Say "Yes."

Colleagues,

MVP: Value what you feel inside
 
Have you ever recognized how you were feeling and intellectualized it or explained away the emotions? Have you ever said to yourself, “I shouldn’t feel this way because …”?
 
I’ve recently been working on acknowledging when I dismiss my feelings. Goodness, it’s hard. When we dismiss our feelings, we invalidate ourselves. We lie to ourselves and we send the message that our emotions aren’t important... that WE aren't important.
 
Rather than dismissing or making excuses, just say “yes.” Say yes to the anger, the sadness, the overwhelm, guilt and grief, to fatigue, to resentment… Say yes to joy, to love, to gratitude and pride. Say yes to not wanting to feel it. Say yes to feeling uncomfortable.
 
Acceptance is harder than we give it credit for. Accepting your feelings is accepting yourself. Accepting yourself leads to a better and truer you. A better you means you can support and lead your people with empathy and honesty. 
 
Be honest with yourself. Sit with the hard stuff and the emotions you don't want to feel. Maybe write it in your morning pages. Say yes. It’s hard, but it’s worth it. 

If you'd like to reply to this email or send me a message, you can email me here.

Sending Sunshine,

​Mara