Joyce Dillon

Can You Dare To Be Your True, Authentic Self?

June 14, 2022 By Joyce Dillon Leave a Comment

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” ~ Marianne Williamson

What does it really take to live from your authentic self? What does it take to dare to be who you are? Do you have a vision of what you want your life to be like?

These are critical questions we will all need to ask and answer for ourselves at this time of Deep Change and Transformation on the Earth.

Authenticity means being your true self and honoring yourself; It means finding the answers within, rather than looking outside ourselves in order to figure life out.

There’s nothing more attractive and inviting than someone who is confident in who they are and what they believe in.

Contrary to that is someone who doesn’t know him or herself well, someone who depends on other people’s opinions for validity, or self-worth and their identity. These types of people are unsure of their values and purpose.

If you have no idea who you are, it can be confusing and painful. with lots of judgment, denial, hiding out and defending yourself.

Can you identify with these situations?

To live an authentic life, we must clear away the unworthiness, fear, doubt, and darkness to get to the real true you.

Finding My Authentic Self

For most of my early life (birth-30) I was a very shy, quiet, young woman who did not speak up and sat in the back of the room in school. I was terrified of being seen and having to open up to and speak about myself. This was distressing for me when I was accepted to nursing school and was constantly being required to speak up and be seen.

I had no idea who I really was. It took courage, faith, and deep soul work to believe in me and to choose to live the life God had given me and live my authentic life with purpose and meaning.

Here are five ways to honor yourself and embrace the power of being you. As you start to adopt them in your life, notice how your view of yourself and the world becomes brighter, more meaningful, and more mystical.

Deepen your spiritual practice. A spiritual practice means taking time to look inward and experience your true nature. Examples of spiritual practices are meditation, prayer, yoga, being in nature, doing something you love, engaging in an art project, sitting in silence, or even immersing yourself in sound.
Love Yourself. Embrace all the parts of yourself, the parts you like, and the parts that need more love and healing.
Express Your Desires. Say no when you feel unsure and when you doubt the people around you have your best interest at heart, say yes when you are excited and a little nervous about exploring something new,
Be willing to dig deep into your beliefs and self-sabotaging behavior and emotions. Become aware of the recurrent thoughts about which you often think. Note how often you rehash a conversation that took place weeks or even years ago, or how often you imagine negative, fearful outcomes.
Use your unique gifts and talents to help others. We are all one and at the same time, everyone is unique and has a specific place in the universe. You have been given talents and skills that are unique to your journey, but you must relate to others to survive and thrive.

Navigating Change, Uncertainty and Transition

May 17, 2022 By Joyce Dillon Leave a Comment

You may have experienced radical change that has shifted you into a major life transition. Perhaps you’ve lost a spouse, child, or parent, or are going through a health crisis, divorce, job loss, or are caring for parents, or redefining yourself.

You will likely experience one or more life transitions during your 40s or 50s.

Like everyone else, in the last several years I have experienced my own turbulent changes including reinventing my career, relocation nightmares, and health issues.

All of these unexpected changes thrust me into a period of uncertainty, and another powerful life transition.

It is easy to get lost, frustrated, and overwhelmed.

Perhaps you can relate.

The unrest that occurs at this period of our life is about sorting out and separating who you are becoming from who you have been.

It is a time for deep introspection, and for exploring how you want to live this part of your life and how to become more authentically who you really are.

During these challenging times, I continue to implement these seven important ways to navigate change, uncertainty, and transition.

Perhaps they will be helpful for you as well.

Get grounded in your body. Take deep breaths and feel yourself in your physical body. Breathe into your back, shoulders, and neck, into your energy centers, and your heart. You will feel your body become stable.
Find a sense of safety and security. Getting grounded will help you feel more secure. Decrease, and ultimately rid yourself of negative input from the news and overwhelm from the Internet. Surround yourself with positive, like-minded, conscious, people as much as possible.
Quiet your mind, and dream. Creating a daily practice to quiet your mind is imperative. Meditate, walk in silence, or do breathwork – whatever works for you. Ask your higher self questions such as, “what is my next step in my life? What does my higher self desire for me?” Keep a journal to write down the answers.
Get support from friends. Have at least two friends who love and support you with whom you can share your true, authentic feelings. They should be willing to listen to you on good and bad days.
Find a support community. Join a support community that you can relate to, like a loss and grief group, a group that enjoys art and creativity, dinner and chat, movie nights, or walking and exercise. Do what you love to do!
Take care of your mental health. It is hard to make decisions if you are overwhelmed, anxious and depressed. Find a good therapist or hire a life coach. Get support!
Get plenty of sleep. When you have experienced a crisis or sudden change, you need more sleep. The body cannot heal without rest and sleep. Get at least eight hours.

At some point, you may know you want to change your life, but you may have no idea how to move forward so you can make that change.

If you are at a crossroads and looking for support and ideas that can help you move forward, you are in the right place.

