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The Mood Ladies: Completing Journeys
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 | | Mood Lady Card #1 (& 1st Newsletter Mood Lady) |
This month of March marks the official end of winter. And at the time this newsletter is going out, we are already enjoying the first official days of spring. Now, depending on where you live, this might not seem so evident yet, but it's a great marker to be aware of.
The cycles of seasons and the cycles that we go through in our own individual lives are quite fascinating when we pay attention. It's easy to be swept along and not necessarily notice the subtle changes. When we pay attention, though, there are so many small lessons to learn and things to appreciate along the way. As winter has ended, I have been aware of the journeys that are being completed - of the endings needing to happen in order for new beginnings to emerge. I've been looking for things in my own life and have been observing this in the lives of my clients and in others around me. I see old definitions, behaviors, patterns and thoughts that no longer work. I see new definitions, behaviors, patterns and thoughts being created, embraced and eventually lived. I watch this beautiful dance of releasing a bit & moving forward a bit like a little vertical zigzag pattern until we are truly ready for the next stage.
So this has been a big month for my coaching business in a few different ways. The most concrete way is that I now have a creative product that is for sale - The Mood Lady cards. This project has been in the works for a couple years now and I wanted to use this newsletter to acknowledge the journey that the Mood Ladies have been on. Yes, I know it sounds as if they are people - just humor me and come along as I tell you part of their story.
As most of you know, Debra is the artist and creator of the mood lady drawings that are always a part of my newsletter and have been a source of inspiration for my creativity. The first of these ladies appeared with my first newsletter in October 2010 - so there has never been a newsletter without a Mood lady. The first one was quite spontaneous actually as Debra just happened to ask if I wanted to use one of these ladies she had been drawing at the time. She sent me a few to choose from and it didn't take long to know that the one above needed to be the first one introduced in my newsletter (you can read that newsletter here if you'd like; and if you'd like to read the 'actual' Mood Lady story that's included with the cards, click here).
In subsequent months, I chose new ladies for new newsletters and Debra consistently sent me more. After a few months, I had an inkling that there was something else that the Mood Ladies were to do. I got the idea that they could be a deck of cards - a way for people, most likely women, to connect more deeply with themselves; a way for them to discover the authentic person within. For the next 2 years, the idea developed. Matching more of the ladies with different tools and concepts I use in my coaching, a set of 40 cards was the goal. I shared the idea often with friends & family and many of them were active participants in the different stages of the process. Thank YOU to any of those friends & family reading this!
I also shared the idea with a few people who I thought might have knowledge to help me. Interestingly enough, these people weren't very encouraging and told me it wasn't a great project to pursue. In the past, I may have listened, but in this case I actually knew that these people were missing something. I didn't know what, but I knew that all I needed was to keep listening. The Mood Ladies kept calling and even when months went by without any progress on my end, I knew that it was just a matter of time.
Last fall, the necessary inspiration came and all of a sudden, there was LOTS of movement. And I tricked myself by giving myself a deadline - one that others were depending on, which is always a good tactic for me. So, in February a test version of the set of 40 cards was ready. So far, the response has been very positive. I have lots of orders waiting for the final version of the cards, which will be ready this week. You can see more about the cards & ordering them here.
As I write this, I have stacks of the cards on my kitchen table reminding me of the journey they have been on. It does feel like the completion of the first part of their journey somehow. Now that the creative process is finished, they will begin a new journey as they venture out into the world more and more.
Anytime there is completion, we have a rich opportunity to learn from what we have just been through. There are MANY learnings in these first couple of years with the Mood Ladies, and some of the highlights are: 1) I always thought Debra was the creative one in the family (though she never thought so herself). Now that I've given up that old definition, there are much different possibilities for me and what I do & who I am in the world. 2) Truly listening and following the energy of things (like the Mood Ladies) is much easier than trying to push, push, push to make things happen. 3) The 'experts' actually don't always know more than me. 4) I'm ready to more actively share the tools & lessons that I have learned in order to support people in creating the lives they want & living those lives with more contentment and peace.
I invite you to tune in this month to what journeys are being completed in your life. What old definitions, beliefs, thoughts, relationships are you shedding so that you can move forward in a new beginning? What have you learned through this journey so far & what will you take with you into the next stage?
I am VERY grateful to all of you reading this because in some way, you've been involved in the process. And a special expression of gratitude to Debra. Obviously, without you, the Mood Lady cards would not exist. I'm grateful for your passion, creativity, talent & gifts, strength, gentle & compassionate spirit and mostly I'm grateful for our sister-hood. I'm very excited to see where the Mood Ladies go from here. Glancing over at them on the table, they are ready to be on their way and they know that the possibilities are endless. | 
