Hi Taryn,

I noticed with several of my clients and in talking with my coaching community that so many of us feel exhausted. Ask yourself this right now. 

How are your energy levels at this moment? 

Mine? Hmm... I am feeling a quiet sense of peace. Yes, peace. Sigh… that feels good. It also feels like a new way of being for me. 

In the past, I might have let myself think that my energy is low and that I am exhausted. What I am starting to realize is that I am allowing myself to rest and relax. I feel an unwinding of years of hardwired thoughts that had me expending so much energy, always being busy 'doing' something. This feels weird. It's uncomfortable too, like trying on a new pair of jeans, stiff at first, but they become super comfy after several washes. 

I think it's fair to say that most of us expend a lot of energy 'going' all the time in one form or another, like running households, leading a business, leading a team, being parents, guiding aging parents, and/or leading a project. Raise your hand if you are expending a lot of energy right now 'doing it all'? 

When I think of the word 'expend,' it brings up a negative vibe for me. It feels like a pushing or driving sense of doing. 

• Expending so much energy that you feel like you're pushing a boulder up a hill
• Expending shame and blame on yourself or others when something goes wrong
• Expending energy doubting yourself if you 'have what it takes' to do it all

I would like to invite in a different way of showing up in the world. 

Expansion! 

• Expanding your body through movement like taking a walk in nature to infuse the body with a bolt of energy
• Expanding curiosity to understand better where someone else is coming from to minimize judgment of others
• Expanding out of comfort zones that keep us from playing it small in this world 

Last week I noticed I started to expend too much energy in self-doubt as I was expanding out of my comfort zone. I think these two words are connected or maybe sides of the same coin. 

I expended a lot of energy worrying about what others would think of me before sharing the news that I am a contributing author of a new book.  If you haven’t heard yet, 1 Habit to Thrive in a Post-Covid World was released last Friday (YAY!). I am excited to say it has already made it on Amazon’s top-selling lists. I also expended unnecessary energy worrying about launching a new offering that wasn't ready. Once I let go of my worries and doubts, it opened up massive energy and headspace to focus on my book launch. I expended the worry and expanded the possibilities.  

When you feel like you are expending a lot of energy and draining your battery, check-in with yourself. Will shifting your perspective to one of 'expansion' open up new possibilities from a state of 'going' all the time to one of 'flowing' with more ease and calm? 

Stop expending so much to start expanding!

Read here on how to shift from expending to expanding.

Are you ready to go all-in expanding your impact? Join us in February for the next Mental Fitness Bootcamp that will expand your awareness about what is sabotaging your success and ability to access ease and flow in your life

All the best in this messy and imperfect world,

Taryn Laakso, ACC | CPCC
Unlaaking Your Potential, LLC
 

Taryn Laakso provides individualized 1-on-1 coaching, group coaching programs, and resources designed to ignite creativity, stoke the flames of inspiration, and guide clients in developing their own inner wisdom. After years of working as an HR professional, she brings a consultative approach to her coaching and is passionate about working with entrepreneurial leaders who are transitioning out of their corporate careers and toward their passion work.

She is differentiated by her focus on mindset and weaves together a variety of coaching tools in her approach to transforming the lives of her clients. Taryn views herself as a “sherpa” whose role is to guide her clients through their journey from a life of practicality and fear to a life of passion and purpose along with profit.