Please Have Your Permission Slips Signed And Ready

Today I was writing a blog post.  It is called do you fall into this trap?  But really i may change the title to read...do you have your permission slip signed.  Lately it seems that I am seeking external acceptance.  For example...today I am getting my hair colored.  To a color that I have never tried before.  And I am a little nervous but we will call it curious and excited.  So I am curited.  And I asked a small group of people whether or not I should do it and one of which was very vocally against it.  And that took me aback.  So much so that I second guessed what I was wanting to do.  How crazy is that?  And I am finding that happening in other areas of my life.  This is not typically how I live my life.  So I started to do some digging.  And lately I have been going to celebrations of life, and putting my affairs in order.  And trying to determine what it is that I would like to see for my own celebration of life even though I will not be physically present...that would be quite scary to some if I was....lol.  And I have been looking at areas in my life where I have opportunities to grow.

Side note: For years now I haven't used the term weakness.  I felt that term alone took power away from a person.  Much like the the term invalid...I feel another blog post coming on.  I will talk more on that another day.  But weakness...does nothing to build a person up.  So I switched to growth opportunities.  And what a difference that made.  I even tried it out on different people.  When I was a production manager and I would be having a discussion with a team member I would ask where they thought their strengths and weaknesses were.  And their body language would shift dramatically when they started to talk about their weakness.  They would begin to shrink.  Almost as if they wanted to become invisible.  Even the big guys!  After they had described their "weakness" I would commend them on their strengths and then switch the focus to their growth opportunities.  Their body posture would still remain open and they were more engaged in the conversation and the options available to them.  Feel free to make a shift in your vocabulary and see what results you yield.

Now back to my growth opportunities.  I have been looking at where I am currently in life and focusing on where I want to grow.  And I know that I want to leave a legacy for my daughter. And whomever else I leave behind.  So I need to get building on my businesses.  I have spent time listening to new speakers, reading more books and writing every day.  Thank you Lesa Townsend for this #31DBC because it has caused me to stretch and to grow in all sorts of ways.

What I am finding is that when you are outside your comfort zone - you know that place where growth happens - the footing isn't all that stable.  Not like it is when you are all happy and comfortable.  So I believe that is the reason why I am seeking answers outside myself.  Because I am focusing so much of my energy inside on much larger challenges.  Or this is just another phase in my life that I have grown into and I will grow out of.

How about you out there in blog reader land?  Do you find that you grow through stages where you are standing firm in your own power and other times where you look for answers from others?  Do you seek to get your permission slip signed by someone standing close to you?

Gone are the days where you need to have a permission slip signed to go on a field trip.  (Assuming that those of you reading this are adults.  If not...still get your permission slip signed.  No forgeries!)  You can sign your own.  You can bounce ideas off of others but make your decisions based on what you truly want and not what someone else does.  Because their goals for you may (will) be different than your own.  This is YOUR life.  You can only live one at a time.  Don't spend it running someone else's agenda.

I am going to stand guard over myself. I will ask for help when I need it because there is never anything wrong with that.  But I am also going to be aware of what my opinion is before I ask the opinion of others.  No sitting on the fence preparing to jump to the side that everyone else's opinions are on.

I wish you a day as beautiful as you are.

Much Love,
Lisa