Hey ,
There's a reason "they" say that moving is one of the most stressful experiences a human can go through. And while moving a home is definitely more stressful than moving a business, the past few weeks have reminded me of a day when I sat with my faithful support system, Melanie, and stated "Never again! This is the LAST TIME I MOVE A PILATES STUDIO!"
I kept my word for a decade. Now, I find myself packing in the midst of a snowstorm, conducting an unofficial review of the last ten years of my life’s work. As I tape up boxes, I find myself wondering: Will the stress lessen when the move is complete, or will it simply make more room for the grief and heartbreak currently weighing on our country?
Over the years, I've tended to vacillate between being a minimalist and a "just-in-case hoarder." As I pack and prepare items for recycling, I realize that my studio has become living memorial to my ideas, some realized, some just good thoughts that never came to bloom. Drawers of leftover swag from events that I couldn't consciously throw in the garbage, to so many microphone options from the pre-pandemic days when I was one of the few online.
It can be easy to look at some of the fits and starts with distain - to judge myself for what I didn't accomplish. Luckily, my space has offered me the gift of perspective.
Yesterday, thinking I was clearing out old manuals, I came upon a fully completed book proposal that I spent months working on (but never submitted.) I realized this process was the catalyst that opened up my brain to write my book, You're Doing A Great Job, The Movement Teacher's Guide To Fearless Teaching. The process of writing the proposal served as "fertilizer" for the next, more promising idea to grow.
I'll admit it - sourcing new ideas and fueling creativity right now feels a bit futile. I hear many of my clients, both coaching and movement wondering if it's "worth it" to invest in themselves or their businesses.
What difference can eating healthy make when people are struggling?
What does it matter if I write my weekly email to my list?
Why should I move my body when it feels like the world is crumbling around me?
Having the perspective of the past decade, I know that while I can remember the moments of shedding tears in my studio - for rights lost, lives lost, fear and realization of the things that I must change in my own business and life. But those are not the moments that define my time in this space.
The defining moments are the ceiling knotholes that became companions to my clients - the ones that looked like a raccoon on LSD. It’s the way the Pilates Unfiltered listeners turned the distraction of a passing train into a "breathing break." It’s the pigeons I fed who remembered me for life, showing up on my YouTube Live classes demanding more seed. (They still wait for me in the parking lot.)
It’s every move taught, every minute edited, every "aha" moment brought to life, and every plant grown.
We have to keep sourcing joy because that's the bigger want - the essence of why we keep going for any of it. Without joy we lose the reason - the "fertilizer" for the next big idea. Without joy, we lose the capacity for growing bigger than the moment we're currently standing in.
So, I’m packing the boxes and I’m taking the joy with me. I’m choosing to focus on the resources that keep the fire burning to be able to keep moving forward.
I teach my classes each week with the intention of creating a temporary universe where people can give their nervous systems a break, laugh, commune, move and connect - even for just an hour. This can sometimes feel like an insignificant act in the scheme of things, but it's what I have to offer. I keep telling myself that when the world feels heavy, creating something light can be a gift for others.
Calling your Senators helps too ❤️.
Living Well With You, Not At You,
Coach JZ (Jenna)
PS - More news is coming next week on the next steps for my Pilates studio. I'm excited to share this new chapter with you!
0 comments