This time it was about expectations, and how we handle them. Connie brought up that she doesn't start with an expectation. An intention can move to a goal, and then move into an expectation. She lives in intentions, which resonated with me since an intention is something I can do for myself. An expectation can really be a heavy lift at times. Mike mentioned Disneyland, and how as parents you rush from one thing to another to another because we (adults) know how to work the park. But it can potentially take the joy out of the experience for the youngsters. His son wanted to get out of line and go do something else. He obliged and that trip today is remembered as one of the best. Kathy also said that her son wanted Mickey pancakes, and it took about an hour or more to do that - and while she kept thinking "we are wasting precious time" her son was enjoying every moment of breakfast and each bite of pancakes, and yes - for him too- it still comes up when they talk about that trip. I have literally RUN my kids from ride to ride to hit the great ones first because "you'll miss it if you don't do it this way" but - what did I miss by not allowing them to orchestrate the day. My take away for this is to be more mindful of the little ones and listen to their requests while letting my expectations of what "the best way" is. And Lori mentioned that life may have taken a turn that blew any expectation you may have had out of the water. While I think the pivot she chose is amazing - I know her expectation of what life would look like right now is different then the life she has. If you reflect back to: "I thought I had to keep everyone happy!" I thought my relationships would follow a certain path!" "I thought I'd have it figured out by this age..." "I thought my success had to look a certain way." Are there expectations you may be holding onto now, without realizing it? Does disappointment come from expectation? Connie mentioned a book called "1000 names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are" by Byron Katie.

I appreciated seeing those of you who came to our chat. This time it was about "Knowing when something is enough..." We talked about 5 different parts of our lives, and how "enough" might show up (or not.). Personal Growth / Self Improvement; which shows up as constantly working on yourself but rarely pause to feel ok about who you are right now. Relationships; which shows up as doing your part in a situation but still trying to manage the outcome, or giving more energy then you have because you don't want to let someone down. Work / Productivity; Looks like you finishing what needs to be done but then looking for more to tackle. Home / To Do Lists; House is clean enough but you find one more thing to organize, or you Spend the weekend catching up on tasks instead of enjoying the space you have. Money / Resources; You've saved a decent amount but you still can't relax about money, or you reach a goal but then you move the goalpost. I personally can see myself in ALL of these, which is why this topic turned a bit more into Jess guidance then chat - but this is why I appreciate you all. The different perspectives that you all bring up allows me to both give myself grace but also to learn (and keep learning) that I need to pause and enjoy more. If you weren't able to join us this week, I asked the group for feedback on our Fireside chats, or anything they'd like to share as to how this group is structured, or what they'd like to see. The answer: A resounding desire for an "open discussion chat." I hear you! Let's have our First Ever WILDFIRE CHAT on April 7th. I will need a second cup of coffee for this one! Thanks all - see you next week! Jess

Thanks to all who came to hang out for the Fireside chat! Our discussion Tuesday was about different seasons of life, and what season are we currently in. Building, Resting, Changing, or some other season? Building - Effort and Momentum Resting - Restoration Changing - Transition and Adjustment Building energy being directed outward toward "new." New skill, starting something, achieving goals, investing time and effort into the future. Resting energy is life inviting you to slow down. Needing quiet and recovery. Less productivity and more reflection. Focusing on health, family, and peace. Changing energy is the in between space. Something ends, evolves, a new thing that isn't fully formed yet. This can feel uncertain or uncomfortable. It can be questioning your direction, transitioning at work, in a relationship, or with your identity. It is letting go of things that once fit but don't any longer. @Connie Riet @Kim Harrison both mentioned that you can do all of these in a 24 hour period, and I hadn't considered that! I was focused on trying to define one that fit me - when indeed, all 3 of these were present on the daily. The overarching wisdom from the group was to find "bucket filling" things to achieve, to stay sane and guard your well being. Take advantage of all the seasons, and focus on small projects that you CAN accomplish. End the day with 3 things that went well for this present day. This positivity stronghold will set in motion the atmosphere of the next day. Lastly, there is Harvest. Harvest is the season of reaping and appreciating. Seeing the results of things you planted earlier. Signs of this season are: Enjoying the results of past effort, stability and gratitude, sharing what you've learned, and mentoring/giving back. Some of us had glimmers of this season but no one claimed it as theirs. Lovely conversation everyone. Thank you for taking the time to join me. See you next week!

A big thank you to all who showed up for our first ever Fireside chat! Our discussion Tuesday was to share a piece of wisdom that someone shared with you that stayed with you. As I was preparing for the chat, I realized that advice, and wisdom, are two different things. So I brought it to the group for reflection. Advice vs Wisdom. When someone asks for advice, where do you pull the answer you provide from? Prior experience? And if so, can it be a blanket piece of advice no matter the person or situation? Or do you pull it from prior experience and share it as wisdom; well earned and simply suggested as an option for them to consider? Here are some talking points we touched on, and a couple we did not: Advice feels like pressure, and wisdom feels like permission. Advice tries to solve the moment, Wisdom helps people see life differently. Advice comes quickly, wisdom usually comes slowly. Advice assumes the same solution will work for everyone, and wisdom leaves room for different paths. Advice tells people what to do, wisdom shares what someone learned. We also discussed the question, Why? A few years ago, I was discussing my bookshelves in my office in Connies group, and as I was wrestling with what should stay and what I should let go of, I said, well if I get rid of everything I will have empty shelves, and she said, "so?!" I was struck. Not fill every space? Tough to comprehend. She continued on, when someone makes a suggestion to you- or asks you to do something and you immediately come to the negative answer... "I can't have bare shelves" or "I can't go swimming because I don't wear a swimsuit any more" or "No thanks, I don't dance." (or anything like this) just ask yourself "Why." Maybe you really do want bare shelves. Maybe you do want to swim. Maybe you'd love to dance. This was a great slice of wisdom back then that I think of even still. I love being around a campfire with you guys❤️ -See you next week! Jess

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday everyone. Do any of you feel like you've ever committed to something that's turning out to be too time consuming but now that you're in it....you have to finish it, because "that's who you are," or "what would it say about ME if I didn't see this through to completion?" If so, what's your process? When this happens with me I don't typically feel resentment, but I do massively deplete and find myself exhausted. How do you handle things like this - or are you able to recognize it beforehand?