Nine key events from 2012

I have dedicated the month of January to releasing 2012 and in doing so I wanted to share nine turning points that I experienced in 2012 and the lessons I learned from each.

1) I removed gluten from my diet. During a winter cleanse with Stephanie of Wellness by Design in January 2012, I discovered that gluten is toxic to my body. It was an amazing breakthrough for me and connected the dots to so much regarding my health.

This month marks one year of being gluten-free and the learning curve that comes with opening a door to an entirely new way of eating and feeling... while also mourning sourdough bread.

I learned:

that a one-size-fits all diet simply doesn't exist and it is in our best interest to seek out if there are certain foods that affect our systems.
that you don't have to be diagnosed with celiac disease to feel the effects that gluten has on your body.
Gluten is being linked to everything from anxiety to gestational diabetes, to ulcerative colitis, to miscarriage. In my own life.... check, check, check and check.
that there are more questions than answers with regards to any of these links, educating ourselves while staying open is key.
that trusting my intuition, and not the opinions of others, is the only way to go. Listen to the messages your body is telling you.
Food is magic and medicine.

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2) I created, launched and facilitated my first e-course: Getting Naked with the Now. This course is so near and dear to my heart and was created from a year of desperately needing to see my life in a new way. It wasn't my intention going in but ultimately I put together an 6-week course using the tools I created over that year to shift my perspective and root down in gratitude for all that is.

I learned:

that I know more than I think I do and that each of our experiences can shine a light on someone else and help them break through a place they felt stuck.
We all bring something to the table. We are all teachers. We are all students.
I can safely hold space for others with integrity.
I don't provide instruction, I provide inspiration.
that I truly can create meaningful work in the world, my long-held, life-long dream.

3) I attended my first sweat lodge. Darkness is a womb, a womb births new life, and a sweatlodge holds and nurtures each. I took a lantern and dove into my own shadow caves during the Fall of 2012 for some personal growth and understanding and was called to a sweat lodge to release what was needing to be freed from that work.

In doing so I faced my literal fear of the dark, re-entered the womb, incubated, trusted, released, and emerged somehow new - I crawled out of that lodge dripping with sweat, shivering from the nightime air, caked with sand, smelling of copal, and seeing the trees and the fire and the stars all again for the first time.

Attending a sweat lodge showed me what I am capable of when I face my demons. I am no longer afraid of the dark, and in fact welcome the rich layers of gold which live in my own shadows.

I walked in that tent carrying so much, and left with only the essentials.

I learned:

Reading or writing about spiritual practice is not the same as practicing spirituality.

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4) I cleared out 70% of my closet. I am not one who swoons over designer labels or shoes. I tried years ago to get excited about status handbags and statement jewelry, but it's just not my truth. Which is not to say that I am not smitten with luxurious fabrics, well-crafted anything and personal style, (I'm still a sucker for Anthropologie) but I am slowly learning to appreciate quality over quantity and to only keep that which is an expression of me and not an expression of someone else.

I learned:

Having to do less laundry opens up space for more play.
Knowing exactly what hangs in my closet actually gave me more ways to play with my clothes.
to listen closely to my "mmmmm"... something we explore in Getting Naked.

5) I made a huge declaration.... and then changed my mind. My plan was to close Bella Wish shop at the end of the year and sell all my overhead. What I discovered is that I wasn't quite ready to say my final goodbyes. These everyday, simple amulets I craft are still needed in the world and to trust I will know when it's truly time to release it wholly.

I learned:

to refrain from making huge public declarations and to quietly trust the process as it unfolds.
that working with a business coach is essential. Coaches see areas of our business that we are often clouded by since we are often too much in it.
that a good coach can zero in on the obvious areas that need some attention or simply provide a new perspective, clearing a space for the a-ha moment to arrive.
that when you make a decision and don't feel that beautiful exhale of relief afterward (even if you are terrified), pay attention.
there are more options than open for business or closed for business. We get to make the rules and even create new ones when it comes to entrepreneurship.

6) I leaped into a life-long dream and moved out of my dining room and into a creative studio space outside my home.

I learned:

that working from home doesn't really work when you live with three other people inside of 900 square feet.
when I send a message to the universe that I am determined to rise my business, it allows the universe to rise up as co-creator.
though they are in fact integrated, it's important for me to seperate my work life from home life.
When you leap, the net does, in fact, appear. And more importantly to trust that even if you can't see the net, it's there, even if you don't see it until you get dangerously close to the ground.
that we all need a space to claim as our own to retreat to, whether that be the corner of your dining room or a 350 sq ft oasis in the middle of a vintage auto body shop waiting to be fully expressed.

7) I became certified as a holistic life coach.

I learned:

that the judging voice of reason I hear the most is the one inside my own head.
when something whispers to me for over five years that I need to pay attention.
that what certification was ultimately giving me was affirmation that I had already been doing this work naturally for years.

8) I lived in a dream house for the month of June. Waking up greeted by the rising sun in the East, plenty of room for my girls to frolic, nature surrounding, a dream kitchen to cook in and a blanket of stars each night. June was filled with the beauty I dream about and some much needed time away from the city.

I learned:

that living the dream means nothing if Jimmy isn't there to share it with us.

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9) I had my laptop, two cameras and a shite ton of silver stolen out of my car. On the same day that our country witnessed an unimaginable tragedy, I went to my car only to discover that everything I put in a few hours earlier to take to my studio was gone. Since my family was safe, it didn't occur to me to grieve material and data loss.

I learned:

That loss is loss, and though material things are replacable, data loss usually isn't and must be grieved... and that it is okay and even essential to grieve this loss and sit with the suckness of it all.
that although I found the silver (it was lying on a brick wall down the street) having lost that would have most likely forced me to close my doors immediately and for good on Bella Wish. This was a wake up call into my current business model and the messages I am sending to the universe about what I am wanting to ultimately build for myself and my family.
to lean even more into the fine art of non-attachment. Just when I thought I knew what that meant, I was given another opportunity to dive deeper into the practice of it. We often talk about starting the year with a clean slate, I feel that I am literally starting the new year with one.
the gift of darkness always comes with it's own light if we are open to seeing it.
$300 is not too much to pay for Time Capsule if you are on a Mac. Take a lesson from my book, if you aren't automatically backing up your data, begin today.

Comments

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Love it, Stacy!!!! Sounds like 2012 was a fabulous and enlightening year for you. I hope 2013 brings you more happiness, love, and light!!!

Posted by: reddawn | 01/07/2013 at 08:24 AM

I love this post Stacy. I wondered how you were travelling in 2012 as your blogging voice has been quiet. What an amazing year for insights and discoveries! I think one of your greatest gifts is bringing your authentic self to your blog. I know that sounds like the name of an e-course, but so many bloggers are all about presenting only the positive, wonderful moments and while that is their choice (and mine not to read such a sanitised viewpoint of life) I much prefer someone like you who can stand up and say "This is what worked. This is what didn't. This is how I feel right now. I love my husband and my girls. I make mistakes and then learn from them. I am not perfect and I am not interested in being perceived as perfect."

Right on. :)

Posted by: Maree | 01/07/2013 at 08:22 PM