This week change is on my mind.  Some people like it, others dread it but reality is that the world we live in is filled with change.  This month I am saying goodbye to a group I have worked with for 13 years.  I was a therapist with this great group for so long I don’t remember what it was like before.

It is strange that it feels like a breakup but that is far from the truth.  Business changes and retirement goals mean that it is time to leave the nest. A gentle nudge and lots of gratitude and happiness surround this change as we all move in new directions.  Change is exciting but it is hard too!

I am moving forward with excitement, fear and great joy!  Starting October 1st I will leasing office space in St Catharines. The space is co-located at 12 Secord Drive within the offices of naturopath, Dr. Jane Lauermeier.  The honest truth is that I have visualized this move forever and I am so ready!

This week I am immersed in decor decisions about how to build the perfect space.  A counselling space should be welcoming but also project a bit of the therapist’s personality.  So while the rug choice is practical the llama print is whimsical.  It speaks to how I feel about life.  There are days where we just get through and do what needs to get done and it is the practical stuff that grounds us.   On other days we just want a bit of fun to shine through.

Over the years I have grown so much as a therapist and I know the timing is perfect, so I will open the door and welcome both old and new clients into my room and they will talk, I will listen, there might be a few tears and we’ll create a plan together to move through this thing called change.

Someone asked this question in a workshop I was at and it gave me pause for thought.  What motivates you? What are you passionate about? What makes you want to get up in the morning? For me it would be to connect with the people in my life and to enjoy every minute of life even when it is exhausting or sometimes disappointing. These days there are things I feel passionate about like my writing and entrepreneurial endeavours.  If I dig deeper I would imagine my “why” is really be about connection and sense of creation.

Using this as a kind of navigation tool you can find it easier to stay on course, to be more focused.  Identifying your “why” at home and at work can most definitely bring clarity.

Ask yourself  the 3 questions and see what comes up for you.  Your answers will likely be different on a workday than on a day off or maybe not.  Take your answers one step further and create your week based on your “why”. Make sure each day you do one thing that is consistent with feeding your passion.

Today I wrote and that makes me happy.  Tomorrow I will go to the opening of the Supper Market and see people I haven’t seen all winter.  Connecting and creating….those are my whys.  What are yours?

Perhaps it is just human nature, that an innate need to keep up with the Jones.  As we start to do the work on ourselves the focus is on exactly that, “you.”  Counselling is one of the few times in our week, maybe our life, where we get to set our agenda and talk about what we need to talk about. We get to be honest and authentic and we aren’t judged.

It is always interesting that these 50 minutes that you are giving yourself for self growth frequently includes talking about others.  This talk is often not about them in connection to yourself but in what they are doing.  The yard stick is brought out, “why are they doing better than me?”

The answer is simple, they aren’t you.  Focus on your grass and let you be you.  This is your journey and yes we share our lives with others but this work is uniquely yours. Nature your own grass and you will get to admire your own beautiful shade of green.