Do you ever feel like you are holding yourself back?  I know I do!  One of the areas I hold myself back in is in my blog writing.  I hold myself back with my perfectionism tendencies.  Every time I sit down to blog, I put pressure on myself to make it be something inspiring, thought provoking, Wholistic Woman worthy….but what is that really?   What would it be like if I gave myself permission for my blog to be less than perfect?

I recently started an eCourse on the book “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Bréne Brown.  My first assignment with the course was a creative journaling exercise around permission.  The question posed was, “What kind of permission do you need to give yourself to do the work required for wholehearted living?”.  The assignment was to design a permission slip which answered this question.  Here is what I came up with:

In this exercise I gave my self permission to:

• Make mistakes
• Embarrass myself
• Start over – moment by moment
• Be “Self” centered
• Play by my own rules
• Teach AND learn
• Unfold
• Get rid of what is no longer serving me
• Not know the answers
• Be inspired by others
• Experiment
• Ask for help
• Grow where I’m planted
• Be a work in progress

I’ve been living this week with this permission slip metaphorically in my back pocket.  What I’ve noticed is that I’m more willing to take risks.  I’ve been reaching out to people whom I’ve wanted to have difficult conversations with but was afraid to.  I’ve allowed myself to cry in front of a group where normally I would have tried to hold it all together.  I’ve been a better listener.  I’ve been kinder to myself, and I’ve experienced more peace.  And, my blog was easier to write 🙂

So, my question to you is, what do you need to give yourself permission for?  Don’t filter your answer.  What’s the first thing that pops in you head?  Please leave your answer in the comment section.

Now, I challenge you to put it on paper in some way.  It could be as simple as writing your permissions on a piece of paper, or you may want to get more creative.  Either way, take the time this week to practice allowing that in your life and just notice what changes.  Go have fun with this, you have my permission!

Today’s author: Laura Hall is an iPEC certified life coach whose business, Hall Coaching, was established in 2009 with the vision of waking women up from the nightmares of “How did I get here?” and, “Is this as good as it gets?”, so that they can begin creating and living the life of their real dreams, hopes and desires. She offers both one on one as well as group coaching services. She can be reached at [email protected] or check out her website at www.hallcoaching.com

Save