I am typically not prescriptive in my work with clients, but every now and then, there are some ways of being and approaching work and life that are universally good.

There may be different seasons of life that call for these in varying degrees, but I bet starting today, you would start to see some things shift if you made more space for one or two of these into your life.

Here goes.

1. Experimentation

   What happens when you embrace a mindset that says,

   “I’m going to surrender any illusion of control over the result and immerse myself in the joy of learning?”

   “I’m going to run an experiment and see what happens. Then I’m going to get curious, find something to learn, and apply my learning to the next experiment.”

   Experimentation produces growth.

   When you’re experimenting, here’s what you’re not doing:

   You aren’t standing still.

   You aren’t stuck in your head.

   You aren’t comparing yourself to others.

   You aren’t fretting about the unknown.

   Experimentation allows you to take small bets, gather data, and recalibrate for your next step.

   Experimentation takes all the pressure off, because you have no stake in what the outcome actually is, you’re just open to finding out.

   And this leads us to the second E.

2. Emergence

   When you plant seeds, there is a period of tending and waiting. You give the seeds soil, adequate water and sunlight, a few weeks later, a sprout emerges from the ground.

   In this process, there is no force you can exert outside of nurturing the seeds that can bring about a new plant. You can’t tug on the sprout to make it grow any faster. No, you tend.

   There is quite a bit of tending that my clients end up doing when they work with me. After years and decades of pushing and performing, much of their internal worlds have been neglected.

   In order for what’s next for them to emerge, they need to tend.

   I bet you have some of your own tending to do. Things that have been trying to get your attention and you have been ignoring or pushing away. But if you were to be still for long enough, the things within you that need you to tend to them will make themselves known.

   And when you tend, the new sprouts can emerge.

3. Expansion

   I recently heard an interview with children’s author Kate DiCamillo. She spoke of the responsibility of children’s authors to tell the truth about the way the world is, holding up the story of Charlotte’s Web as an example of the capacity children have to process sadness and grief, and somehow to know that things will be okay.

   She spoke of helping children to develop capacious hearts. This is something adults can work on too.

   When you allow yourself to process the full range of emotions within the human experience, you expand. You develop a capacious interior world that you may have previously thought impossible.

   When you make room for the joys and sorrows in life, you tone down your judgement of these experiences and can settle into just being with them.

   And, you may even notice that there are times when things are going well, so well in fact, that you end up sabotaging it. This is a sign you need to expand.

   Your nervous system is hardwired for survival, and when you experience success, your fear response is quick to alert you of potential dangers.

   You can breathe into these moments and reassure yourself you are indeed safe, and recalibrate your nervous system.

   This expansion is necessary if you want to move away from old ways of being.

4. Energy

I don’t help my clients with time management. I work with them on energy management.

Time management is focused on productivity while ignoring the innate ebbs and flows unique to each person.

Energy management focuses on moving away from draining activities and repurposing your energy to the activities that are energizing to you.

And this brings us to the final E.

5. Ease

When you work in a way that is energizing to you, you begin to experience a sense of ease.

Maybe it is the phase of life I’m in, but I’m done with white-knuckling my way through life just to prove I can.

I’m far more interested in applying my skills in a meaningful way that makes an impact, and doing so with an ease about me.

Which of these 5 E’s resonates with you? I’d love to hear.

Love,

Audrey