#359: SPOTLIGHT: Amber Gentry
SUPER CHANGE! WEEK #2:
And here we are in week 2 of the new CFC format! In case you missed last week's note where we explained what this change entails, we've decided that we want many more people involved in the CFC writing each week. The community’s strength has grown so much and relationships are wider and deeper with more cross pollination than we could have ever imagined. As such having more voices seems more aligned with the current nature of the community.
Therefore a few weeks back, I had posed a distinct question to Amber and I am sharing her wonderful response below. Amber is the second person spotlighted in this new format after Jen's last week. Hope you enjoy this and her chilly beach photo at the end!
- Amanda and Pip
Question for Amber:
What is one thing that is small and perhaps nuanced or surprising and perhaps typically sub conscious that you can tell drives you each day?
Amber's Response:
One thing that I can tell drives me each day is that end of day feeling of "well done". This feeling is a driver both for accomplishing my work throughout the day, and it's also the learned response to my completed (and uncompleted tasks) to declare then what I have done is Enough. Sufficient. Good. Even if I didn't accomplish all that I set out to do, or if I made mistakes, my declaration to myself when I have finished is, "You did well. Well done."
I think that this is a practice of mental peace I learned in my early parenting days where I realized, decidedly, that I could not be perfect. Not only that, but I could not predict or prevent all the things that I wanted to predict and prevent. And, that things would go differently every single day. There would be some structure, there would be some similarity, but overall I had to learn from each day and then take what I learned into the next one.
My self-talk (as Mo would say :)) transitioned from "well, that was a failure...", to "well, I did the best I could", to "well, I'll learn from this and try again tomorrow.", and finally, solidified (after years) as "well done." Not necessarily a judgment on the day's work or what I did or did not accomplish, but a clear posture towards myself and towards the world that I, in my own right, not dependent on my successes or failures, am WELL.
Amanda’s thought…
I suspect Amber would love all direct responses from you. I find it incredibly encouraging when I hear from any of you after I share my thoughts. It is powerful for me. I assume many others have a similar experience. So here is Amber’s email… pip
I found this to be such a wonderful practice to live by each day, Amber. But in a way I think even more powerful than practice is the key word "declaration." Because while sometimes I fail at the practices I either do or don't do daily, the self-talk and statements I say to myself can easily remain and be unwavering to fall back on, regardless of what was actually accomplished or not. What a great affirmation you use to support and drive you for today and also for the tomorrow to come. Thank you, Amber!
- AP
