this post. Bralette by Blush Lingerie. Photo by Laura of Own Your Sexy during the Hurray Vacay in California at the Mayacamas Ranch.
Remember: Results may vary. You and your friend may both take the same courses and start a similar kind of business or career path, or date similar people, or have kids at the same time… and things may look VERY different. That’s okay. In fact, that’s how it’s supposed to go. Just as you wouldn’t try to fit into someone else’s custom designed dress – made exactly to their measurements and style – you wouldn’t want to try to fit into their journey. It is not for you. Yours is perfectly designed for you.
Comparison is an act of violence against the self.
–Iyanla Vanzant
What can you do to be kind to yourself and allow your own journey to lead the way? How can you take a step toward releasing comparison? What will you allow in order to say yes to your unique journey?
Say Hurray Along the Way
Getting to the finish line might feel like the goal, right? Once you’ve arrived, you can celebrate. Is that what you’re thinking? Here’s a secret. It might scare you, but it will actually set you free: we never actually arrive. If you’re waiting to “get there” or “do that thing” or “reach that goal” or “have that thing” to say hurray, you’re missing the point. The journey is the thing, friends.
Success is a journey, not a destination.
The doing is often more important
than the outcome.
-Arthur Ashe
Some of the above suggestions will help with this. For example, being flexible means letting go of the grip you have on the outcome, which allows for relaxation and freedom, which can create space for pleasure and joy. I encourage you to lift up your head from time to time, look around, and soak in the beauty of where you are now.
Style notes: Wearing Ridge Merino hat, long sleeve shirt, and boyshort. More information at the bottom of this post. Photo by Laura of Own Your Sexy during the Hurray Vacay in California at the Mayacamas Ranch.
Write a list of things to be grateful for. Let them wash over you like a golden light of gratitude. Remember that even the tough stuff is happening for us, not to us. Choose joy every day. Each task given to you requires your participation and you have a choice to make: how do I want to go through this? You can easily choose misery in any circumstance. Example: Let’s say you won the lottery. Hurray, right? Yes, but you decide no to choose joy… so: ugh the taxes, and now everyone is going to want to mooch from me, and I should hole myself away from my loved ones so they don’t bother me, and now I’m fancy because I have money and look at me now bitches! OK, get the idea? What if you chose joy? What if you decided to take on this task of navigating the journey of winning the lottery with a layer of hurray? Now it’s… What a blessing I have! I look to face any challenges that may arise from this with love, and I ask for guidance. I am so joyful for this abundance, and I invite in more and more and more goodness and light.
The main thing that you have to remember on this journey is,
just be nice to everyone and always smile.
-Ed Sheeran
Your journey is yours no matter what. You get to decide how you travel it. How do you want to show up? How do you want to meet the challenges and the joys?
Fuel the Journey
A journey may be long or short, but it requires fuel no matter what. You wouldn’t saddle up in a car to go across the country without some gas, money, and provisions, would you? Same goes for a journey you’re on in your life right now. Our bodies need fuel, our minds need fuel, or souls need fuel. And fuel can look like many different things. Make sure it’s high quality fuel, too.
I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel.
At just the right moment, I light the match.
-Mia Hamm
My coach and I were having a conversation about this very thing recently. I love metaphors, so I told her that I felt like I had a shiny, big, impressive semi truck (my business). It looked powerful to everybody (being on TV, having great photos)… but I was having a hard time just getting it over minor speed bumps (changing my offerings and how I show up in my business). I was feeling so down on myself!
Style notes: Wearing Ridge Merino hat, and tank. More information at the bottom of this post. Photo by Laura of Own Your Sexy during the Hurray Vacay in California at Safari West.
Without missing a beat, she joined in on my metaphor and said, “Well what those people can’t see is that the driver has put in some sludge instead of high quality fuel into that truck recently. It needs better fuel.” That driver was me, and that sludge was a lot of self doubt, judgement, and perfectionism. She was right. The fuel that my truck needs is high quality stuff. For me, that includes things like self forgiveness, less judgement, slowing down, and gratitude (among other things.)
Only true love can fuel the hard work that awaits you.
Nourish your body, mind, and your soul. A few ways to fuel: be a beginner and open to learning, read books, take courses, use trial and error and don’t be afraid of failure, nourishment, self forgiveness, rest, spend time with people that light you up, seek the light, meditate, plug in to God and pray, facilitate deep talks, loosen judgement, stay hydrated, rest and relax, exercise, asking for help and guidance, LOVE, and oh so much more.
Reading this right now may be fueling you. Do you feel it?
***
Here is a little something for you to use. I call it a prayer, but you may call it a mantra, a quote, or a script. Whoever you connect to and tune in to, ask for some help. You are not on this journey alone. xo
A prayer:
God, Spirit, Universe, Inner Knowing
Guide me on my journey both internal and external
I have faith in your support
Give me courage to take the steps on my journey
I ask for you to point the way
And for me to fully embrace it
And to say hurray along the way
Your Turn: What can you do to say hurray along your journey? What do you need to let go of or release in order to embrace your journey? How have you been comparing your journey to others? What is a step you can take to find peace and joy along your journey? What journeys are you on now?
Remember: Just take a step. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” -Lao Tzu
As always, no airbrushing or editing my body or face. Showing you my actual body and not an airbrushed-to-false-perfection-body is part of my journey to say hurray inside, outside, and underneath. The photos were all taken by Laura of Own Your Sexy at the Mayacamas Ranch in California (except for the last one). Huge hurray for them!
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Sponsor Spotlight
Huge hurray and thank you to Ridge Merino for making this post possible!
From the team: Family-owned and operated, Ridge Merino® was co-founded in 2014 by husband and wife team, Jeff and Susan Russell. For the past decade, Jeff led the design and development of outdoor apparel for professional athletes who demanded the very best. Over the years, he noticed these athletes preferred Merino wool base layers instead of their sponsors’ synthetic-blend products. If it was good enough for the pros, why wasn’t everyone using Merino wool as part of their layering system? Jeff soon discovered the high price of the fabric kept these products available to only an elite few. Until now. Our 100% Woolmark-certified Merino wool is sustainably sourced from sheep raised by certified non-mulesed wool growers in Australia. We donate a percentage of every sale to environmental causes through our partnership with 1% For the Planet.
I thought that wearing wool would be scratchy – it was not! The outfits I wore above were so soft and cozy. I also thought wool would be really hot. It was not! In fact, the layers I wore and the fine material did a great job of keeping my body temperature regulated in the weird climate changes and moment to moment weather updates I faced in Northern California. One moment it would be super hot, the next it was overcast and windy, then it was raining, and suddenly the sun was shining. I always felt great! Not to mention, wool is naturally anti-microbial, so whether I was sweating while hiking and hugging redwood trees, or running on the beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I was fresh and feeling good. I’m especially looking forward to wearing these layers when I go skiing this Winter, but each item was surprisingly appropriate for any season, all year. Bonus: they are based in California, and really kind people. Hurray!
Connect with Ridge Merino:
- Website: www.ridgemerino.com
- Instagram: @ridge_merino
- Twitter: @ridgemerino
- Facebook: /RidgeMerino
- Pinterest: /RidgeMerino
***
Also, special thanks to Safari West for providing us with a spectacular journey through their animal reserve! If you’re in the Napa Valley area, please go and see them! You’ll not only get to sit on top of a giant jeep while passing right by African animals, you’ll also see the great conservation work they are doing, and learn all about their efforts to help animals across the globe. Their team is so compassionate and knowledgeable (shout out to Terri!). You can even stay overnight in a glamping-style tent. Hurray! The safari experience was such a highlight during my #HurrayVacay in California.
