Clear the Debris (Ask Yourself this Important Question for Next Year, Solopreneur):
"The dump trucks are here! They're heeeeeere!"
My neighbor did a giddy little jump as I approached her during my morning dog-walk.
A different kind of trauma-therapy…
Finally, 12 weeks after Hurricane Helene hit, the giant trucks that have been working nonstop carting away debris & yard waste all over Asheville had reached our street.
Seeing them cart off branches & tree trunks that have been piled up in our yards for months –these daily reminders of the trauma of the storm– felt like a Christmas Miracle.
Now we're all doing a collective exhale in the neighborhood, as if we didn't even realize how much the storm-piles were affecting our emotions.
The dump trucks have me thinking about some other incidents of “clearing out debris” that I've encountered recently:
A friend going through a horrendous breakup (whose Ex's taste in decor was “Live-Laugh-Love” but whose m.o. was “Belittle-Abuse-Betray”), finally bagged up the schmalzy signs & trinkets left at the house. I advised my friend to physically remove the items and give them away ASAP, because “stuff has energy.” My friend reports feeling lighter, “ready for better things," now that the clutter is gone.
A therapy client who had a “lightbulb moment” and realized he could release a friend who was toxic, drama-addicted, and hurtful. We celebrated that he was clearing out unhealthy friendships for better ones to come in – and shifting his relationship with himself.
And most recently, at last Friday's “Let's Thrive in 2025” workshop, I invited the solopreneurs present to list what they were merely tolerating in their businesses & lives. It was so inspiring to hear them decide to release habits, physical clutter, negative mindsets, loose policies/boundaries, and other “tolerations” in the new year.
Page 11 of the Soulful Solopreneur Workbook for Reflection & Renewal includes a question asking you to if there’s anything you're merely tolerating, and inviting you to release it in the new year.
Why is this an important question?
Because releasing & eliminating is often just as important as visioning and intention setting in your business.
In fact, they go hand-in-hand.
Sometimes getting clear on what you don't want anymore –or just not willing to put up with anymore – is the very thing that points you in the direction of your actual dream.
And sometimes you just don't realize how much energy you're losing and stress you're carrying with the things you're tolerating.
There are some other great questions in the Soulful Solopreneur Workbook.
–But I hope you'll take some time to explore this question in particular, and ask yourself “What do I want to release?” before we start 2025.
I'd love to hear what comes to mind. Share in the comments.
To your success,
Jane