Hitting the play button again

Whenever we watch a family movie we invariably hit the pause button at some point. Usually it's because someone has to go to the bathroom. While they're in the bathroom, someone else decides they want a snack. And another person goes upstairs to change into their PJs.

So, the person we originally hit the pause button for comes back to the couch and asks, "Can we play the movie again?" And waits, somewhat anxious, for what turned out to be a longer than anticipated break at a critical point in the story.

A few months ago, I shared I was hitting pause on my blog while I took medical leave. I thought I'd be back in the saddle in 4 weeks, max. But it turned out there were all these other things I needed to take care of while I was pausing.

For starters, healing from surgery takes more time and energy than most of us anticipate. There seems to be this phenomena where those of us going under the knife tell ourselves, "They say it takes at least 3-6 weeks to recover but I'll be better in 3!" As if healing from a major surgery is only a matter of mindset. Sadly, while it helps to keep a positive mental attitude, it's not the only factor at play.

So, I've had to face the reality that my healing is an ongoing journey. And I have both a love-hate relationship with Physical Therapy. Seriously, how are these simple stretches so dang hard and exhausting!

Then, I forgot to factor in my need to have fun and socialize after getting over the initial hump of acute healing (read isolation). And like anyone that's been couped up (something we're all quite familiar with thanks to COVID), I planned a few different trips for the first part of July. My travels offered much needed respite along with a few stunning changes of scenery!

Finally, I found it important to take stock and reflect on my business. I filled pages in my journal re-imagining what my work will look like moving forward. And I reviewed what I've done over the last 11 years at Rosabella Consulting.

The more I reflected back, I realized how important it was for me to take my time envisioning my future. I had to confront different limiting beliefs that were lurking in my mind like a collection of dust bunnies waiting to catch a ride on my sock and never going away. All while giving a hard look at how I was going to actually apply lessons learned from my past experiences moving forward. In other words, I've been thinking different, being different and doing different.

Turning off auto-pilot gave me reason to prolong the pause so I could mindfully re-emerge with intention and be the change I wanted to see.

And I'm excited to share there are some new developments coming. Rosabella Consulting is getting remodeled. Like an old house, she's got great bones. And we're going to make sure those beautiful features stand prominent. We're getting rid of the clutter and streamlining our business.

I didn't plan to take a three month pause on my blog. But it turns out allowing myself to settle into the spaciousness and work both on myself and my business was just what I needed. Kinda like putting on PJ's when we hit pause for family movie night (yup, I'm the guilty party usually deciding later in the game to get comfy).

So, here I am. Hitting the play button again. We're at the point in the movie where there's great anticipation. What is going to happen next? Is she going to overcome this obstacle and be a victor of change? Or is this just a bunch of hype with no fanfare to follow?

You'll have to keep watching, proverbially speaking of course, to find out!

In the meantime, I'm curious to hear what have you been up to this summer?