As winter settles in here in Minnesota, I find myself slowing down.

My body wants to sleep for longer.
I want to slow down the pace of my life.
I want to downshift to a lower gear.

Once the first snow falls, I often feel a longing to go more inward, to hibernate, to retreat into my cave and nest. Hot chocolate. Wood-burning fires. Slow-cooked stews.

For my membership, this month’s theme is focused on developing the tools that support us in cultivating vitality in our lives. Take a moment to reflect:

What energizes you?
Where does your energy come from?

One way we cultivate vitality is by caring more fully for our inner environment, for our inner being. We start by caring about how we feel.

How we feel matters.

But it continues with being willing to make the profound shift away from constantly focusing on what is wrong with ourselves or others and instead move toward committing to a deep focus on what our hearts truly want.

What are your heart’s desires?
When was the last time you checked in with your inner being?

We defuse stress when we are able to focus on our feelings and connect with our deep needs.
We defuse stress when we empathize with others.
We defuse stress when others empathize with us.
We defuse stress when we live in alignment with our deepest desires, longings, and wants.

If you’d like to get a little infusion of feel-good neurotransmitters in your system today, try this activity. I’m sure it will boost your mood.

10/10/10 Exercise

1. Get a piece of paper and make 3 lists of 10 items:

• List the top 10 most exciting or inspiring desires you have.

• List the top 10 things you’re most grateful for right now.

• List the top 10 things you love to do, just for the sake of doing them.

2. Look at your list: How are you feeling now?

3. Revisit this list monthly, and make a new one each month. Watch how it changes, refines, shits, and clarifies for you over the course of a year.

Happy self-connection! 🙂

I’d love to hear from you. You’re welcome to share in the comments below any of the items you came up with that you found particularly surprising, enjoyable, or noteworthy.

WANT TO GO DEEPER IN THIS WORK?

Here are a few of my programs that might be of interest to you:

• Conversations from the Heart, a free Q&A call on Wednesdays at 10am CT. LEARN MORE

• Membership, a deep dive into personal growth with a dedicated community. LEARN MORE

• Private Consultations, one-on-one guidance for your specific life situations. LEARN MORE