Just as January was winding down to its end a dear friend of mine, Artemisia, challenged her Facebook community to a February challenge, a month of business promotion and development. She describes the challenge here:

“On February first, I lovingly challenge and encourage you to take one action step to promote your business / project.
Take two action steps on the second...
Three action steps on the third...
and so on, until sharing the magic of what you do becomes fun and natural (or at the very least a more comfortable engaged priority) with 28 actions on the last day of the month.

If you love your work in the world and want to focus on doing more of it, LET'S DO THIS TOGETHER! Actions can be microscopic or monolithic. You decide the scale and what you consider an action step. (Post a photo to instagram, FB post about what you're up to, talk to a new acquaintance about your work, put out brochures in the community, send love notes to former clients, start a email list, write a newsletter...) Any action if forward action away from inertia or complacency. The point of the group is to encourage each other to stay on the challenge and witness / celebrate our taking action. I've always been "allergic" to sales. A mentor once told me that sales is when you try to convince people to buy what they don't need or is not necessarily good for them, whereas mindful marketing is letting folk know you offer something they already want or need that will add to their life in some way. I'm done with feeling uncomfortable taking about my work in the world. I'm ready to get good at sharing my magic! Let's skill-up together! <3”

So I thought to myself, what the heck? Why not? I’m on maternity leave, and what better time to step into my passion deeply. My whole maternity leave has been one of inviting balance into my life. It’s intriguing how my sweet babe has been bringing balance, or calling attention to balance since she entered our lives. We now have two children, one boy, one girl. Balance. We had one child at the hospital and one child at home. Balance. One fairly independent child (he’s 6) and one who is completely dependent (she’s 2 months). Balance. She is also bringing to light and helping me contemplate the balance between family and work and how to integrate these two aspects of my life in order to feel and embody that sense of balance. So I stepped into this challenge knowing that I would have to balance caring for my child, taking care of household chores, and taking the time for myself for my practice and to work on my business.

On day three only, I’m excited to be devoting so much to my passion. In the past I have been simply working on my business only in very small bits and pieces. This maternity leave has allowed me to dive deeper into my business development. It’s been exciting working on deepening my own skills, refining different aspects of my business, and balancing that with my “momming” duties as I lovingly call them. I find that at the end of my day I look back and feel uplifted by what I was able to accomplish. I feel it physically in my heart center. This is reassuring to me that I am walking my heart’s path.This February challenge has also pushed me to do things that I have always wanted to do with my business but haven’t gotten around to doing. With gratitude, I will step bravely into my passion.

Fluidity. Welcoming this flow of the Universe. Letting it wash over you. Letting it wash through you. Harnessing this energy and yet allowing it at the same time. Feel this creative energy pulse through your body, feeling the energetic pulse of the Universe. Your heart begins to beat with this same pulse. Your breath tunes into this gentle, subtle, yet powerful energy.
I pray that my body and my baby continue to remember this pulsation, this fluidity as I near welcoming this Guru, this bearer of light, earthside.
I pray that my family remembers this pulsation, this fluidity as we move through our days together, growing together and into our own each day.
I pray that Megan and Jon remember this pulsation, this fluidity as they join their lives together today.
I pray that all my dear friends, those that I know already, those that I have yet to meet, remember this pulsation, this fluidity as they move through each day, each moment, remembering that change is the only constant in each moment and riding that wave.
I pray that all beings remember this pulsation, this fluidit that we are all connected to.
I pray that we are reminded each day of this deep connection.
I pray that we remember that we are one.
Aho.

Fluidity. Welcoming this flow of the Universe. Letting it wash over you. Letting it wash through you. Harnessing this energy and yet allowing it at the same time. Feel this creative energy pulse through your body, feeling the energetic pulse of the Universe. Your heart begins to beat with this same pulse. Your breath tunes into this gentle, subtle, yet powerful energy.
I pray that my body and my baby continue to remember this pulsation, this fluidity as I near welcoming this Guru, this bearer of light, earthside.
I pray that my family remembers this pulsation, this fluidity as we move through our days together, growing together and into our own each day.
I pray that Megan and Jon remember this pulsation, this fluidity as they join their lives together today.
I pray that all my dear friends, those that I know already, those that I have yet to meet, remember this pulsation, this fluidity as they move through each day, each moment, remembering that change is the only constant in each moment and riding that wave.
I pray that all beings remember this pulsation, this fluidit that we are all connected to.
I pray that we are reminded each day of this deep connection.
I pray that we remember that we are one.
Aho.