Spring cleaning…
I had been worried about the extended silence, here, but do not believe in forcing words to the page. I had no shortage of disjointed thoughts, which can happen around the anniversary of my Mom’s death. I have come to accept that some years are more challenging than others, and I cannot see them coming, but I do need to honor them. I also know that it is as much in stillness, that inspiration takes root. This has been a life lesson for this often action-oriented soul. I also know, and not-so-secretly love, that inspiration can come from anywhere, at any time, and almost always when I least expect it.
Take spring cleaning, the ritual associated with emerging from a long winter, closed inside, inspired by the renewing energy of spring. I think it is taking on greater depths of meaning, this year, because I am not just emerging from a season of being closed in, but more than a year of being closed in, in every sense of the word. Closed in with my stuff. Closed in with my thoughts. Closed in with my fears. Never has the arrival of spring felt more like a lifeline, than this one. I needed a harbinger of hope. I needed evidence that beauty, joy and inspiration can and do still follow periods of challenge, darkness and unseen effort. And then, I needed to look ahead, once more, and begin forward motion. Progress made easier if I don’t try to carry too much along for the ride, particularly when it no longer serves me, in as many aspects of my life as I could tackle.
I had started 2019 with Marie Kondo, and seeing her show was a significant inspiration, for me. I took it to the next level with the start of 2020, and even rewatched her Netflix series, to kick me into high gear and refine my focus. Then, pandemic. The closing of everything. And the ensuing silence was deafening, petrifying, stultifying. At first. About eight months into it, I realized, I had not yet tackled the really hard work. The sentimental stuff. The difficult stuff. The emotional stuff. The stuff closest to me. The stuff within me. And, I could no longer hide from it, nor could I literally run away from it, out into a world of shiny distraction. This time, instead of freezing, I did the most terrifying thing an action oriented, get-it-done, “I-’should’-just-be-able-to” soul can do: I asked for help. Frame shifting game changer. If I REALLY wanted this done, well and truly done, I was going to need help. And let me tell you friends, like everything that is challenging in this world, a helping hand makes ALL the difference. Because an inspirational beacon from a distance is a great start! But, we also need a sherpa through the wilderness of what scares us, that inevitably stands between us and that beacon.
So, I have been spring cleaning. Everything. I say “everything” because a funny thing starts to happen when you make room. No longer engulfed in the cacophony of “should,” you can see and appreciate what you have. You can define and articulate what you need. You CAN get still, strategic and strong.
The space you construct fosters the stillness to truly rest, the freedom to strategize, and the strength to create.
And it affects EVERYTHING. There are as many ways to go about it as there are things. And I realized, I have been dancing around this life lesson, in some form or other, for a very long time. It started with “Hoarders” a there-but-for-the-Grace-of-God-go-I, attempt to scare myself into action. Countless lifestyle magazines that trotted out the “Get Organized” issue in some form, every year. Then Marie Kondo, whose show resonated, where her book did not, because I needed to see it in action. And now, The Home Edit, two ladies who speak to my color-coded soul. Ask anyone, I spreadsheet anything and everything, and there is ALWAYS a color coding element. All of these had good tips and tricks. The best ones attempt to get at the underlying “why,” that really drives the action bus. The part we really want to avoid, and will quite literally ignore and/or bury, rather than address. And this instinct covers everything from holding on to every issue of the New York Times since 1957, to living on 8 credit cards never opening a statement, to not writing our wills. The point is, this spring, I realized the desire to shed that which no longer served me had been raising its hand for years, but I was afraid. I was afraid of what I might find in that space, in that stillness. So, I got a sherpa.
What does this have to do with Juno Capital Strategy, and finances? You guessed it: EVERYTHING. You have heard me say: “finances touch every aspect of our lives, for good or for ill.” But I also believe in a definition that incorporates finances, in a broad way. I am talking about our capital. And my mission, in this space, is to create a safe space in which we work together to focus on the good, and learn how to get our capital working FOR us. Work for our good, and the good we seek to put into our lives, into our world. My mission is to help you discover what is most important to YOU, edit what no longer serves you, and harness your capital in service of the life you seek to lead.
What it is not: “should.”
This is important. You know how I feel about “should.” I don’t choose, YOU choose. My job is to be your sherpa, helping you navigate the wilderness of what scares you, financially, and stands between you and your goals. Everyone needs one. I am grateful, from the heart, for mine. Yes, I have had financial sherpas, emotional sherpas, legal sherpas and a “stuff” sherpa. I am grateful for each one, from the heart. Spring is the perfect time to clean more than just our closets. This time of renewal, of clarity, of energy is a perfect time to dispense with the financial cobwebs, out-of-sync methods and actions that no longer serve us. If you are ready to get going, Let’s Talk!
