"I’ve already started, I need you two to be quiet… “
Meet Heather, never a mincer of words. Today, she, our friend Jonna, and myself have revisited the Saturday morning "HJB Writing Jam Sessions." A habit we got into midway through the pandemic. I know. It's a mouthful, but that's what we came up with for the Google invite and it stuck. Every other Saturday morning when Heather’s kids were with their Dad, after Jonna went to Pilates, and I surfed the web all morning, we would come together. Jonna and me in person, and Heather on zoom from North Carolina. (We are pictured to the right. After over a year of our little trio, this is the only photographic evidence of our friendship. Me grossly failing a photobomb of their selfie in a limo for Heather's birthday. My photographic skills are sad, really. LOL.. but I digress.) For 3-4 blissful hours we would brunch, sip on some bubbly, and talk about all our lives had presented us in the previous couple weeks. We would then write/journal for 20-30 minutes and share the entries with each other to discuss. From comical rants to heart wrenching outpourings, anything was welcome in those moments.
It was always inspiring and a much needed time of accountability and connection for me. I learned the term 'activator' this week as it relates to people in your circle that challenge and push you to take bigger leaps, be more vulnerable, and more confident in your journey forward. These women are exactly that for me. It’s been months since we‘ve gotten together and as we were slowing down after brunch and getting our laptops out to write, Jonna and I both really had nothing on our minds to write about. I was babbling on about how I really just needed to do it to resuscitate the habit of regular writing in my weekly schedule, and I looked at the screen and said to Heather, “How about you?”
“I’ve already started, I need you two to be quiet…”
In that second I chuckled and made a joke to Jonna that we better start clicking but also, in that same breath, I felt an exhale of understanding. No matter the dream, intention, career path, or relationship, time is not going to slow for anyone. The days and weeks are going to continue to pass, and, here’s a doozy of a fact…
The people in your life are not obligated to wait for you to stop talking and start moving.
In a split second of time, I saw a bucket list of items flash through my mind. Financial goals, business or personal dreams, intentions for my friend and family relationships. All listed there in a very well thought out mental picture. A list that no person or circumstance in the whole of this universe has any control over but me. No one chooses for me how I spend my time, what I believe about my capabilities and worth, how I want to treat people and allow myself to be treated. No one else controls how I manage my spending, energy, or health. In 10 words, Heather unknowingly dropped the mic on every excuse, limiting belief, and alleged proof that I cannot move toward my Next right this very second.
(Side Note: I don’t have a clue what Jonna has going on next to me, but I do know that she’s been clicking away as rapidly as I have been the last 15 minutes.)
Phases like “Time waits for no one.” “Life is short.” “You only live once.” “It all starts with you.” …need I go on?? I am happy to do a quick google search and come up with a dozen or so more. They are everywhere. On posters from boardrooms to bathrooms, and yet, somehow we are still surprised by the next birthday, a colleague who is promoted first, or friend that moves on to a new level of life experience while we wait.
The clickity clacking going on in this room today has me outwardly smiling, as I can feel the energy of “forward” in the sound. I can sense creativity and connection flow as the minutes pass. Not because anything profound or world shattering is being written, but because we started. We all showed up, we put fingers to key, and we took the next step of typing those first words. That is all it takes. Setting your sites and taking the next aligned step towards the mark. Even if you take it alone.
That, my friends, draws out the most deafening truth in the sound of these 3 busy keyboards. Companionship. You, like Heather today, might take that first step or two alone, but as you continue to move, you will be met by others. Either they are already on the path before you and you join them. Or your steps will inspire someone to pick up the pace a bit and catch up.
This is one of my favorite quotes. I think today is the perfect day to chuck the excuses and begin. Take the next action that will move us toward something on that goal list so, at the end of the day, we can confidently say… “I’ve already started.”
This blog is a personal collection of my thoughts, wins, losses, memories, and crossroad moments. Almost all of which were hashed out around my kitchen counter and in my journals. If any of it resonates with you and you are ready to free-up the hidden badass you ARE right now, I can help. It’s time… Click the link and Let’s chat.
