267. Journal With Me: How to Know When to Let Go vs. Pivot
Some things become heavy because they were never yours to carry.
Some become heavy because the way you're carrying them isn't working anymore.
Those aren't the same thing.
If something that's always mattered to you suddenly feels different, this is your chance to slow down before deciding whether to keep going or walk away. The answer might be letting it go. It might be changing your approach. Either way, clarity starts by getting honest about what's actually making it feel so heavy.
Today's prompts:
- Which activity is feeling heavy for me right now?
- Is the whole thing feeling heavy, or just a specific part of it?
- What would I actually love to feel as I go about my day?
- If I stopped doing this, would I feel more of that desired feeling, or would something be missing?
- What would I need in order to feel that way while still doing this activity?
Bonus prompt:
- If this is something I get to choose, am I attached to doing it because I think it makes me better in some way, or because I genuinely want to do it?
There isn't a right answer waiting at the end of these questions. Just a little more honesty than you had before. And sometimes that's all you need to know whether it's time to let go or simply take a different path forward.
Work with me:
- Lighter: finally release the weight attached to your plate www.samanthapenkoff.com/lighter
- The Leaders Table: https://www.samanthapenkoff.com/leaders-table
- Breakthrough Intensive: You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting & be emotionally present. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes + integration call 1 week later. Book your Breakthrough
- Exhale Private Coaching: For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 3 open spots: Work with me
Transcript
Beyond awareness, and welcome to our final strategic journaling episode as part of our What's on Your Plate series. This is part three, which is all about when the things that you love become heavy. They weigh you down a little bit, and how to recalibrate instead of just muscling through, or how to know when to actually put it down entirely. Because maybe,
it was just meant for you for a season of your life. On Tuesday's episode, that's when we talked all about all that. And I gave you one question to help lighten those things that you love right away, which was, How can I change this to feel better? Pretty simple, right? But today we are going deeper so that you can get a feel for if you should truly find a better approach or if it's time to release it.
And by the end of these prompts, you'll have a much better feel for and much better clarity on which direction is right for you. And real quick before we dig in, enrollment is open for my 12 week experience, LIDAR. It's where 15 women get to experience and learn how to sustain feeling less of a weight from their mental load, whether that's from your to-do list, expectations, relationships.
And or the constant reminders buzzing on your phone and in your brain, all of it. In a nutshell, you will have a quieter mind and trust yourself more so that you can actually feel safe turning off and being present in your life. So if that feels like something you're interested in, click the show notes for all of the details. Okay,
prompt number one. Which activity is feeling heavy for you right now?
And once you can hone in on that, dig deeper into which aspect of it? Is the whole thing feeling heavy or just a certain part? Like if you really want to write a book, is writing a book the whole thing feeling heavy? Or is it just the outline? One chapter, the fact that you can't sit down for longer than 45 minutes without your kids or team interrupting you.
So what's feeling heavy and what specific aspect of it if you can nail that down?
Prompt two, zoom out with me just for about 30 seconds and ask yourself, what would I actually love to feel as I go about my day?
Prompt three. If I stopped doing this activity, would I feel more of that desired feeling? Or would something be missing? And also think of if you set up a goal in prompt number one. If I stopped setting this goal, pursuing this goal, would I feel more of my desired feeling, or would something be missing?
And allow this prompt to invite nuance. It's okay if you feel both. Write out both circumstances if that comes up for you.
Prompt for. What would I need in order to feel that way while still doing this activity? So maybe you would need someone to watch the kids so that I have more time to pursue this. Or you would need to cancel a meeting once a week so you have more time. Maybe you would need to do this activity less often. If you're writing a book, maybe I need to write about a different topic.
to feel more joy or whatever the emotion it is that you're seeking.
And this is a bonus prompt for those of you where your activity that feels heavy that you're journaling through isn't something that you have to do, like feeding your kids for dinner, but it's an activity that you get to choose. Okay, so this prompt is: am I attached to doing this activity because I think it makes me better in some way? Or do I genuinely want to do this?
Amazing job. That last bonus prompt is really circling back to part two of our series, which was about why our plate is heavy in the first place and why we keep heavy things on our plate even when it doesn't feel good. So if that's resonating, go back and listen to last week's episode and prompts. Besides that, you've likely been putting off facing this heavy thing.
For a while because you're supposed to love it, or you used to love it. You're supposed to want to do it, right? And today you untangled why it's not feeling the way that you want it to and what to do about it, whether you do want to recalibrate and make it more joyful, or lightly set it down without guilt or judgment. In either way, you're no longer.
muscling through. I hope you're feeling that. I hope you're feeling lighter no matter which path you're going to take. If you'd like more support to feel better through this process, because you might already feel more fear pop in, more questions, more, but how do I do this without feeling the guilt? Or the this will then happen, right? The ripple effect of what happens if you go down a certain path. So
As those things pop up in your brain, dive into the show notes to see how we can work together because that is all part of the process.
And if you'd love more support to feel better through this process, especially as the fears pop in, judgments come in, expectations pop in your brain, questions, because as you make a decision, more things pop in, right? It's not just like, easy, done. A lot of times we'll make it, but then there's guilt or the what ifs or the simple ripple effect of, okay, well, if this happens, then what?
even something good, like, well, then I'll have more time on my calendar. And then what? Then what do I even do with that? Right. So much can can come up when we make a simple decision or a big decision. So if you'd like more support with any of that, dive into the show notes to see how we can work together. Thank you for tuning in this week and to our three-part What's on your plate series. I so appreciate you listening and I'll see you next week.
