Anchors Away (Part 1 of 2)

I’m so inspired by two of my clients.  They each let go of an anchor that was keeping them tied down.  The result has surprised them both.  Neither one had realized that their anchor was holding them back, draining their energy and keeping them from new opportunities.  Here’s what happened:

Anchor 1.  Mary (an assumed name) had been submitting bi-weekly columns to a publication for a number of years.  She enjoyed the notoriety that came with a prestigious publication.  It was the first publication that would accept her work.  She had lots of ideas and submitted many columns over the years, always on time, in their format.  Sometimes the columns were edited, sometimes accepted as written.  The publication praised her creativity and appreciated her work.  They even paid her a small sum for each published submission.

Fast forward – she continued to submit these columns but now they became more of a chore and something Mary felt she “had” to do.  The publication’s format limited what she could write.  Praise came less and less.  She still received her money, but she began to wonder if it was worth it?  Mary felt the tug of loyalty – it was the first place to publish her writing, so she struggled with the decision for awhile.

Not wanting to burn bridges, as the publishers were well known in the community, she asked for a leave of absence with an open-ended return date.  She could now write her column for herself, as a blog on her website.  The content was her’s alone.  The format was anything she wanted it to be.  She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted.  Opportunities started coming her way almost immediately.  She was asked to sit on some boards, was offered a part-time job perfectly suited to her talents and discovered she was happier now than she had been in a long time.

Inspiration 1:  You don’t have to quit something forever – you can stop it just for now and see how it feels.

Inspiration 2:  There is a shelf life.  Something that gave you joy at one time doesn’t have to stay around just because it gave you joy at one time.  Many activities have an expiration date – you’ll know you’re past it when it’s a chore.

Inspiration 3:  Life fills a void.  All your activities take space – space meaning time, energy and focus.  When you stop something that isn’t serving you anymore, you open yourself up to new opportunities.  What would you do if you suddenly had a bunch of free time?

Inspiration 4:  Clean out.  Take a few minutes and think about what doesn’t give you joy.  Stop doing it!  If it’s something you still have to do, find another way to do it – delegate, outsource, or have someone else take care of it.  You’ll realize how much energy was being drained by doing what you don’t love to do.

Next week I’ll share the other experience with more inspirations that build on the ones I found this week.

What are you holding onto that you’d like to let go of?  Are there activities that you don’t enjoy anymore?  What is holding you back?  What is a drag in your life?  Leave a comment below.

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