Have you seen The Princess Bride? If you haven't, INCONCEIVABLE!
This is the word that Vizzini says all the time, the one he may or may not know the meaning of.
We use a lot of words without fully knowing what they mean.
Some are ten-dollar words we've read but never spoken aloud, and some are everyday words. Words we use so often that we stop asking ourselves what they mean to us, now.
Happiness.
Love.
Satisfaction.
Health.
We value these things and most of us say we want them -- but what do we actually mean when we say them? One person's happiness does not look like another person's.
And more to the point, "happy" may mean something different to us at 50 or 60 than it did when we were 20 or 30.
The kind of love we want, what we mean when we talk about satisfaction . . . even what we mean when we say "health" changes over time.
Getting curious about familiar words and asking what we actually mean when we say them is a great self check-in, and a powerful journal prompt. In addition to the words above, you might think about words such as: friend, passion, well-being, spirit, enough, contentment. Check in with yourself about what these words mean to you, or come up with your own list.
This week, consider taking one word from your list of familiar values and journaling about it. What are all of its connotations for you? Have they changed over time? See what you can learn about yourself.
One word worth getting curious about is REST. We think we know what it means but often find it elusive. Being more curious about what rest actually is opens a door where we can have more of it.
What does it mean to rest? Too often, our ideas of rest come from advertisements, which tell us that rest for women = baths and rest for men = drinking or napping.
If you enjoy these things and find them restful, go for it. But for many of us, rest is more complicated. Watching TV or taking a bath either doesn't make us feel rested, or doesn't make us feel rested for long.
We think that rest is what we get when we stop working, but here too, it's not so simple. After work, we have different work (family, volunteering, paying bills), which makes it even harder to figure out what exactly "rest" is and how to get it.
In this episode, I offer a different way to think about rest, one that disentangles it from work entirely. Learn:
⭐ Why we often don't feel rested, even in the bath
⭐ How to experience more rest at the end of the day
⭐ Why soul-feeding projects can actually help us to feel more rested
⭐ How rest is a collaboration between our body & our mind
P.S. When I first started coaching, a friend asked if I was going to have a sliding scale. I don't -- largely because it feels complicated and I want everything associated with coaching to feel easy. Instead, it's part of my business plan to give away a lot of coaching. This is easy and feels great (I love giving gifts!). So in 2023, I'm giving away a coaching session every month, open to everyone. If the first name I pull is a current client, they'll get an extra session AND I'll draw a second name. So fun! To enter for the year, sign up here.
⭐ more ways to connect ⭐
website: coachingwithrachel.com
email: rachel@coachingwithrachel.com
love notes archive: lovenotes.coachingwithrachel.com
coaching: sign up for a free session to experience the magic of coaching
I'm a life coach, college professor, and former president of the Overthinkers Club. Also, I host the Making Midlife Magic podcast. I love helping middle aged people dream again and create lives they love. Sign up to get inspiring mind shifts sent right to your email box. I don't over-send, and you can unsubscribe any time.
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