Welcome 2021! What just happened?

 

May 2021 bring you renewed energy to grow in clarity, compassion and strengthen your ability to find contentment in what is. This is your center. The human experience is messy. Give yourself permission to ground in the present moment and know the most important person in your life – YOU! In the midst of chaos and confusion, you can ask a higher power to bless the mess, while seeking your truth and inner strength.

 

“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters
compared to what lives within us.”
– Henry David Thoreau

What a year 2020 was! As we welcome the new year, we reflect on the impact this unusual year had on our lives. What happened? We were challenged, stressed, stretched, (in some cases snapped) and grew resilient. There are so many ways 2020 helped us grow. To explore, I answered the following questions and invite you to as well. I left my answers here to share, as clients, readers, advocates of Center4C you are part of my journey, my growth, and inspiration to serve.

What do I hold dear?

My continued personal growth.

What do I  know is true?

 I appreciate my inner guidance. I have a strong inner compass.

What does it mean to live with uncertainty?

To recognize things were always uncertain, yet I can trust my ability to navigate change.   

What does self-care mean to me?

For me….getting enough sleep, reading, laughter, and maintaining a calm and mostly predictable lifestyle.

What do I miss?

Social gatherings, eating out at restaurants, celebrations, travel.

What did I learn?

I could still thrive in these strange unprecedented times and socially distanced conditions. I am patient. I am adaptable.

What words do I want to retire?

Social distancing, pivot, and unprecedented!

What do I love?

My family, friends, clients, coaching, reading, writing, learning.

What changes?

Conditions in the world. Everything outside of me. My cells age and change. My knowledge changes.

What stays constant?

My values, my soul, my essence, my being.   

These are the questions we ask any time we are in pursuit of self-awareness. Even before the pandemic, we were seekers of answers to life’s big questions…and little questions too. Perhaps our pursuit is strengthened by 2020.

Are you more interested in the “big picture” than before?

I am more interested in people and the environment. I need to learn. I want to understand more and find ways I can help.

Have you found answers in the ashes?

Yes, some. Some things fade so other things can be born into our lives. I have greater appreciation for recognizing beginnings and endings. I will try to resist less and allow more. Endings are also beginnings.

Do you feel your connection more in the disconnection that you suffered in 2020? How so?

I felt a deep fatigue from not having the energetic exchange that happens when we are in the presence of other human beings. This invisible exchange was taken for granted. I felt the connection in the pain of absence. It’s hard not to hug. I wasn’t a big hugger in the past, but it certainly grew in the last decade and hugging became more common, even in business circles. Now we can’t or when we do we feel afraid. I miss the freedom I never before appreciated, the freedom to be close to others. I’m reminded we need others.

Did you learn about yourself through your reactions when pressured?

I became much more aware of my emotional triggers. I was able to name and recognize some consistent ones which I think will help me regulate my emotions better in the future.   

Did you find common humanity when helping others?

Yes, I realize I am blessed and the same as others who are less fortunate than me. I resolve to strengthen my support for others in need.

I hope you answer these questions too. I hope you find gems in them, the gifts of 2020, and guidance for a beautiful new year.

Enjoy the inner journey!

 Kim Perone, MA, CLC is a Success, Bereavement & Resilience Coach and Mindfulness Trainer at the Center for Clarity, Compassion & Contentment (www.CENTER4C.com). A personal strategist, philosopher, and champion for her clients, Kim adapted a 20 year career in communication to become a coach and trainer in 2015, specializing in stress reduction, mindfulness, work life balance, bereavement, resilience, and authentic success. Kim is a Certified Life Coach, with an M.A. in Organizational Communication from the University at Albany and author of The Case for Clarity, Compassion & Contentment: Finding Your Center (available on Amazon).  It is Kim’s belief that when clarity, compassion, and contentment are present an inspired life is possible.