REAL Secrets & TRUE lies - why connecting works!
The day I turned 30, I slipped on the icy back porch & joked my hip was broken because I was now so old.
The entire month leading up to that day was filled with DREAD & WORRY. I left my birthday party early to pout & sulk - like a total jerk.
I held SO MANY expectations for my 30s - mostly that they’d be terrible because I was so old.
TRUE fact - my 30s were full of growth, change, happiness, learning.
Yesterday, BOOM! I turned 50.
Jack turned 13 last week, too! Another big number, right?
I briefly wondered what to EXPECT in celebrating our birthdays during the Great Pause.
We were supposed to be at a fancy resort last week… Jack was supposed to be at Disney World doing something Star Warsy with his best friend.
Here’s a secret I may never have shared: I LOATHE planning BIRTHDAY celebrations.
Because of - EXPECTATIONS!
Do you ever get stuck because of EXPECTATIONS?
Like the thing is supposed to be SO GREAT that you get stuck in the idea of it?
New Year’s Eve, a 65th anniversary party, your 21st birthday, a wedding?
Planning for something with that kind of BIG expectation stresses me out…and puts me right into overwhelm, then paralysis.
People do this in business too - like, a course you want to sell with EXPECTATIONS of a 5-figure launch…
Or you read about how to do a sales funnel, but there’s parts of the “expected way” that don’t feel right to YOU…
So you get stressed OR scared OR paralyzed OR sabotage yourself?
Been there m’self.
That’s why I went into this week of Big Birthdays with ZERO expectations.
KNOW WHAT?
It. Was. AWESOME.
Why? Because we could just BE.
Human BEings. Not Human DOings.
The best part:
Sooooo many people reached out to us. On the Facebook, texts, Messages, PHONE CALLS (I didn’t know my phone actually accepted voice-on-voice action!).
And of course - ZOOM. (Thank you tech geniuses for inventing ZOOM.)
Another TRUE FACT: People are SO freaking GENEROUS people are on your birthday. They’re like, “We’re SO GLAD YOU”RE ALIVE!!! Thanks for BEING BORN!”
Sure, this happens every year - but I sure as shit noticed it a LOT more this year because the world is QUIET.
We had nothing “to do.”
Zero EXPECTATIONS.
This month, I’m talking all about the secret power of CONNECTING - with yourself. Your clients. Your audience. Your staff. Your employees.
I’ve got incredibly helpful tools from experts about that you can find on my daily Facebook series, Miraculously Realistic Tools.
Whether you’re an introvert who’s fearful this will end sooner rather than later.
Or a high-level extrovert who’s missing HUGS, PLACES, and PEOPLE…
We all need connections.
Connect with YOURSELF, first of all? Please carve out 10 minutes a day - even though I know life may feel hectic & crazed.
Then…consider how are you connecting with YOUR PEOPLE?
What made my birthday SO great wasn’t the gifts. It wasn’t the brownies my husband made.
It was the CONNECTIONS. People with a message of “I see you. I care about you.” I was positively lit UP by all the people who reached out.
This is me reaching out to you saying, “Hey! I see you! I’m honestly honored you’re part of my community. I know that you opened & read this blog.”
It matters. You matter.
Xo, Jen
(PS - Tell me YOUR favorite BIRTHDAY gift? My hubs gave me a list of “50 First Dates with Jen - things we can do together after this. THAT made me cry!)
