Laura Tucker
Photographer, Writer, Podcast Host
We are passengers.
Riding on a giant rock
As it circles a star.
Our jewel of a rock sustains us,
Not the other way around.
She has many lessons to share.
If we tune in, we will receive them.
Today is a good day to slow down,
Remove our blinders.
Pay attention to what she says.
And so is every other day.
And here’s the kicker! We do it to ourselves. We crowd our schedule, try to do too much, or force that last thing in before we leave.
We become more impatient, distracted, and reactive. We remember less, notice less and listen less. Rushing robs us of our true power.
This is when the keys inevitably go missing. (Because they didn’t go back in their drawer, because we rushed on to the next thing.)
This is how a walk turns from a pleasant act of self care into a stressful hot mess.
If we ask the self care question,
“What is the kindest and most compassionate thing I can do for myself right now?”
“Rush!” is never the answer.
Let’s all stop rushing. We can allow ourselves to slow down, take a deep breath, and power up.
PS. Can you tell I’ve caught myself rushing lately? 😉 How about you?
As the calendar year turns over, it is a powerful time to take stock of what has been and set your intentions for what will be in the upcoming year. Here are three year end rituals to restore and inspire you:
The Alchemist is a fictional tale of a shepherd’s journey and the discovery of his personal legend is mandatory reading for me as each year comes to an end, and a new one begins. It’s magical, in that every time is like the first time, with a new message, because I am at a different stage of my journey each year. There are many layers to the story, but at its core, The Alchemist is a story of both universal forces and self-determination.
According to The Alchemist, “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”
Photography is my creative passion. Whatever your passion, commit to a creative date with yourself. The picture accompanying this article was taken 2 winters ago on one of the coldest days of the year. It’s not always easy to fit in your creative time, but it is always worth how you feel afterwards.
Take time to review the past year.
Year end rituals make a big difference to your mindset. Look back on this past year in its entirety and find people and things to be grateful for. Opportunities for gratitude are always there. If the past year has been challenging, how did your challenges serve you?
Reflect on
Then, look forward. You’ve got an entire new calendar year about to open up before you. It’s full of possibility. Even in challenging times creators create, entrepreneurs thrive, people fall in love and are kind to each other.
If you’re looking for guidance to set up your new year, download the new Free Your Inner Guru Guidebook. this free interactive guidebook includes:
Before you forget, go ahead and get your downloadable at lauratucker.com/guidebook
Above all, be kind to yourself.
I wish you a Joyful, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
Bigger, better results lie just outside your comfort zone.
Everything you want lies just outside your comfort zone.
If you’re not growing, you are dying.
You have to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Fear is a part of the process of growth. Most of the time, it’s normal and healthy.
When you leave your comfort zone, it creates an inner conflict that activates your body’s fight or flight response. Your body starts to talk. Label it what you want – fear, anticipation, excitement – but don’t disregard it. Don’t train yourself to ignore it.
One of the benefits of doing inner work is to strengthen the connection between your conscious mind and your body.
Disregarding your fears disconnects you from the wisdom of your body. Instead of suppressing your fears, learn to feel the fear, and choose to play anyway.
Do you compare yourself to other people and their results? Of course you do, it’s human nature.
When learning, be conscious when you compare. Comparing yourself to someone who is more masterful can have two opposite effects:
There will always be someone ahead of you on the journey. The combination of seeking perfection and comparing yourself to others can kill your creativity.
No one is an expert the first time they do anything. Even virtuosos have to practice their innate skill. Stop being so hard on yourself and ask yourself this question: Are you really making mistakes, or are you on the road to mastery?
“I thought I had dealt with this already. What is wrong with me?!?”
I hear these words over and over again. Stop beating yourself up because you thought you had fixed that part of you.
First of all, it wasn’t broken to begin with. Your patterns are your patterns. Becoming aware of your patterns is where growth and wisdom are found.
Personal growth is cyclical. Expect to be triggered when you stretch the limits of what’s comfortable.
If you get outside of your comfort zone on a regular basis, you’re going to run into your patterns of belief a lot.
There’s a big difference between “failure is not an option”, and “giving up is not an option”.
Failure is always an option. Experiments fail. Even the most successful people don’t get the results they’re looking for all of the time.
When you combine failure and giving up as not being options, you risk committing all of your energy to something that’s not working!
Allow yourself to fail a little every day. Learn to evaluate and adjust your course.
In 2005, I packed up all of my belongings and moved across the country. I had enough business to keep me going for a while, but I had no idea if it was going to be sustainable. While I was in the midst of all the effort it took to realize my dream, people kept telling me how brave I was. Trust me; that’s not how I was feeling.
I felt purposeful, but I didn’t feel brave. If I had started thinking I was brave, I probably would’ve changed my mind, played safe and missed out on some of the best years of my life so far.
Courage doesn’t happen from the sidelines of your life. If there’s something you want and you’re sitting around waiting to feel courageous before you take action, you might be waiting forever.
Forever is a long time to wait.
It was 1980. My parents had gathered me and my three brothers into our family station wagon to go see Terry Fox run. He ran past us on Highway 2, east of Toronto, as we gathered roadside. Thirty-seven years later, the sound of rubbing metal, followed by a grunt, a scrape and a thump as his prosthetic leg hit the ground lingers in my mind.
Last week I went to an event at First Canadian Place and stumbled upon the 50 at 150 art exhibit. This painting sent me back to that moment in time. Thirty-seven years later, I flashed back to the sights and sounds of that day.
Are we perfect? No.
Are we humble? Not exactly.
We are bigger than that. We are diverse.
If we are to nurture diversity, it will require a fierce commitment to values that transcend the individual needs of any one person, or any one group. Terry Fox knew this. He wasn’t running for his own comfort, or his own physical healing. He was running for his vision of a future where more is possible. And it is.
The question is – are we ready to rise to the occasion and be that kind of leader? From what I’ve seen recently from our political leaders, we may be. Whether it was John Tory, the mayor of Toronto, speaking at the Toronto Regional Board of Trade last week, or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s speech on Parliament Hill in Ottawa today, our leaders seem ready.
What I find most encouraging is they don’t pretend to be perfect. Increasingly, they acknowledge our past challenges. At the same time, their resolve to move their respective constituencies forward into an age of leadership remains undiminished.
Posturing, preening, and pretense of perfection are not requirements of leadership. They are the precursors of chaos.
So while the media is having a hey-day over Justin Trudeau’s omission of Alberta in his speech today, I’m appreciating that he moved quickly to acknowledge his mistake and apologize. On stage in front of millions. At his first opportunity.
Real leaders acknowledge they are human. And you know what humans do? They make mistakes. The true character of a leader is revealed in how they handle their mistakes.
So while Trudeau’s gaffe will no doubt fan the flames of the regionalism that is the invisible Canadian divide, I have faith that Canada at 150 will survive it. We must be bigger than that. Because really, in the grand scheme of things, what do we have to be divided about?
Canada is the future. Canada is now. Tout est possible in Canada. As it is being said around the world, the world needs more Canada.
As the spotlight is on us, which version of Canada will we become? Let’s choose the version Terry Fox represents: full of grit and determination in pursuit of a universal goal.
Happy 150 to all Canadians, and everyone who shares our spirit, everywhere.
Related podcast episode: The World Needs Powerful Authentic Leadership NOW
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[Please note – I have been all over the internet, trying to track down the name of the artist of this painting. If you know, please leave a comment so I can make the appropriate accreditation.]
