Surrendering to the unknown...

When was the last time you stepped into the unknown? Perhaps you were curious about something, but the fear of exploring or committing to the uncertainty scared you. Thus, keeping you from moving forward. This happens to us all. When we find we keep circling back to something we've resisted out of fear of the unknown, or feel a yearning to step into a new experience, ultimately wanting more for ourselves and to contribute to the world. We find have no other choice but to surrender, take a small step and not let fear get the best of us.

This is happening to me. Right. Now. What I find helps me is the ability to laugh at myself and at the preposterousness of fear. Do you ever find that fear shows up in the most ridiculous ways? One superpower humans have that other mammals do not is the ability to laugh, especially at ourselves. I love to say, "meditate, journal, pick-a-card," for well-being support. I am now adding "laugh at yourself," it is a must. It really does help lighten the mood when we are feeling too serious, anxious, fearful, afraid of failure and just plain uncomfortable stepping out of what's comfortable.

So here I go. I am about to step out onto a new limb in my business & career. It is scary, uncertain and certainly thrilling because I have loved every moment of this journey. Since September I have been enrolled in Martha Beck's Wayfinder LifeCoach Training Program. It has been truly remarkable. I realize that I have been doing my own form of coaching for as long as I can remember and I have even developed my own Soul Trees tools for this journey. I am excited to now have the opportunity to work 1:1 with clients and hopefully get to know some of the wonderful customers who have been with me along the way. I am planning to use my Soul Trees tools along with what I have learned (and continue to) from Martha Beck, creating my own unique approach.

I invite you to check out my pilot offering which is limited in that the price will increase. I am getting my feet wet now and as I move along on this new path I will continue to grow, learn, make new discoveries and surely some goofs that I hope I will laugh at. Please join me and we can laugh and grow and discover together.

Thank you for being here!

Peace & Gratitude,

Allyson

Intention and follow through... create regularly

One of my intentions for 2019 has been to sketch daily. I have not accomplished this everyday, but have sketched more days than not. Some days I've filled many pages in my sketchbook, more than making up for the missed days. So far, I have as many sketches as there have been days this year.

Since January 1st, I have created more drawings than I have in years, since college. Allowing myself to sketch or even doodle occasionally and releasing any expectation has freed up my ability to follow through, and made it very enjoyable.

The point of this intention was to find a way I could create something daily and to get back to the basics of my art. I have continued to paint, but not as often as I would like. I felt surely I could sketch each day, it takes less time, no clean up and I love to draw. I also hoped sketching would inspire new paintings...

So far sketching has inspired more sketching. I am enjoying the process and new ideas are flowing. I am going to continue to follow the inspiration wherever it leads and I am excited about just creating more.

How about you? What hobby or interest have you wanted to try, or get back to, but you have yet to begin? How can you start small and release the expectations that discourage effort (like self-judgement)? Take a small step or set aside a short amount of time each day (or weekly). What will work for you? It's okay to start really small if that is what it takes to begin.

Personally, I figured I could start by giving myself 10 mins a day to sketch. That is how I began, I don't put a time limit on it at this point, I just draw for as long as I want to.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Make an appointment with yourself and put it in your calendar or set a reminder. If you miss a day or two, get back to it and keep going.

2. Try to string a few days together, this increases your chances of successfully making it a habit.

3. Tell a friend, family member, pet, or if you feel so bold you can post it on your social media of choice. Telling even one person holds you more accountable, increasing your chances of follow-through, especially in the beginning.

4. Better yet, find a friend or family member that also has something they would like to create or work on and check-in with each other regularly.

5. Keep your expectations for what you can accomplish low, but be consistent. You can do more as you feel inspired. You are trying to set up the habit or ritual of creating first.

6. Don't give up! If you decide to change up what you are working on do that. There are no rules, just some helpful guidelines to support your intention of creating something that adds meaning, peace, creativity, balance, and enjoyment to your day.

March is just a couple of days away. A new month feels like an opportunity for a fresh start but you can begin anytime. The best time is when you feel inspired and don't wait a minute longer, you may talk yourself out of it.

Keeping on with it, I’ll continue to share from my sketchbook @SoulTrees Instagram. Checkout my stories there as well, I post sketches there the most. Now I have dived a bit deeper into this accountability thing, how about you, where can you begin?

If you'd like to share with me what your working toward, I'd love to hear from you. Comment below or connect with me on Instagram or Facebook, comment with your intention on any of my posts. ✏️📒

Thank you for being here!

Gratitude & Good vibes,

Allyson

#soultrees #intention #creating #sketchbook

A new journey awaits...

I am getting to the end of my stock of this beautiful deck. When the second edition of The Dreamer's Journey sells out, the deck will be retired. No more reprints or editions.

Creating this deck was a complete inner and external journey of self-discovery, spanning many years. It was rewarding, frustrating, exciting, and exhausting. I love this deck with my full heart, and my heart is in each card.

However, the time has come to release it and allow the space for the Dreamer to begin a new journey. A journey that will involve new creations and facilitating self-discovery for other Dreamer's using Soul Trees® decks and additional tools. I am feeling called to step into a new beginning.

2018 was an incredible year of personal challenges and unexpected gifts. It offered me the opportunity to wholeheartedly honor myself, trust, heal and take a leap of faith in a direction that seemed to come out of nowhere (but not really ;) . I am currently studying, practicing a new skill, and creating. I look forward to launching new offerings in 2019, so stay tuned!

So if you have felt called to own a copy of The Dreamer's Journey now is the time. She won't be around much longer. ORDER NOW

#thedreamersjourney #thedreamer #unexpectedgifts #trustyourjourney