Inspiring Nuggets
From Annelies & Conduit for Change, LLC
Annelies M Gentile, MA, PCC
Integrative Life & Leadership Coach
Author | Speaker | Consultant | Facilitator | Process Artist
"Helping you, and those you serve, face uncertainty with courage, creativity and grace."
Hello Dear Ones,
Happy New Year, Winter Solstice and All Things Holy to you. I trust my email finds you safe and well-nurtured.
To be honest the photo above is from 2022! We were asleep by 10:30PM on the eve of the new year this go-round. I turn 50 this year. Sign of the times? Or simply TIRED? How 'bout you?
I went to a networking event this week. It was an intimate group of women business owners, maybe 15 or so, sat in a circle to share goals for the new year. What caught my attention was how many of them said they needed REST. Most were bone-tired.
For some, life was excellent and there were some improvements to look forward to. But for most... they felt beat-down, overwhelmed and grieving from so much change. Myself included.
I get it. The tech-centric, phone-in-our-hands every second of the day, relentless screen-in-our-face makes feelings of disconnect even worse. The brain can't repair and the body can't rest when it's always ON.
We need to step away into nature and into community with those who love us just the way we are.
Where is that for you? Who are your people you care for you without judgement? Maybe that's rare for you? I see you. I hear you. I understand the separation you might feel.
The societies and systems of leadership and living we designed under the Industrial Age has left us feeling cleaved off of what makes good sense for human development. The emerging Digital Revolution doesn't help.
We're human beings, not human doings. We are not machines. While the world is mechanizing, we need HUMANIZING. We need REST. We need COMMUNITY. We need CONNECTION. We need COMPASSION. We need NURTURING.
We need reminders of HOPE, and opportunities for CREATIVITY and PLAY. So that we emote; energy out versus more information in. Overwhelm is essentially overstimulation.
We need humanizing at home in our families, we need humanizing at work and in leadership. We need humanizing in our communities and the systems of design in which we live and function.
We forget why we're here and what's important. Disconnect, stress, overwhelm and grief further separate us from one another, our vitality, ideas and compassion to lead our lives and organizations better. Imagine a world where we live, work and play well together.
What on earth does goodness look like for you? Write it down. Choose ONE word to honor what you need more of in this new year. Write down 3-steps to help that thing you need more of happen. Put your word in a place you can view daily.
It's been a tough year for many people on our planet. I know you feel the hurt for the world and are seeing the fracturing in your organizations, communities and families. I invite you to do your best to show up as what's missing to make it better.
In a nutshell, I'm a believer of holding multiple truths. ie: we can be grateful and experiencing hard-times at once. Life is never perfect. Life is a cacophony of conditions.
I tried a few new things this past year including starting a brief yet beautiful singing/humming group, was blessed to be invited to speak on several podcasts again this year (links below), started swimming again (my friend Mermee would be proud!), spent quality time with family and friends, sat bedside with several people in hospice, officiated weddings and funerals, facilitated leadership and wellness programs at organizations who like a humanized approach, spoke in FL on spirituality and the creative process and coached many, many outstanding spirits navigating change.
Let me know how you are! May 2024 be a good and peaceful year for you and your loved ones.
Love and light, Annelies
PS: Did you know you've been receiving my Inspiring Nuggets Newsletters since 2013?! Eleven years of FREE good news! That's something to celebrate! If you are new.... Welcome! I do my very best to share useful inspiring and honest perspectives that matter and can help you along your life and leadership path. If you love my newsletters and want to support its content creation, kindly donate here.
If you'd like more support on your life and leadership journey, schedule a call with me. I'm here to serve and thank you! Every step of the way, I am here for you.
Keep reading! There's MORE!
What's your ONE WORD for 2023?
For over three decades, since 1993, when I was a regional educator with Matrix Essentials, I learned to craft a ONE word yearly practice. I've held this practice of synthesizing the upcoming year to ONE WORD ever since! Imagine suspending an entire year of action and intent upon one idea thread, one word. It's a very powerful practice.
Think of your ONE word like a fish hook from which all the year suspends your values, actions and goals. It represents a combination of value, integrity, goals and desire to show up in a way that feels good, aligning with what really truly matters to you now.
My word this year is PORTAL; gateway to expanded awareness. For me, it's about exponential and sustainable growth. I want to serve more people, help them in ways that only creativity and coaching can. It's not therapy yet it can be therapeutic.
