There is a Better Way

It was like stepping back in time. 

My old college campus and the streets of lower Manhattan looked exactly the way they did when I last walked them 17-years ago, except a little different.

Still, it felt like I could have opened a door and walked into a building as my college-aged self. 

Some things were different. But, so much was the same. 

My college-aged self knew that anything was possible and believed that she could be or do anything. 

And, at Sarah Lawrence, this thinking was normal and encouraged. 

I saw that easy sense of empowerment still represented in the brand new Barbara Walter’s building. Her awards and photos were like a symbol that spoke, “You can do anything.” 

I knew that back then, and thankfully I still believe it today. 

But, here’s what’s different. 

Back then I didn’t always know HOW. 

HOW could I be or do anything? 

HOW?

In college I figured the answer was to work my ass off.  And then, I feared that I wasn’t good enough or working hard enough.

After college, the rules and messages of the world seemed clear: 

“Get a J.O.B., make sure it has insurance benefits, and work hard so that with luck and grit you can become something.” 

Ugh. 

The message was anything BUT encouraging of being able to be or do anything! It always felt like there had to be a better way, one that wasn’t so draining and demoralizing. 

Then, one day I heard Wayne Dyer say, “There are no rules in this life,” and something within me came alive. There are no rules! I remember the feeling of limitless possibilities and believed there had to be a better way.  

I didn’t realize it at the time, but when I quit my job to pursue coaching I also started a quest for a better way to lead and live, one that involved heart and ease and writing my own rules. 

So, there I was just a few weeks ago, standing on my old college campus, and feeling like I had stepped back in time. But this time, I knew that pursuing dreams doesn’t require self-sacrifice, stress, and struggle. 

There is a better way, and I now know HOW. 

It’s leading with heart and living with ease. How do we do that? 

Well, I created a formula to answer that question. I call it the Formula for Ease, and it looks like this: 

MINDSET:

Cultivating a new, limitless mindset by defining the rules that you live by rather than letting society define them.

ACTION:

Taking conscious action instead of following the cultural “shoulds.” Being courageous, releasing resistance, and following your heart to take inspired action.

COMPASSION:

Lead with compassion. Self-compassion and compassion for others is powerful -- even more powerful than dominance and aggression. 

Over the coming weeks I’m going to be talking about mindset, action, and compassion in greater depth to help you define your rules to lead with heart and live with more ease. 

This may be a shift for you, and that’s okay. Or, you may already be leading with heart and living with ease, and so I can’t wait to hear your voice in this conversation too. 

You can do anything. 

It doesn’t require self-sacrifice, stress, and struggle. And, together, we’ll lead this new way with heart and ease.