The cost of avoidance is 🤯

V and I are hitting the road to go and see my Grandma for her 92nd birthday. 

I know what you're wondering.

Yes, we have plenty of road snacks. 
Yes, we will be stopping for americano's. 
No, we did not make a 90's playlist to listen to on the way. 
(We actually RARELY listen to anything while driving. Even 12 hour trips we will drive in total silence. Is that weird?)

Anyways, I am super excited to go see my Grandma. I've been giddy all week. ❤️

But that's not the point of this email, my friend! 

I wanted to write to you and share a lesson I learned this week that might be useful for you (especially if you're a creator of sorts).

It's a big one. One I've learned MANY times. 

(Do you ever have those lessons that you re-learn MULTIPLE times and yet no matter how many times you learn it, it feels just as shiny and profound as the first time? Just me?)

So, on Tuesday, we opened registration for our first ever international retreat in Sedona, Arizona!
🏜🌵❤️🎉

We promised our waitlist we'd open the doors at 6pm on the dot. 

And at about 5:50, I noticed something veeeeeery interesting happening in my body.

"WAIT!" my brain shouted, "I don't know about this... Maybe we should postpone!..." mixed with a scramble of feelings. 🌪🌪🌪

I observed it, gently said "No", and moved on. 

Then, at 6:10, I checked our email to look at the FLOOD of registrations come through. 

(I figured 10 minutes would give enough time after registration opened, and surely every single person on our waitlist would be waiting at their computers to make sure they got a spot).

Nope! No one registered.

...I checked again at 6:30. 

No one. 

"8pm? Surely 2 Hours is enough time".

Nada. 

"What if no one signs up?!" my brain piped up again, "We should just take the page down... It's going to be so embarrassing!".

I got to SIT with (pun intended every time) those uncomfortable feelings, sensations and thoughts throughout the evening. 

Like... Okay, what IF no one signed up? 

Why would that be embarrassing? 

What would I make that mean about my value as a human? 

I got to a place of total neutrality. Trust. Surrender. 

"God Willing", V and I said to each other.

Then, at 9pm, one of our team members slides into the team chat, 

"Okay, I know it's late but someone hop on telegram and celebrate with me" ...

We got our FIRST sign up! 

We all celebrated BIG, as we do every time, and I went to bed with deep gratitude.

So what's the lesson in this, you ask? Why am I sharing all of this with you?

There is something big on your heart that you're here to do.. 

And it is an incredibly vulnerable experience to say YES to your vision. To say YES to your calling. 

(Even 5 years in and having led hundreds of people through courses, workshops, trainings, sessions, etc... It STILL feels that way for me every time!)

But SO many brilliant souls avoid the thing they're meant to do, simply because of being afraid to feel a feeling.

That's some girl math, right there.

Think about it - we avoid the EPIC, MAGNETIC, RICH, POWERFUL, DEEP, TRANSFORMATIONAL, {insert your word here} thing we're here to do...

Because we're scared of a feeling.

🤯🤯🤯

Get's me every time. 

Again, this is a lesson I am reminded of so often.

...But still gets me every time. 😌❤️

Our personal trainer actually tee'd me up for this lesson earlier this week, in a way.

He is teaching us how to do overhead shoulder presses and he said,

"Remember, as you're lifting the kettlebell above your head, lean INTO it so you're stacked under it! This will GIVE you the strength to lift it. Most people unconsciously move AWAY from the weight/stress/danger above their head and they lose their strength... So as you press, lean INTO and stack yourself under the weight!"

This is SO metaphorical!

If we lean away and try to avoid the discomfort of the "weight of the load", we miss out. We don't grow. We play safe. 

But leaning into the "weight of the load"; the fear, the vulnerability, the FEELINGS... 

THAT is what equips us with a powerful and strong foundation to grow and create from. 

So. I wanna turn it back to you. 

What is the feeling you get to feel this week? And what is on the other side of it? 

Much love, 

- O'tion 

PS. If you're curious, the Sedona Retreat ended up almost entirely filled in 24 hours and I feel deeply honoured and blessed. 

I also thank God all those spots didn't fill at 6:10 because those 3 hours were training camp for the soul. ❤️