The Wednesday Pep Talk

A mini experiment

Dear Kula Diaries,

Today I’m going to try something a bit new… because… well, I’m all about doing whatever feels good now. If you’ve been here for awhile, you know that I’m not the type of person who can just do the same ‘ole thing over and over again… because, guess what? Doing the same thing produces the same results… and the evolution of a trail is so much more delicious and enjoyable when it continues to unfold in new and unexpected ways— isn’t it?!

Last week, I had a coaching call with my mentor, Glory. A lot of our discussions often center around practicing activities that help me, as a human and a business owner, stay connected to, well… the things that really matter. It’s so easy to get sucked into a FEARPOOL or a DOUBTPOOL or a LACKPOOL. And do you know what? It sucks. But do you know what else? It also does not help. In fact, it does the exact opposite of help — it hurts. Isn’t it funny that when we clench tightly to the things that we are most afraid of… that we actually pull them into our lives? It often feels scary to let go. It feels scary to stop trying hard to force something to happen. It feels scary to throw caution to the wind and to trust that the universe is going to catch us when we take a step off a ledge into the unknown — but, my friends, it is the way.

I do not always remember this. In fact, I often do not remember it. I find myself whisked away into Worry Worry Land, which is similar to the place where Peter Pan is from… except that it’s a place where your body decays more quickly because you’re so stressed out all the time that you never stop to enjoy where you are or appreciate the miracle of your life.

And so, I digress — but it was during a call with Glory, when I inadvertently gave myself… a pep talk. The voice in my mind that tells me untrue things is my alter ego — a creature that I have affectionally named Stacy (my nickname from childhood). Stacy is the person within me who tells me that I’m going to fail… or that things aren’t working out… or that I’m not doing enough. And do you know what? Stacy is a complete liar — because she’s missing out on the big picture, and she’s just really afraid. And that’s OK. We each have that scared little person inside of us — the young child who just doesn’t want to disappoint her parents or her teacher… the little girl who is afraid to get in trouble… or who is worried that she’s not good enough… or who is tired of getting picked on in school for being different. That part of each of us has been there for a long time, because it served a purpose — it was trying its best to protect us… and it did a good job for awhile… but, eventually, we just don’t need it anymore, because it starts to hold us back.

The thing is — I know this, but the fearful thoughts are sometimes so deeply woven into the fiber of our being, that we can’t help but get swept away by them.

And this, my friends, is where the PEP TALK comes in.

In the midst of my conversation with Glory, I went on a rant about all of the things that I know to be true.

Here’s my pep talk to myself:

We live in an infinite universe and anything is possible in every moment of every day. When I am creative… when I am grateful… when I feel love within my heart, I am tapping into the feeling of abundance, which is the feeling that matches the life that I want to live and create. When I do things that are fun, it aligns me with serendipitous opportunities and magical experiences. The feeling of creativity and abundance is a feeling of being free within myself — free to do the things that I love. It is a feeling of openness, of kindness, of goodness and love. It is the knowing that I can do, be or create anything that I can envision within my heart and mind. It is the knowing that I can bring that joy and love to others through my own attention and focus on what really matters.

When I look at the world around me, I notice the abundance of everything — the wild spaces… the cities… the vast sky and ocean that stretch out in every single direction… and the stars up above. The bigness of everything is incomprehensible, and I know that I am only ever a step away from all things. In each moment of life, everything is possible. I can do anything. Everything is possible. I am open to all of it. In my letting go, I am letting in.

In the past decade, I have completely transformed my life — I have gone from a miserable, burned out railroad police officer… to the owner of a gear company. I started that company in my guest bedroom, where I sat for hours upon hours, dreaming of a day when I had a real product that made a difference in people’s lives. In the past six years, my little company had grown by leaps and bounds and it has improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people — not just when they pee outside… by also through dancing and laughter and a shared sense of purpose and love.

I might not know every business acronym in existence (or any of them)… and I might hate spreadsheets… but I’ve done a really great job. I’m a good boss to my employees, and I care about them with genuine concern and responsibility. I work tirelessly — sometimes at my own expense — but I love what I do and why I do it. I am infinitely creative and ideas flow to me easily and effortlessly.

When I stop to look at where I am, I feel proud. Six years ago, I was sitting on the floor in my house trying to pack up a handful of Kula orders, and today we have a small warehouse where we ship thousands of orders all over the world. I am grateful for the opportunity to be in this place and to have this experience. No matter where it takes me, I trust that I am on the right path. I will continue walking and I will continue doing my best in each and every day.

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I felt really good after my pep talk — almost like I had climbed a ladder out of a dark hole. Suddenly, I felt hopeful about things and the worries that had been clawing at my brain felt like they had distanced themselves from me. In my own focus on what I wanted to create and on what I knew to be true, they had loosened their grip. I was freeing myself, and opening myself up to the infinite possibilities of life.

Suddenly, I felt inspired to do things — I felt excited about things again and my creativity started to flow. The abundance faucet of the universe had been turned on again… the kink in my creativity hose had become unbound. It was a true gift to myself, and it reminded me of the power that each of us has within ourselves to reroute our own path… to take back the control of where we are and to re-direct ourselves to something that feels even slightly better.

As a result of this pep talk, I did some silly things — but I had a lot of fun doing it… and that’s all that I really wanted. I wanted to have fun… to let things flow… and to trust that the universe was taking me in the direction that I needed to go.

This is what happens when I open the faucet -- ha!

This morning, on my daily walk, I filmed a little video for all of you… I hope that it can serve as a reminder of the infiniteness of our beautiful universe — and that it will give you a little boost in your own day, in whatever way you might need it right now.

Finally — because, I can’t just leave it at that — the experiment part of this post includes you. Use the comment section below to write some encouraging words (a mini pep talk) to YOURSELF… or to somebody else… or to all of us… or to anybody who might need to hear some encouraging words right now. The power of our collective ability to focus ourselves on the goodness that connects us is enormous, and the more that we can come together to harness that energy — the more that our love will ripple out into the world.

Seriously — try it. Take a few minutes and write out something that feels uplifting and notice the difference that you feel within yourself.

I can’t wait to read your mini pep talks, and if you need some encouragement or love and kind words about anything in your life — feel free to share it and I’ll give it my best shot too. We are ALL in this together, friends — and I’m sending you so much love today, and all days.