Almost one year ago, I was thrilled to be approaching a place of ease that was so very long coming. For the first time in 15 years, all my kids would be in school. I was two months away from my last weekend as a wedding photographer. I envisioned my ideal life: the kids would go to school, and I would work, uninterrupted. In the afternoon, I would shut down my computer. Full stop. I'd pick them up and devote evenings/weekends to family and friends.
That life lasted 5 months. In March, not just the littlest kid, but ALL the kids came home. Remote learning was a disaster, but we made it work, this crisis mode.
In June, I realized this would be our life for at least another 15 months. And, for a variety of reasons, the youngest 2 would need to be homeschooled.
July, I was hacked. Lost my IG and facebook accounts, almost 8500 followers. Simultaneously we went through a very tough few weeks as a family. Quitting felt so... attractive. Logical, even.
Around that time, Mole Mama interviewed me for her podcast. She shared how her creative work had been stolen. The violation against her was far worse than my hack. She told me that her loss taught her to approach life and business from a place of ease. At the moment that I received those words, my instinct was to think: “Ease?! Ease was taken from me in March!”
One particularly humid morning a week later, I strained to keep pace with my husband running up a hill beside me. Somehow, on that steep hill, Diana's words came to mind. "Run from a place of ease."
I lowered my chin and lifted my eyes. With better posture, I felt stronger. Next, I tended to my breathing. Dropped my shoulders and relaxed my arms. Suddenly, the air came more easily, more deeply. Mindfully, I shortened and quickened my steps. My legs were screaming and I couldn't talk, but I was in control. I was doing something very difficult from a place of ease.
And then, I understood what she meant. The hack and the changed plans and the temptation to quit had given me a valuable set of tools: the tools to mindfully, purposefully, realistically approach life, family, and a creative venture when nothing was going as expected. That's what it means, to me, to find ease in difficulty. I wanted to share 11 steps YOU can take to hopefully find just a little more ease.
Would love to hear from you!