Feeling A Stuckness

“Someday everything will make perfect sense.  So, for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.” 

            My goal for this pandemic was to get up every Monday and write up a blog post.  This week I couldn’t do it.  No matter what I did, I felt the word “stuck”.  I don’t like to even use that word because what I realize is that you are not really stuck but refusing to budge.  There is something that you are supposed to be doing and you refuse to see any way to do it.  This was me and to some extent, it still feels that way. I’m feeling on edge. I’m feeling like I can’t do anything right now due to current circumstances. I’m at Week #8, I think, and it’s getting real.  Even though our governor said things will start re-opening, I’m feeling like this will go on for a long time.

            It is not something going on but more that life has completely changed in a short, short time.  I go out and see people worrying about whether people are wearing masks or not.  I see that life at Shake Shack (our treat for today) has morphed into people sitting in their hot cars and the masked workers bringing bags to the cars.  It’s sad for me and that is where I have the opportunity to shift my thinking and my reality.  This is what life will look like for, probably the rest of the year.  If I don’t shift my thoughts, it’s going to be a long 2020.

            I remember waking up on New Year’s Day thinking that 2020 was going to be an amazing year for many reasons. Little did I know that it would be a different year from any that I have ever experienced in my life.  I was working full-time for the first time in a long time due to some life circumstances.  I got super sick in February (thinking now I had the “rona”), I was forced to quit my job due to the illness and then the wave hit.  I went from a high to a low.  We all did.  No one knew what was coming or how to prepare for it.  It’s how we come out the other side of this that will determine our future.

            Each day I get up and gauge how my day is going to go.  What key I was missing is that I have the power to make how my day goes.  I stick to a schedule of meditation, walking, etc.  Today my son and I deviated from our schedule and went out for lunch and to pick something up from a friend’s house.  We both got so thrown off, we came home and took a deep nap.  I woke up thinking, is everything going to make me tired and in need a nap?  I sure hope not.

            I believe the message I am getting today is to continue living in the day by day mindset for now.  Stick with my schedule, look at my next right steps, and then step into my best future.  I’m sticking to my exercise routine, doing my writing and looking for future opportunities.  If that’s “all” I am doing right now, that’s a lot better than binge watching Netflix and eating Thin Mints. Well, the Thin Mints, they were gone the first week of this pandemic.

Life is what we make it. We are the architects of our lives.  What will you do with yours?

Until My Next Adventure,

Trish Walker

 Check out my “Act As If” program at my website www.trishwalker.us.  Set yourself up for success on the other end of world events.  Who do you want to be when we step into our new normal?

Act As If....

Act as if it already happened! Because that's what sets the tone for your future and where you want it to go. 

            I don’t know about you, but these last few weeks in my life have felt rather surreal.  We went from daily life to wondering if the folks passing us in the grocery store are someone we know because their faces are covered up in masks.  I had the idea yesterday to write my name and a smile on my mask.  We have a new normal folks and it’s here to stay for a while. How are you going to make the best of it?

            I seem to be going through the different stages of grief. The first week home, my son and I were like okay this isn’t so bad, we can hang in our jammies and eat all day.  My son told me that he’s trained his whole life for this.  He loves being online with his friends all day.  Week 1 went by in a blur, as did Week 2.  By Week 3, I started to have feelings of grief and disbelief.  I was mourning and didn’t even know it.  I was mourning that I couldn’t just run to the grocery store for something quick. It felt kind of like when my son was a newborn and you have those pangs of not being able to go anywhere suddenly or quickly because you have the car seat, baby, diapers.  Things have to be thought out in a much more hygienic way.

            We settled into a new routine at the start of this week.  It was while I was lying in bed last night that I got a very clear message that simply had three words to it. “Act As If…”.  What the heck does that even mean Universe?  Act As If…… I’ve since woken up, had my coffee and sat down with my journal to explore that a bit more in detail.  What my interpretation is, don’t wait for the hard stop.  Don’t wait to do things until this “time in history” is over.  Start doing life differently now.

            If we stay in action, our days will become more productive.  If we stay in action, we can start moving our lives toward what we want to be when we come out of all of this.  It’s not going to be that we just wake up one day and everything goes back to “normal”. I’m here to tell you folks that that is not going to happen. It may be more of a gradual re-awakening.  Businesses we once loved, may be no more.  It may make space for other things to come in that we love more.  All we can do during these days is to create our own future.  One of my favorite sayings is, “If you don’t know what the future holds, then create the future yourself.”.  Say that out loud and think about how empowering that is.

