Hello wonderful friend. I hope that 2024 has started off well for you. Please remember to be gentle and kind to yourself.
If the days have been hard, try to reach out for some help. If you are feeling good, look around and see who might need some of your bright light.
Remember, we’re like that proverbial “vee” of geese. Sometimes one of us has more energy and strength than the others. In those times, we lead. Other times, it is perfectly fine to lag behind a bit and catch someone else’s tailwinds!
***
I have to admit to you, I’m tired! I was traveling last week for work — Brendon Burchard’s GrowthDay live event in Los Angeles. It was so much fun. I loved being around so many positive people who wanted to spend New Year’s Day envisioning their future and thinking about their dreams. AND, it was also a lot of work on little sleep.
When I got back on Tuesday, I had just two days to catch up, repack, and hop on a plane again. When you receive this LoveGram, I will be in NYC celebrating the 60th birthday of my friend, Rachel! (Wheeee!)
I wrote this LoveGram to you on Thursday because on Friday I had to leave the house at 4am to catch an early flight cross country.
Sometimes life is like that, right? We have to go-go-go. Other times, we wish there were a little more “go” to get to!
***
I always think about you when I am headed out of town because I want you to remember to take care of yourself. I want you to think about ways you can give yourself a break or surprise yourself with kindness.
I want you to practice thinking of yourself as your own best friend.
I’m doing that right now! Instead of pushing myself until I get sick, I am practicing saying, “Honey, what can I do to help you?”
Today, the answer is to give myself permission to let go of some things. I made a whole list of “can let go-of things!” One of those things is recording and uploading a new audio.
It is hard to let go of things, especially when we think it will disappoint someone else. (Like YOU!). However, the more we practice this, the more we role model for others.
***
Remember last week’s LoveGram? It was all about how to love yourself better.
Did you listen to that audio? (I know some of you did, because I appreciated the emails you sent!)
I suspect many of you didn’t have a chance to listen because it was New Year’s Eve and you were likely spending time with people you love. You also may have simply forgotten.
That’s okay.
Today is a chance for a re-do!
Because I had back-to-back trips, and I wasn’t able to upload a brand new audio, I’m encouraging you to listen AGAIN — or for the first time, if you missed it— to last week’s message.
Here’s how to find that audio LoveGram.
This audio is about how we can pay attention to loving ourselves even better! Even MORE!
***
If you already listened to last week’s audio, will you take this challenge to LISTEN AGAIN?
All too often, we think we need things that are brand new in order to learn or grow from them. But the truth is, we learn best when we hear things repeated. We learn best when we allow ourselves to listen for nuance or to listen for messages that most resonate with us after they are repeated.
I have a practice that was taught to me by my spiritual teacher, Cheri Huber. It is called Recording and Listening. We make positive, best-friend messages for ourselves and we listen to them.
Again and again.
Think about it: doesn’t your Squawky Polly mind yammer all the same negative stuff at you over and over? Doesn’t it repeat ad nauseam how you did this or said that and how dumb it was? Doesn’t it repeat the yicky stuff?
Well, re-listening to positive stuff is an antidote to that!
Rick Hanson, author of “Buddha’s Brain” says, “The mind is like velcro for the negative stuff and like Teflon for the positive.” Thus, we have to focus on and repeat the good stuff!
(Here’s some information on Recording and Listening if you are interested!)
***
In the spirit of trying this out for yourself, will you promise to re-listen (or listen for the first time!) to my audio from last week. Here’s that
If you take this challenge, do me one favor: hit reply to this email and tell me what your experience was like. Did you hear something you didn’t hear last time? Did one particular message resonate again? Did you write anything down to help you remember?
I’m asking you to pause.
And really be with yourself.
We are all starting 2024 with an intention to LOVE ourself better!
***
Thank you for being here with me all year ’round.
You are here because you want to feel alive. You want to feel free-spirited. You want to live a kind, generous, joyful life.
I know you are here because, like me, you are practicing to remember every day what really matters.
We get to do this together.
I look forward to receiving your emails telling me HOW you are practicing loving yourself better in 2024! And what happened when you re-listened!
Seek celebration — even in dark corners,
xo Sherry
P.S. This is the poem I read in the audio. I hope you print it out and post it where you can see it everyday to remind yourself to practice loving YOU better!