FIND YOUR WHY
Hello there and happy Tuesday! I hope this week finds you asking yourself what matters to you. I'm drinking Jasmine Green Tea this morning and thinking about my "why".
We are in it, friends! If September is the equivalent of hopping onto the roller coaster and buckling in, November and December are the full ride. Getting pulled this way and that, squealing with delight one minute (yes, I do squeal with delight) and covering our eyes the next. The end of the year can feel like a blur and with that, we can find ourselves frustrated, stressed and overwhelmed.
I was recently feeling this way, especially after being sick in September and part of October. I was (and still am) feeling behind and a bit frazzled. And then someone asked me about my work and why I do what I do. They asked what drew me to teach yoga and to do other creative things. In short, they wanted to know why and how I show up. And it was such a timely conversation because it really caused me to pause and ask myself "why do I do this? Why is this important to me?"
And whether this person intended it or not, they got a bombardment of a response that went a little something like this, "I teach yoga because I love moving my body and in doing so, I'm celebrating fat bodies. I love teaching people to love their bodies and reframe their idea of beauty. I want everyone to know that yes, you can be fat and happy and you are not required to meet a certain beauty standard to live your life to the absolute fullest. You can use movement as a form of pleasure and connection, rather than punishment. And in doing so, you learn to be kinder to yourself."
At this point (no joke!), I start crying as I continue.
"No one ever told me that it was okay or even possible to just be me, in my body and to reach for all the happiness I could. So I want to tell as many people as possible that it's okay to be you, it's okay to live joyfully and to experience wonder and pleasure and play and freedom in your body exactly as it is. I think we have far better things to do and be than striving to be thin because someone else told us we needed to be. I don't think we need to be smaller. I think it's time to expand and be bold and to inspire others to do the same. I want us to be at peace within ourselves and to give ourselves and each other permission to be the absolute best and most joyful fucking people we can be while we're here on this planet!"
I paused with tears streaming down my cheeks, wiped them away and then launched into a tirade about the joy of romance novels and why I love talking about them on a podcast with my friend Steph. Oh my goodness! In this case, I was the roller coaster and this lovely person probably regretted buying a ticket. They walked away with a bit of emotional overload and far too much information about monster romances. :)
But they really did me a favour, and I'm so grateful. Asking about my "why" made me slow down and come back to matters most and why I started doing this in the first place. So what if I'm a bit behind? I'll catch up. What matters more is that I'm doing things with intention and with my "why" fully supporting me.
At the end of the day, I'm out here ringing my bell in the hopes that even one single person drops the self hate and starts living for themselves. I feel so lucky that someone set me on this path, and it's a privilege to do the same for others.
So if you've got a lot going on right now, pause and ask yourself why. Why do you do the things you do? Why does it matter to you and what drives you on? Let that imbue you with the passion you need to move forward with purpose and joy, rather than being dragged along with the frantic energy. Let's ride the roller coaster with our arms in the air while we scream with absolute joy!
As always, I'd love to hear about it! What is your "why"? What gives you purpose in your day and why do you do what you do in this life? How can that carry you forward when you're feeling less than inspired or fully frazzled? Let me know in the comments below.
As you move through this week, remember to treat yourself and your body with love, respect and kindness.
Much love,
Helen xo
