My 52^nd birthday is this Sunday and I’m doing something way outside of my comfort zone to ring in this next birth year…

I’m sharing this, and being a little vulnerable, in hopes it inspires you to join me in getting outside of your comfort zone too.

Because, the comfort zone sucks….

It robs you of your dreams, joy, radiance, passion and sense of feeling FULLY ALIVE!

It keeps you from your mission and purpose… and BEING who you were put on earth to be.

It causes the book to remain unwritten, those words to remain unspoken, your secret longings to remain unfulfilled.

I don’t want this for you, and I don’t want this for myself either.

So, I’m doing something about it!

Here goes…

The big area of growth in my 52^nd birth year is to shift away from being led by my personal will, planning, thinking, action, strategy, drive and sheer determination.

Since I started my first business 27 years ago, I’ve been primarily led by the above mentioned, more masculine qualities.  And for this woman, it’s been downright exhausting at times.

Operating this way has helped me experience success, impact tens of thousands of lives, and feel a sense of purpose and fulfillment in my work…

But it has also led to too much stress, some misalignment, failures and poor decisions, adrenal fatigue, and a few other chronic health issues (not life threatening but certainly dampening to my spirit)…

Being driven by these masculine qualities has also led to not feeling a sustained sense of joy in my work or my life.   It has felt like too much work, and not enough FUN!   Don’t get me wrong.  I experience beautiful moments of joy and fun, but they are “here and there." and not as consistent or sustained as I know is possible for me… and you.

So, I am proclaiming it is time for me to  shift into being guided and led much more by my feminine qualities… creativity, desire, passion, pleasure, joy, ease, flow and grace.

To anchor this proclamation and take a step in a new direction I am hopping on a train at noon today to go to New York City with a friend where we are attending a women’s empowerment weekend.

I’ve gone to these types of events before… the first one was on my 29^th birthday in Los Angeles.   But this one is different and uncomfortable because it will be with 2,000 women…

And the focus is on embodying our femininity which includes getting comfortable being guided by what we desire, and that which brings us pleasure.

I don’t know about you but for this hard-working woman… desire and pleasure are words that are uncomfortable for me to even write.  I have been so driven by action, striving, accomplishing, etc.  And I certainly didn’t grow up in an environment that supported any inquiry about desire, pleasure or that which made me happy and fulfilled.   I was raised to “do, do and do some more!”

Aside from using the world pleasure as in “It’s my pleasure to serve you” I don’t think I’ve ever used that word to describe what moves or inspires me.   I didn’t know it was even a possibility for a way of operating in my life.   Pleasure and desire were off my radar in terms of their true meaning.

Until I signed up for this seminar, I didn’t realize how much I looked past desire, passion, pleasure…. and looked instead toward achievement, accomplishment, hitting goals, etc.

To you this may not sound like a big deal or like it’s vulnerable at all… but it is for me.   This shift feels like exciting yet scary.

It’s such a big deal that the left (feminine) side of my body has been in some degree of pain/illness for the past 13 years!   Nothing on my right side (my over exercised masculine side) ever causes me physical problems.  That side is strong!

While I’ve done numerous things to help my body heal, the relief hasn’t ever been permanent.   So, the time has come for my feminine side to heal, and strengthen in body, mind and spirit!

This is a shift that’s been decades in the making.   One I know I’ve needed to make but have been too scared to proclaim…

And, in some ways, too embarrassed to reach out for support.   (I “should have." figured this out by now!   Or… who am I to think I deserve all that?)

Life is pretty good how it is… it’s comfortable and known.  But I want more at this stage of my life.

Not more materialistic stuff.  I want more ME to be expressed in the world… every day in every way.

In fact, one of my friends recently told me that I would be well served by living every aspect of my life like I live when I’m facilitating my breakthrough events.  So true.

My feminine nature is alive, engaged and in her full glory when I facilitate live events… I am filled with passion, pleasure, purpose, desire, creativity, trust, ease and flow as I serve my amazing clients.

This is how I want to live.  So here is my birthday wish to myself…

May this adventure to New York City help me shift into living in my feminine more consciously and consistently.  And may every moment of risk taking, stretching out of my comfort zone and getting real be worth it.

Because only in doing so can I, you, or anyone become all that we were born to be.

What do you say?

How do you feel about being guided by your desires and that which brings you pleasure?

Is there a growth edge for you that’s a little (or a lot) uncomfortable?

Comment below and let me know.

And if finally getting help to write your book is the uncomfortable thing you know you need to do… stay tuned because tomorrow I’ll be opening doors for my 2^nd annual “Get Your Book Done Birthday Sale.”

You’ll save hundreds on the newly updated version AND get a few birthday bonuses you won’t see anywhere else!  Stay tuned to your email tomorrow for details…

In the meantime, share your thoughts on this post by commenting below.  I look forward to hearing from you!