I offer Personal Transition Coaching. We work together to create a plan to help you manage life’s uncertainty and transitions, and then we will build new perspectives on possibilities for your new way of living.

ALSO

Join me for the launch of my new Six-week workshop in June 2022, Navigating Through Change, Uncertainty, and Transition. It is a powerful program to help you take steps forward and explore possibilities, feel supported by other women in transition, and help create an action plan that guides and supports you in taking small steps forward.

Much love to everyone,
Joyce
P.S.
Learn More.
Send an email to schedule a 30- minute complimentary call and we will see if this is the right next step for you.

The Scary, Winding Road Through Change and Transition

October 30, 2021 By Joyce Dillon Leave a Comment

Most of us would agree that the last few years have been some of the most challenging times of our lives. These years have been a truly “dark night of the Soul” period.

There is so much change in our world right now, it is confusing about what is really happening. Several of my clients asked me to define and discuss the difference between change and transition.

In his book, Managing Transitions, author William Bridges defines change as “situational.” Change could include working from home or working with a new boss, homeschooling children, ordering food online, or having your doctor’s appointment on Zoom.

There are also systemic changes occurring rapidly throughout our world in areas such as education, politics, medicine, and our environment, all of which impact our lives.

Change in itself is not a transition, Bridges explains. “Transition is the internal psychological process we go through to come to terms with the new external situation such as divorce, loss, death, isolation, fear of the pandemic, loss of job, a business, or a marriage, and relocation.

Change is external. Transition is internal.

Transitions are the internal shifts in our identity that help us adjust to deep external changes that we are experiencing. These are psychological issues that must be overcome or moved through before we can move ahead.

Often people get stuck in their old beliefs, shut down, and refuse to go through the doorway of change and allow for good endings.

All transition starts with an ending in mind.

Even if change is good, one must let go of something to make that change. When you let go of what is holding you back, you are in a neutral or wilderness space and time, and the ending is still not clear, or even perceivable.

We make new beginnings only if we experience successful, healthy endings. So it goes:

Endings first, then the neutral zone, and then new beginnings.

It has always been difficult for most of us to accept change and move through transitions to achieve new beginnings. And today’s rapidly changing world doesn’t make it any easier.

So be kind to yourself and others during this challenging time as we all navigate our external world to make successful transitions. Trust in yourself and others that we can, and we will!

Do you have patterns in how you deal with endings?

What endings are incomplete in your life?
Do you accept that someone or something has passed?
Please let me know if you have any questions about your transitions.

Joyce

Five Ways to Live More Deeply During Challenging Times

August 26, 2020 By Joyce Dillon Leave a Comment

According to Abraham Maslow’s higher order of needs, we all need to feel our basic needs are met. During this time of loss, depression, and disconnection from each other, we are moving back and forth from our higher needs to our basic safety ones.

Take a minute to answer these questions and ask yourself, “Are my needs being met?”

Are you eating healthfully?
Are you giving your body enough exercise and sunshine
Do you have emotional or physical issues that need more conscious attention?
Are you getting enough rest and sleep?
Are you feeling safe in your home and work environments?

If you are feeling frustrated with not reaching your higher potential, perhaps you can explore whether your basic needs are being met.

Contact me to schedule a 30-minute call and we will explore whether this is a good next step for you.

Don’t Go Back to Sleep

May 4, 2020 By Joyce Dillon Leave a Comment

This poem by Rumi, the Sufi poet, is centuries old but its message is still clear, urgent and timely amidst today’s global pandemic.

“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.

Don’t go back to sleep.

You must ask for what you really want.

Don’t go back to sleep.

People are going back and forth across the doorsill,

where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open.

Don’t go back to sleep.”

We are in the midst of the most life-altering experience most of us have ever endured. Fear of this virus has triggered feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, and loss of control of our lives. We are in survival mode, yet yearning to return to the world we knew just a few short months ago. But Rumi’s message is clear:

WE CANNOT GO BACK. WE CANNOT GO BACK TO SLEEP.

So, we must use this sacred opportunity of time to reflect inward, to challenge ourselves to overcome this devastation of human life in order to create a new world that is kinder, healthier, peaceful and loving, a world that is rooted in justice and equality for all. In other words:

A WORLD THAT WORKS FOR ALL.

To achieve this, we must use this time to make changes. If we do not apply what we learn from this experience, we will surely face the prospect of even more world devastation due to disease, war, economic collapse, climate change or some other global threat.

I know what it takes to stay awake in difficult times. I know it is hard.

THE DOOR IS OPEN. THE CHOICE IS YOURS.

As individuals, we can make changes in many areas: our beliefs, our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health, our work limits, our responsibility for our Earth home, our quality time spent with our families, and our service to others.

I agree: it’s easier to resist, deny, and stay unconscious while focusing on getting back to the life we enjoyed. But, we have a choice to make: remain complacent, or change. As Rumi says, the door is open. Some of us who have listened and learned will choose to cross that threshold to awaken our higher consciousness.

WILL YOU?

Joyce Dillon

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