šHello Friends
Right now, itās Saturday morning and Iām sitting in an incredibly comfy chair and in Cafe Nero, staring out the window (one of my favourite activities), drinking coffeeĀ āĀ ,writing my weekly reflections and working on the 8th draft of this email. A meaningful shiny email to friends across my life who I want to connect with more.
I never sent theĀ first draft I wrote 1 year agoĀ - I was held back by exhaustion and limiting beliefs about my writing.Ā Ā
Today, I cannot stop smiling to myself. (You know, the squinted eyes, crinkles and high cheeks kind. The real deal.) Why? Well, Iāve realised that life really is an incredible adventure.Ā
And as youāll know,Ā most adventures donāt go to plan.Ā
2019 was one of the one most frustrating years of my life. It felt like a year of mostly uncompleted business goals.Ā Ā My health deteriorated and I struggled to do much but rest. 2019 was also an enormously significant year. I was given the rare opportunity to learn the fundamental lessons of life (acceptance of reality as it is, impermanence, gratitude, patience, love and care for myself) that I wouldnāt have been able to experience otherwise. I learnt and grew enormously.Ā
This year, 2020, I am immensely grateful to have the wealth of health, vitality and energy that I can channel into my creative endeavours. And rather than setting goals to propel myself towards,Ā Iāve decided to progress with 10Ā intentions. To spend more time enjoying the journey and ensuring that I lead the life I am proud of, regardless of whether I satisfy the achievement-oriented part of meās goals.
Iām excited. Iām nervous. Iām struggling to find more non-cliched words to describe that feeling when life gives you an opportunity to make a real impact. Which project do I start with?Ā Reigniting theĀ Trigger ConversationsĀ community, expanding to more organisations, a book on conversation design, more training, a podcast on conversations...
This email is a start.Ā The start.Ā
Iāve been at the receiving end of so many wonderful emails from friends that leave me uplifted and inspired to hear their lessons from the adventure of life. Being invited to discover what is on their mind and in their life has led to collaboration, serendipity and shared opportunities to help each other.Ā And their words facilitate deep human connection amongst a sea of āconnectionā on Facebook, Linkedin etc.Ā
So, here is my question for you... do you want to play a part in a great connection experiment Iām calling āConversations with Georgieā? Both a conversation and also sometimes about conversations. Youāll receive an email letter from me each month.Ā
šāāļøšāāļøIf yes, click the shiny purple button above to hear from me again.Ā
š¤Ā š„°If itās a maybe or no, I respect that and am also curious to hear your feedback. Email me!Ā
Looking forward to beingĀ betterĀ connected,
GeorgieĀ
āØĀ Shiny Gifts āØĀ
And as a belated Happy New Year, here are some otherĀ shinyĀ things you may enjoy:Ā
šĀ A Favourite ArticleĀ -Ā The only metric of success that really matters is the one we ignoreĀ
š§āāļøThe Most Important Health Trick I Learnt Last YearĀ Ā - When youāre exhausted and need a reboot follow these ingredients: bone broth, sauna and steam roomĀ (controlled extreme heat exposure ) with cold showers (controlled extreme cold exposure)Ā and then early bed (9 hours sleep). I do it weekly!Ā
āļøĀ My (Current) Favourite Poem -Ā Now on the back of my bathroom door.Ā The InvitationĀ by Oriah Mountain Dreamer:
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, 'Yes.'
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.