I've been thinking about personal energy and introversion a lot lately, especially because Thanksgiving weekend is days away here in Canada. Holidays always create challenges for me in terms of maintaining my energy.
And that's how I came to write this week's blog post - Shame: A Key to Introvert Energy Drain? - The holiday season tends to bring up a lot of shoulds for me. What I've recently realized is that my shoulds are intertwined with introversion and shame. If you relate, you're not alone.
And for more on the topic of energy, let me introduce this week's guest contributor, fellow introvert and solopreneur, Rebecca Prien. I met Rebecca during an online business coaching program we took together. I have only 'known' her virtually - but her story and perspective was always very intriguing to me.
Rebecca has a legal background but knew that her true path was elsewhere. Ompreneur was created to align her passion for living a yoga lifestyle with a more flexible and intuitive approach to business.
Understanding that energy needs must be part of the structure for a successful, soulful business, Rebecca's work is about "a whole new path to business design: a path of practice not perfection, a path of being as much as doing and a path of wholeness."
Doesn't the sound of that just make you sigh relief?
My feeling is that, the more in alignment you can be with the truth of who you are, how you interact in the world, what matters to you, and in the activities that give you a sense of purpose, the easier it is to sustain your personal energy.
Still, it takes awareness and practice. We're all doing our best each day.
Can you relate?
Read on for more wisdom and tools from Rebecca Prien on how to consciously conserve your energy so that you can know yourself and do your sacred work - to experience freedom.
Be Brave. Be Seen. Be True.
Sending positive energy your way,
Marla Hunter-Bellavia
Your Wise Introvert Coach & Mentor
Wisdom Community: Introverted Women in Business
My work is about investing in women - introverted women in particular.
So I'm excited to be collaborating with some amazing introvert solopreneurs to create this section of the newsletter.
You'll receive words of wisdom, inspiration and the occasional special offer from ordinary introverts - just like you and me - who decided to start a business and gather the courage to put themselves out there to be seen in a bigger way.
And there will likely be a bit of myth busting along the way; seeing beyond the stereotypes of what introversion "looks like".
The goal? Introverted women supporting and inspiring each other to create authentic success in life and work. It's a quiet yet powerful form of positive community building.
I encourage you to both tap into the wisdom of these introverted women AND support them by following their newsletters and/or social media and sharing their info with your friends. Fellow introverts, let's help each other... In this issue, I'm thrilled to feature the wisdom of fellow introvert, Rebecca Prien, Founder of Ompreneur.
Conscious Energy Conservation: 3 Practices for Introverts Navigating an Extroverted World
I am often confused with an extrovert. I’m a talker. I have a loud, resonant voice. I engage with people warmly, even in small talk, cocktail settings. I love public speaking.
Traits that we often equate with extroversion are so much of my personality, that even I forget: I am very much an introvert.
I recharge through quiet pursuits, alone. Reading. Writing. Painting. Meditating. Day Dreaming.
Extroversion may light me up, but it also always wears me out.
For many years, I pursued the “light me up” side of this equation and was frustrated by the period of depletion that inevitably followed. The opposite would also be true: I’d get in the placid groove of my introversion and resent going back to extroverted activities that felt like “too much effort” or an “energy drain.”
Recently, however, through my yoga practice, I have come to understand that, as an introvert in an extroverted world, I need to practice consciously expending and recharging my energy.
I invite you to try 3 practices I use for conscious energy conservation to nourish yourself and harness your energy to be at your best when you do step out:
Build solitude into your schedule:Solitude has been characterized as “the ecosystem of leadership” because it is ripe for the cultivation of wisdom and the connection of disparate ideas. For us introverts, it is even more: it is the source of our energy.
Build space into your schedule: With life and business going along at a lightning clip these days, building space into your schedule can feel like a huge luxury. For us, dear introverts, it is not: it is essential to us showing up with all we have to offer. Try not putting your appointments back to back. Give yourself 15 minutes more than you think you need, for everything. Start building your schedule by blocking off how much solitude—and space—you optimally need.
Practice sensory withdrawal: In yoga, there is a practice of withdrawing your senses inward, called pratyahara. By turning the awareness of your senses inward, you eliminate the distraction of outside stimuli and allow yourself to listen more deeply to yourself. I’ve also found it to be incredibly replenishing. Turn off your phone. Turn off the TV. Take a hiatus from social media. Unsubscribe from mailing lists once or twice a year.
Let your solitude be not only solitary, but quiet.
The Yoga of Entrepreneurship Satsang:
Join Rebecca at Ompreneur where you can watch free previews of interviews with some of the Wisdom Teachers collaborating in The Yoga of Entrepreneurship Satsang program (scroll down the website home page to find the videos), read program details, and sign up to be notified of the next session intake.
Rebecca Prien is an intuitive and strategic business advisor, attorney and yoga teacher, who integrates business and spiritual principals in the yoga of entrepreneurship.
Rebecca takes the depth and wisdom of yoga off the mat and into your business to help you experience the fearlessness, fullness and freedom of success on your own terms.
Are you fearless enough to be free?
Marla Recommends:
This week's recommendations follow the theme of conscious energy consumption.
Of course, I recommend that you follow Rebecca's practices and check out her website for more information about her powerful work.
Youtube: Pratyahara yoga music meditation Rebecca mentioned pratyahara as a practice for sensory withdrawal. I don't practice yoga, and I'm not sure that listening to music equates to practicing sensory withdrawal, but I found that this yoga music meditation resonated with me. So I'm sharing :)
Did You Miss a Blog Post?
How To Find Your Way to YES - Most of us have experienced saying no to what we truly wanted to say yes to - because of fear. It's important to create a level of comfort in the discomfort of that fear - and find a way to say YES anyways. In this post I provide some tips that have helped me.
Why Alone Time is a Non-Negotiable for Introverts - We can't talk about energy without including alone time. No matter how many "reasons" you have not to, you must create space for solitude if you want to restore your energy. Here's my take on it...
If you find that you need some clarity, courage, support, and accountability to start creating your ideal lifestyle, I invite you to contact me to see if the Wise Focus (1 month) personal coaching option is a fit for you (special pricing is in effect for the remainder of 2014, limited spots available).
Your month of 'just you and me' coaching will be intensely focused on getting more clarity on one challenge quickly (let's say getting more clear about the work that has meaning and purpose for you in the world), and taking small actions that will increase your confidence to get you started moving in the direction you want. We'll do most of this by email for your convenience.
And keep watching because I'm excited to be in the process of creating online training packages for you.
Wise Introvert - Coaching for Introverts. A little hot pink for the excitement of possibility while remaining grounded in our introvert truth. Taking authentic and inspired action.