            I love to help folks. I love to help them shift their mindsets, businesses, futures, etc.  With that in mind, I’ve decided to offer a six-week program called “Act As If”.  I want to be here for you during this time of homebound days.  By keeping you accountable to your goals/dreams, you can stay on track to step out of this trying time in history and into your new normal.  Who do you want to be when this is all over?  What would you have done differently if you knew this was going to happen?

            Six weeks of weekly phone calls, energy clearings, and constant email support for you during a time when you may be starting to think that things will have to be different.  Different times mean different operating systems.  Our weekly phone calls will be 30 minutes of accountability, downloads and next right steps.  I’m doing a similar program with my coach and it has been immensely helpful for keeping me on track and for those days when I do veer off track, it resets me rather quickly.

If you want to know more or are interested, reach out to me via Messenger.  You can email me at pwalker2650@gmail.com.

Until My Next Adventure,

Trish Walker

Park City, UT

Hope Vs: Hopeless: Navigating a Whole New World

Note: It’s been a very long time since I have put up a new blog post. With the events going on in the world, I’m suddenly finding myself feeling more creative and with new priorities. My writing is bubbling to the surface and I’m wanting to reach out to the world! Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I chronicle life inside of my stay-at-home bubble. I pray that each and every one of you is happy and healthy.

“When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening.  That’s where your power is.” - Unknown

It’s been three weeks of being homebound now while we navigate this time in history of a pandemic.  All of us are vacillating between moods. Yesterday it was one of those nap days. There seemed to be a heavy energy in the air, and I couldn’t identify what it was until later in the evening when I was on a call with my good vibe tribe.  Everyone on the call was feeling the same mood.  It was one of those moments where we have to make the decision to either give up or get back in the game.  We don’t know when this is going to end. That part right there is enough to do someone in.  However, we have a choice to act as if… this will end. I’m not sure when but again, who do I want to be on the other end of it?

The creative ideas for me have been flowing in at a constant rate.  Yesterday I could hardly pick up my hand to write them down.  I took a nap, went for a walk and danced around the ideas all day, finally giving up and going to bed.  However, this morning I actually woke up with an twinge of excitement.  I thought about all the cool things I would be implementing when “this” was over, and we were back to a new normal. We aren’t going back to the old, we are stepping into the new and for some, that brings grief. For me, that brings nostalgia and grief.  I caught myself this morning wishing I could just go over and stroll the aisles of TJ Maxx and see the lady who constantly badgers me to sign up for the Rewards card because I can save 10% off my purchases.  Why did I ever take her for granted? 

This is a moment like no other in history. It’s a moment to dig deep and make big personal choices around how you want to operate the rest of your life.  You can sit around and say, I now have the time to write that book. Yet you don’t pick up the pen and then go back to your Netflix watching.  You can actually get up and write that book and think about when you can publish it, plan your book tour etc.  If we get excited about something, it makes the day go by so much faster and by being more creative, you are actually boosting your immune system.

Each day I am learning to let go of more and more.  It’s not my business how others are coping.  It’s not my obligation to fix everyone.  What I can do in my lane is show folks tips and tools on how to use this time to the fullest. There are gifts in this time at home.  Spring cleaning, bonding with kids, learning new ways of communication that help immensely when you are quarantined with someone who you don’t usually see a lot.  We have been able to have family meetings and air out some old things to make room for new ways of doing things.

What can you do today to step into a new way of doing things?  Can you list the attributes of where you want to live next?  Can you visualize a new way of working your business?  I saw an amazing example of that yesterday. A recruiting company had quickly shifted to helping small business owners navigate the ins and outs of getting funding from the government stimulus package. In two days they had completely re-worked their business model into something that will most likely bring them in even more revenue. That’s so brilliant.

With these new times, feeling like you “have” to go big and create something new can be daunting or make you feel guilty if you don’t write the next great American novel. Stop that right now. Your “new” way may just be forgiving someone who you think wronged you. It could be learning to cook a new dish. People operate in different ways. Do not go into comparison or shame but just this about how you want to walk out the other end of this. If you are, indeed, sitting around watching Netflix all day, how will your system react when you have to get up and go back to your office. All good things to think about.

 Folks, I urge you to reach way down inside and find that inner strength I know you have.  Don’t numb yourself.  Start a creative project. Find a new passion and hobby. As always, if you need a check-in or want to chat about your next right steps or how to navigate these times, do not hesitate to contact me through my website at www.trishwalker.us.

Until My Next Adventure,

Trish Walker

Park City, UT.