More people need to know I'm here to help them through difficult conversations, through uncertainty at work and in life. More people need to know I'm uniquely skilled at both leadership and life/wellness and that HR has funding to pay for coaching with me. Did you know this? Did you know I offer a sliding scale and scholarships too? Need help, just ask.
Anyhow... that's my word. PORTAL. What's yours?
Put your word where you can see daily. Challenge yourself to say "YES" to things and people that help you stay aligned, and "NO" to what doesn't. You don't need to have everything perfect. Stay in alignment with what matters most to you. What's your ONE WORD for 2024?
Want another unique New Year Practice? I've several! Keep reading for these and so much more. Including a list of podcasts I spoke on in 2023!
INSPIRING NUGGETS NEWSLETTER
Each season I provide inspiring nuggets of wisdom through my newsletter which includes invitations to upcoming events. My goal is to help YOU better cope with life and learn how to cultivate success through mindfulness and creativity. Seasonal teachings come through both my personal and professional experiences and the Chinese Five Elements philosophy of Wu Xing (wŭ ching) and Tao, among other philosophies and sciences which highlight and explore unique nature-based ways to understand the processes of change. In addition, each newsletter aims to help you create a mindful mindset and provide resources to build resiliency in the face of personal, professional and cultural change. Find this newsletter useful? Be the gift that keeps giving, share it with a friend! Want to hear more? Invite me to speak at your next conference, place of business, networking or civic groups. Enjoy!
WINTER :: Rest
Nature provides a unique lens in which to see ourselves and the situation around us. Here we can discover inspiring perspectives, useful solutions, and new patterns that may reveal our next step. According to Eastern traditions of Tao, there are 5 seasons, each represented by an element, color and emotional characteristics. Here's a simplified explanation.
- Winter : Water : Blue : Stillness : Fear : Hidden Potential
- Spring : Wood : Green : Creativity : Anger : Growth
- Summer : Fire : Red : Connectivity : Joy : Authenticity
- Late Summer : Earth : Yellow : Integrity : Sympathy : Transformation
- Autumn : Metal : White : Acknowledgement : Grief : Letting Go
WINTER is related to the WATER element which represents our emotion of fear and informs a sense of power, hidden potential, courage, stillness, rest or mindful movement and wisdom.
This season, through winter and the element of water we are reminded to REST. Anything alive needs replenishment. rest can occur in short bursts, like closing your eyes and taking a few breaths to taking a powernap, to simply not responding so quickly to a task. Give yourself pause.
If you find yourself in busy-mode again... take the needed respite you need to regenerate. Rest.
Consider the amaryllis bulb as a metaphor. The bulb must rest. It spends a month or so putting out beautiful blooms and long green leaves. After the bloom is done, it shrivels back leaving the leaves to take in sunlight from spring to autumn sending energy to its bulb underground. Then pauses for winter and rests.
You, like an amaryllis needs rest, rejuvenation, and replenishment. The intensity of going all the time without pause is what causes burn-out, perpetuates anxiety, even grief.
The season of WINTER and element of WATER reminds you to take what you need in this very moment to rest.
Reflection Questions
- How can I best rejuvenate my energy?
- What's it like for me to be still?
- What am I deeply committed to?
- What's my next right step, just for today?
- If I were courageous, what would I do differently?
- Where and how do I give my power away?
Humans function like seasons of the natural world. We often easily respond to the expressions and changes of the natural world. Nowadays, many of us are inside, working year-round, many are isolated with no windows to tell our bodies where we are in our natural cycles. So, if this describes you- I encourage you to give extra attention to exploring your inner nature this season by exploring in nature. Go outside, get off your devices, sign up for a class or a get-a-way to tempt, tease, teach and release your genius. Invite others along to follow your lead. See life differently, coach with me!
SPECIAL GIFT! NEW YEAR PRACTICES FOR YOU!
FEATURED PODCASTS
- Dancing with Life (Nigeria) Dec 2023
- Being with Grief (Minneapolis) Nov 2023
- Surviving Womanhood (England) Oct 2023
Contact Annelies
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Annelies is uniquely qualified in both leadership and wellness categories. Check with your Human Resource manager to see what easily accessible funds for Executive Leadership and Life/Wellness Coaching are available to you.
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Email: annelies@conduitforchange.com
Website: www.conduitforchange.com
Phone: 919-345-8396