I have an invitation for you.
It is the reminder, or permission slip that you cannot get it wrong.
Let me say that again. You cannot get it wrong.
This nudge was inspired because I was at an event recently and one of the women there has the Thrive Journal.
She shared something that I’ve heard before.
She loves the journal. And, she hasn’t begun to use it yet.
I love these reflections, honesty, and vulnerability.
Her comments continued: The journal is so beautiful. I'm afraid to write it. And I don't know how to begin.
This "I don't know where to begin.” isn’t a new-to-me refrain. I’ve heard it before.
“I feel like it needs me to devote more time to it. I need the right/perfect.”
My response is always similar. Something along the lines of, “I hear you. But remember… it's undated. It meets you wherever you are. It's not going to judge you, right? Just begin.”
But I get it. Sometimes things like an entire undated journal can feel overwhelming. All those blank pages.
And maybe you have an old story or samskara (imprint) of “not following through” on things that you begin.
I get it.
Which is why I sat with I’ve been sitting with this over the last few days.
Today though, I was reminded that this pattern isn't just about the journal.
Maybe you have a journal that you haven't started, whether it's the Thrive Journal or another journal.
Or maybe there is something that you have said yes to or that you've wanted to say yes to, but you haven't - because you don’t know where or how to start. Or you're afraid you might make mistakes.
Anyone?
Let me give you an example: I signed up for a hiking endurance event called 29029, where over 36 hours in August, I will be trying to climb, oops – not trying - I WILL be climbing, hiking up the mountain in Whistler over and over again.
The intention is to climb it eight times - to reach the cumulative vertical feet of Everest. It seems fitting that I’ll be participating as part of the Kyle Pease Foundation team, to help improve the lives of those with disabilities to push beyond their limits through sports and beyond. (Want to donate to the team? You can read more about that here.)
The truth is that as I approach this training, I have no idea what I'm doing.
Yes, I've gone hiking. And yes, I’ve trained for and run 5 marathons. But I’ve never done something like this - that honestly is more of a mental endurance challenge than a physical one.
I've kind of taken it on audaciously and bit unapologetically. There's almost this lack of doubt because let's be clear, I don't know what I don't know.
It's kind of an amazing place to be.
And yet, I feel the future whispers already gathering. All the questions. The wondering about how to even begin this monumental challenge.
Another example is when I was part of an ongoing spiritual practice mentorship last year. As a group we were learning and exploring different practices under the teaching and guidance of Tracee Stanely. And to say that there were some seriously embodied folks in that Zoom room would be an understatement.
And yet… guess what happened when we gathered?
We’d begin our sessions with check-ins and shares…and there was continual thread of “wondering if we were doing something wrong.” Or we’d share with comments about how we hadn’t really “done” the practice. Except that when we talked, when we explored… the reality is we had embodied our own version of the practice, just in different ways.
Because the practices were living inside of us.
Which is a beautiful thing. Because if the practice lives inside you, you…repeat it with me, CANNOT get it WRONG.
The question is…how do we begin?
One of my favorite invitations when I lead yoga or meditation practices is to remind practitioners that they signed up for the practice because they were craving, yearning for SOMETHING.
A “why” that compelled them to put the practice on their calendar.
And then, on the day of the practice, they stopped whatever it was they were doing and moved in the direction of the studio. Maybe the why remained, or maybe it began to shift.
And then, once seated…maybe that why continued to be the same, or maybe it continued to reveal itself in a new way.
This applies to so many things. Big things. Little things.
I use something similar when I lead retreats, by encouraging retreaters to be curious about not just their intention – but the deep why underneath.
And look, sometimes you start with one why – and then you realize that actually, your why is about something completely different.
But here is the thing: you can’t know that if you don’t begin. If you don’t take the step forward – to turn towards whatever it is.
Let me give you an example. When I think about my why for 29029, it's already begun to shift.
Originally I thought it'd be amazing to see what my body is capable of. I was curious. I felt like I had nothing to lose.
But over the two months since deciding that I wanted to do this and then eventually getting a spot, I realized that it's not about seeing what my body is capable of.
Because the truth …the practice of already knowing what my body is capable of (magnificent things), already lives inside me.
I’ve realized that my why is actually about CELEBRATING my vitality. My magnificence.
There is a subtle difference. But I couldn't have known that until I had given myself to begin.
Given myself permission to begin.
So this is my invitation to you:
The journey gets to be yours. And you really cannot get it wrong. The only way to get it wrong is to not turn towards your journey.
The Bhagavad Gita says that yoga is a journey to the self, THROUGH the self.
And in case you need me to say it one more time, you cannot get the journey wrong.
So when you notice that you are holding back from doing something because you might get it wrong…or aren’t sure where to start…
Give yourself permission to check in with your why, with what it is that feels important to you about it.
And then move in service of that yearning of that craving.
Devote yourself to that, even if it may shift, even if it evolves.
And if this nudge resonates with you…comment below about how you might give yourself permission to lean in, even messily.
Or if you know someone who you could use this nudge, please send it to them. They’ll be grateful. (and so will I.)
xo,
Elena
P.S.
If you’d like a guide to help you remember that you cannot get it wrong, I’d love to support you.
Maybe that looks like joining me on an upcoming retreat to Corolla, North Carolina, Castine, Maine, or Cambutal, Panama.
Or maybe that means joining the Thrive Circle membership for on-going practices in sacred community. (which you can try for the first month free!)
Or maybe it means grabbing your own Thrive Journal to come home to yourself one day at a time.
Or maybe…you aren’t sure what it means. If you, I’d love to chat with you about what might be most helpful and delightful for you. You can comment below or schedule a free discovery call HERE to see what might be possible.