The Last Quarter

What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn’t Fail?

We are fast approaching the last quarter of the year. Have you accomplished what you set out to do in January?

In Clarissa Pinkola Estes’s audio presentation, The Dangerous Old Woman: Myths and Stories of the Wise Woman Archetype, she encourages:

“You stand in my danger. You stand in the aura surrounding me that is funded by my heart, my soul and my spirit that says, certain things of this earth are so precious, they can never be allowed to be harmed or vanish from the face of this earth. You stand in my danger. Because I will protect, I will help, I will create, I will defend, I will unleash, I will hold back, I will restrain, I will open up. I will carve doors in walls. You stand in my danger.”

“Stand in my danger.” That phrase seems to call us—wise women and men—to step into that place that both scares and transforms us, the place where magic happens.

How might you end your year standing in your danger?

You might already know what “standing in your danger” looks like for you. If not, do a little digging. Take out your journal and sketch out a single dream or many. Write up as many wild ideas as you can imagine. You can mind map, draw pictures, or scribble your ideas down. Stand in your danger—that amazing place that both scares and enchants you. In my book, A Generous Presence: Spiritual Leadership and the Art of Coaching, I listed a bunch of questions that help us think outside the box of our lives. They might help you as you dream:

*What would you do if you didn’t care what people thought?

*What would you do if you knew you would not fail?

*What would you do if you knew you had one year to live?

As you write, ignore the critics—especially those who live in your brain and spout nonsense. Disregard any voice or noise that says: “you can’t” or “it’s never been done before” or “you don’t know enough” or even “you don’t have the talent, time, or money.” Let go of all of it—all of the ideas and information and crap—that holds you back.

What would you do if you were “standing in your danger?”

Remember, you don’t have to do it all at once. If you want to write a book, you might carve out a tiny bit of time to journal each week. If you hope to run a 5K, you might walk every day.

End this year standing in your danger and begin the next in your power. Join us in the Write Now! Accountability Group and make it real. Visit the Show Up and Write page to sign up for this Thursday’s complimentary session.