✅✌️ Releasing Your To-Do List ✌️ ✅

Mama Mindset® Podcast Episode #10:

Releasing the To-Do List

Audio Version:

https://www.mamamindset.com/podcasts/mama-mindset-podcast/episodes/2147709507

Video Version:

https://youtu.be/--IT8PqlsP4

Whoo- that was fun!  I was on my Mama PULPIT today 👏

Here she blows! 🐳 🎙

Aloha Mama!

Today in full disclosure, I came on to our life chat fatigued and feeling physically tired. I've been pouring a lot of energy into creating and medical pursuits lately. I've chosen them and although it's fulfilling and something that I'm passionate about, I've been trading sleep as medicine for these sacred pockets of productivity lately.

In this life chat, I share some raw thoughts on how we can protect our energy, lovingly challenge the way we tend to measure our worth through to-do lists, and the seductive and yet unfulfilling path we often take of being "busy" which we allow to dominate the landscape of our lives.

What if you started playing around with deleting your to-do list? With having FAITH that you can choose not to force things, that you will accomplish whatever it is you decide is honoring of your time and energy.

With radical compassion, can you evaluate the various spheres of your life: physical, emotional/mental, spiritual, intellectual/occupational, relational/social, financial to see where you feel fatigued? You are not one thing, but many. Woman. Mama. Creative. Visionary. Healer in your own home. Artist. Dreamer. You are not "too much." You are not "too emotional." You do not have "one role."

You are a lot. And you are in good company here. I'll polish your crown and place it right back on your capable head. You have the capacity to move from your zone of genius into your zone of excellence. These concepts of Zone of Excellence and Zone of Genius are based on the book The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks.

I share how former versions of me felt when confronted with the comment, "You look tired today." For me it was a such a deflating statement, and ultimately one I allowed to mean I had failed in some way of showing up poised and polished, no matter how I might have been feeling. Ultimately, I didn't feel emotionally safe at the time to allow someone else into the fatigue I was feeling, because I wasn't even validating it for myself during that chapter. During my time in rigorous clinical medicine working 90 hour workweeks and 28 hour shifts without sleep, I did not allow fatigue. I felt this was dangerous and wanted to give my patients and their families every ounce of my intellect, compassion and calling to serve within medicine. While this is honorable on some levels and I certainly can claim that I practiced medicine in a high level way and delivered exceptional care, this was not a sustainable way for me to live. And while it allowed me to perform clinically, for me it suppressed my inner artist and creative. Because I wasn't carving out space to validate myself in a meaningful, vulnerable way. This version of me was all about her to-do lists and the grind and accomplishing whatever was in front of me next.

I've now pivoted and offer for all of you to do this in your own reverent way, from this expansive space within Mama Mindset®. The current version of myself would have compassion and expansive space for however I'm feeling, and own it, and if faced with the "You look tired" comment, would come from a completely different stratosphere of neutrality and curiosity and fascination. I wouldn't make it mean anything more than a comment floated to me and one I could examine for myself in my own pond of self reflection. So today, I am feeling tired. I claim that. And it's okay. I know how I've been spending my energy. I've chosen the various creative pursuits in writing, creating Mama Mindset® content, playing with my babies, reading, moving my body, and dreaming (day dreaming as well as some super interesting night time dreaming as well haha).

I believe our dreams (day dreams, night dreams, all the time dreams) are a portal into a part of our conscience that is there to serve us, and to prosper us. In evaluating and claiming your fatigue, what are ways you can place protective energy around yourself, pivot to a place where you have FAITH in yourself over forcing to get things done? Can you play around and get curious about shifting from subscribing to a "busy" lifestyle, to one where you drop the fear associated with "missing" or "forgetting" something. What if you could never fail, only always learn?

I feel compelled to offer that we often come from a place of fear and massive limiting beliefs centered around lack and scarcity when we live for our to-do lists and we allow more anxiety than is healthy into our emotional and creative space which are ultimately meant to be fun and in flow, constantly curious and in fascination.

Lean ever more into that Mamatuition, Mama. You are safe to rise! And safe to ditch your to-do list if it isn't serving you anymore. From my today/tonight tired soul to yours.

What would happen, what space would open up for you and your creative genius if you said, "Bye, girl, bye" ✌🏼😘 to your To-Do list?!

I'm curious!

P.S. This photo is me as one ecstatic FURst time Mama with my FURst baby, Kaileo Lincoln aka Kai Kai (taken as a puppy summer 2015).  He's getting his first (of many) shave ice cones.  We were on the North Shore here on a day off driving around the island.  As the window says, "Enjoy every second."  The dream of being a husky Mama (I'm legit more starstruck seeing huskies than I ever will be seeing most humans haha) came true with him.  He helps me stay mindful and present and has been the buddy that picked me up from long shifts, gets me out in nature to move, was up with me on all my late night breastfeeding sessions with my two babies, and is always ready to play.  He reminds me to release my to-do list on the daily. Unconditional aloha for this Hawaiian husky boiiii.

- Anik