An AWE Update

So far 2011 is living up to the word I chose for it: awe!

A week or so ago I was all in a dither about what comes next. My book is “this close” to being published and I am working on what I’d like to say at Fitbloggin’ 11, but I felt like I needed to be doing something more. What should I do with my blog? Should I be offering a workbook or worksheets? Should I try and be a coach?

I was saying all of this to The Abundant Self Care Coach and fellow Fitbloggin speaker Christie Inge and she said, ”wait a minute…you told me that what you really want to do, what excites you, is writing and speaking.” And I said, ”well, yeah, but so and so changed her blog and so and so now provides tips, and so and so criticized Geneen Roth’s book for being too vague and I think I am too vague…”

And then it hit me: I was back in the mode of thinking, even though I’ve written a book and am gearing up to be a speaker, I don’t think it’s “enough” even though I haven’t even had a chance to do it yet! And at the basis of my dithering and slight panic was the old thought: ”I’m not enough…I have to do something I’m not comfortable doing…I have to be something I am not…in order to be valuable.”

So I took a deeeeep breath and focused back on what lights me up. Get the darned book out there, first of all, keep working on the talk, continue blogging the way I have been because it feels good and people seem to like it. Maybe not all people, but that’s okay.

In the meantime, I asked Joy Journey life coach Joy Tanklsey if she might help me get some clarity about what I am doing and perhaps brainstorm some ideas for what I should be doing.

In my session with her, she guided me through a visioning exercise she called “your perfect day.” The key was to imagine a day with no judgments and no limits. “ANYTHING is possible,” she said. It started with me waking up, describing what I saw and how I felt. Then continued on through breakfast and the rest of the morning, afternoon and evening, with as many details as possible, down to what I saw out my office windows and what my coffee cup looked like. As I got comfortable with it, I let my imagination go wild with possibilities! Like speaking in an intimate setting before thousands of people (and getting paid handsomely for it!) and flying to Paris in a private jet for dinner.

One of the most powerful parts was how I imagined it would feel to connect with people…to feel understood and at the same time have the people I speak to feel just as understood.

After the session I left the house for a kettlebell workout. When I got home, I had an email from my friend and editor, Elizabeth Irwin, (who, by the way, has a brand spanking new blog called I Face The Sun).

She asked me if I’d consider traveling to Ohio in October to be the keynote speaker at the Northwest Ohio Writers Forum’s Write Brain Workshop AND speak at her church’s Healing Service AND in the few days in between, do book signings and talks at book stores and with local women’s groups. She said: “I know it’s a lot to think about, but I sincerely wanted to put it out there. You have a lot of valuable insights about human happiness potential – not just weight loss and wellness – and it translates across several audiences.”

I didn’t need to think about it, I didn’t have any questions. I immediately replied, “yes!”

How’s that for AWEsome!

Did you choose a word for 2011? How’s it going so far? Do you do anything specific to keep your word front and center in your day-to-day life?