Quite by accident, I'm writing this exactly one year later.

Last year, I wrote that my theme, quite unwanted, was safety.
It wasn't what I wanted to focus on, but it's what I needed.

3. Snuggled in with pup while filling out @goddessleonie's planner for 2012

One year later,  what I realized (thanks entirely to Leonie's yearly planner) is the RESULT of all that safety.

Instead of putting up walls, instead of creating a hard shell, focusing on safety allowed me to open up, blossom, and risk things I never would have imagined.

Quite unexpectedly, 2011 was about saying YES, even when I wasn't sure I was enough.

I said YES to two big clients who sought me out, doing completely new-to-me kinds of work, things I never would have dreamed selling.

I said YES to a sudden goal to get a book deal before my 30th birthday (which is still 6 months away). Even stranger, I said YES to that book deal and to a writing schedule that might just result in having a finished book by my 30th birthday.

I said YES to the bizarre idea of the Starship. And then I said YES to putting in the daily work to build it, to lead it, and to support all of the captians aboard it.

I said YES to travel. I said YES to writing.

I said YES to the things I (secretly) wanted.
I said YES to things I thought I was afraid of.

And with every single one of those things, I had a clear, panicked moment “Me? Really? What? Can I even DO THIS?!?”
And then I did it.

Because I sought to cultivate safety and internal (and external) support, I had the confidence for YES.
Because I make sure I feel safe and cared for, before I say yes.
Because I (finally!) prioritized what I deeply need.

I still have so much to say about safety and where I found it and how it surprised me and what it taught me, but that will come later.
For now, I'd love to know:

What did you say YES to? What do you need before you can say YES?

3 Comments on In safety, I found YES

  1. Tanja Gardner
    January 5, 2012 at 4:20 am (13 years ago)

    I said “Yes” to taking the plunge and actually starting the niche copywriting business I’d been talking about for months and months.  And I said yes to a 100km charity walk that had defeated me two years previously (and finished it this time). Those were my highlights last year.

    I also said “Yes” to allowing myself to experience whatever came up for me emotionally after my father was given a terminal diagnosis. I’m still trying to say “yes” to my emotions as they arise today.  It’s hard… but I think I like who I’m becoming in the saying of it.

    Blessings – TANJA

  2. Tara Swiger
    January 5, 2012 at 12:22 pm (13 years ago)

    Congrats, Tanja, on the business and the walk and the feeling the feelings! That’s huge (and hard) and is a sign of bravery, I think.

    Thanks for sharing your YES.