How Do You Know What Month It Is?

Do you know what month it is? 

You do? Congratulations!

You've won 2020!

That's it.

That's all you have to do to declare yourself a success this year.

Honestly, I'm using FOUR calendars to keep myself from living the first week of March on repeat. 

And I just realized it's been two months since I last wrote a blog.

In my defense, I've been talking to so many of you this summer through coaching calls, private webinars for your teams, and in The Compassionate Badassery Lab. 

And this what I know for sure: every single one of us is winning at life right now, no matter how long it's been since we put on pants with a zipper. 

The amount of change, uncertainty, fear, and suffering we're all weathering and witnessing is mind-boggling.

Personally, I noticed that my capacity for thinking clearly and supporting other humans plummeted around mid-June.

According to this highly scientific calendar, I was right on schedule:



And this one: 



This too: 



How about you?

What month was it when you hit the wall?

Maybe it was right away, maybe it hasn't happened yet.

There's a meme out there that speaks your truth. #trustandbelieve

Whatever month you're currently in, may I suggest that you get ruthless (see: September Viola Davis) about who and what gets your limited time and energy from now on?

I mean, get really, really picky about where you spend your finite resources. 

Because if this year is teaching us anything, it's that the systems we live in are NOT designed to support our well-being.

Quite the opposite: they're built to harm us. 

Grind/hustle/white-supremacist culture is about the control and extraction of valuable resources.

And the resource is us. 

Even in the best of times, it's hard to make a living, raise a family, keep the litter boxes clean, AND respect the limits of life in a human body.

But this year? Phew.

It's literally killing us. 

So we've got to be badass with our boundaries. That's how I restored myself this summer. And it wasn't always easy or comfortable.  

No one sent me a permission slip, letting me know it was okay to hustle less and rest more. My bet is you won't be getting one either.

We have to make the hard choices for ourselves. If we don't, then the choice will likely be made for us via illness (physical or mental). 

So before we all get permanently stuck in August (see: Mindy and Kerry), it might help to: 

Get strategic and adjust your expectations of yourself, based on an honest assessment of your current needs and resources.

What does your life look like right now? Not what you think it should look like. What is it actually like?

Are you always out of time, money, support, or seltzer (seriously, what is happening with the aluminum can shortage?). 

What are your true biological and energetic needs today? This week?

You're not a machine. Respect your current needs.

That might mean making tough choices. Saying "yes" to rest, for example, might mean saying "no" to other meaningful items on your to-do list.

No one can do it all, all the time. 

Adjust your expectations about what you can do today and be strategic about how you use your limited energy, money, and time.

Keep checking in. You're always changing. 

Aim for #goodenough. Don't let perfectionism fool you (it's the voice of the oppressor!). 

This year is about getting honest with ourselves about what really matters, and what we need as human beings, so that all of us can do more than just survive (see: January Viola).

Now, what month is it again?

It doesn't matter! We got this.