Intentional growth isn’t always showy
I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions and mostly have moved away from goal setting in the traditional sense. Since my birthday is right before the new year, it always feels more like setting intentions for my next trip around the Sun.
Over my break, I reflected on the last year-ish. Always a qualitative researcher at heart, I coded my previous journals for themes and insights. Sure enough, my potential for growth and my hijacking patterns were both beautifully glaring at me, directing my attention to what is needed this year.
This is why I’m a squeaky wheel to my clients about the practice of morning pages. It gives you such good data about your own patterns and desires–plus the ability to look longitudinally makes growth more evident.
It reminds me of fruit tree cycles. In year one, you don’t see visible growth because it is establishing roots and a foundation. In year two, you see branch expansion. In year three: fruiting. It is hard to remember that growth isn’t always showy, visible, and IG-worthy.
When you allow for your growth to be restful and foundational, it is followed by expansion in ways that are deliciously aligned for you. Shit, I lived most of my adult life up until these last few years muscling my way to growth, only to come up with a few pock-marked fruits and a basket full of burnout. Yuck.
What here resonates with you?
Do you see and feel the areas where you have been muscling growth?
Are there places where you crave some intentional foundational work?
As my last email about 1:1 mentorship coaching mentioned, where are you wanting to enter into the chrysalis of transformation?
This past year I was strengthening the roots of my newly blended family and solidifying the foundation of my work with Awakening Resilience. Not all of that work–the ups and downs or the rest or slow times–show up for public consumption nor does it show up as productive wins or tasks completed. And that’s okay. You are growing even if you can’t see it. The fact that you’re here reading this tells me you’re growing because you’re yearning or you’re wanting something different for yourself and your work. Like I was and am.
Now as I look ahead it is so evident I’ve set up my next year to be all about Embodied Grief. So this year, you’ll be seeing a lot more branches and some fruit with expanded but intentional events, workshops, and retreats. For this phase of my growth, the impact intention that guides me is to shed light and hold space for different types of disenfranchised grief so that folks can reclaim their bold, intentional life and work.
What about you?
What are your impact intentions?
What feels ready to grow within you?
What are the embodied actions that are in alignment with those impact intentions?
P.S. I have two 1:1 mentorship coaching spots opening up this month.
Here's how one of my clients, Amanda, described our work together:
If you want to get clear on your values and build a life that supports those values, you should work with Tamara.
Before working with her, I felt a little out of my depth. I was doing things that were never modeled for me and needed a mentor.
I wanted to learn how to achieve without burning myself out.
Since working with Tamara, I feel more balanced and part of an incredible, supportive community. She genuinely wants you to live your best life, whatever that means for you. She's approachable and insightful. I highly recommend working with her!
Ready to learn more? Book a call with me and let's chat.