121 | Beyond the Badge: Embracing Seasons in a World Obsessed with Busy

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Something that’s been on my mind lately is busyness, and really…getting clear on what it looks like to genuinely honor the season that you’re in.

We’re heading into the end of the year where we go from harvest, to Halloween, and then straight into the holiday season. It’s basically ‘go go go’ with everything – you’re driving here, flying there, creating traditions, making memories, and ALL.THE.THINGS. 

All of that is wonderful, but…it can also be a LOT. 

Over the last couple of years, I’ve really leaned into the concept of ‘wintering’. While we seem to be adding more and more to our calendar, Nature is instead telling us to be still, turn inward, and do less. Whether we’re experiencing pregnancy, trying to navigate postpartum, transitioning our career, or some other kind of major life change, it’s VITAL that we slow down, and honor the season we’re in.

In today’s episode, I want to talk about what it looks like ‘beyond the badge’, and embracing seasons in a world obsessed with busy. For me, I wore ‘busy’ like a badge of honor. I wanted to achieve every milestone, achievement, and check allll the boxes. Busy became my default answer, because when we’re busy, that means we’re successful..right?

I’ve had to actively work on NOT being so dang busy in my life, and instead, being very intentional about what myself (and my family) say ‘yes’ to. This has been an evolution for me – my defining moment was the COVID shutdown, and I had no choice but to slow down.

While slowing down during this time helped, I didn’t stay there. I eventually found myself in burnout and struggling with my mental health, which ultimately pushed me into therapy. Therapy showed me just how addicted I was to ‘doing’ and ‘achieving’. 

I learned how to untangle my worth from productivity. I really had to work on defining my ‘enoughness’ outside of my productive output in entrepreneurship. BOY was it eye-opening!!

I felt like I was *finally* coming out on the other side..and then more life happened. Between having an unexpected pregnancy with our third child and our ‘Great House Flood’ during Christmas last year (those are the biggies!), I’ve been forced into stillness, and had to really strip down my to-do list. 

Turns out, I didn’t actually need to do sooo much in order to be successful..and neither do YOU!

We get stuck in the constant hustling and chasing and doing and thinking we have to be everything, for everyone. I’m here to tell you that you do NOT need to be productive in order to be worthy. Choosing presence, peace, and alignment is an act of self-trust, and a rebellion against a culture that glorifies ‘busyness’. 

I want to encourage you to honor your natural energy, and be present with what’s right in front of you. When you’re able to know, love, and trust yourself just as you are, you’ll be able to come home to yourself, and truly thrive, regardless of the season you’re in.

You can do it all and have it all, but you can NOT do it all at once. It’s time to leave ‘busy’ behind, and really embrace each season, friend!

In this episode, Beyond the Badge: Embracing Seasons in a World Obsessed with Busy, I cover:

• Turning to the ‘cyclical’ nature of the world and honoring the season you’re in
• My story of wearing ‘busy’ like a badge of honor + how I’ve actively worked to change that over time
• My journey through burnout + the unexpected blessings this led to
• Choosing to truly slow down during life’s seasons + learning the art of ‘simplify to amplify’
• Finding alignment in the life you want to create + focusing on being present, and coming home to yourself

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• Gather in Growth podcast produced by: Jill Carr Podcasting

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Related Episodes:

• Episode 079 | Sh*t Happens, Mindset Matters
• Episode 083 | POV: It’s Been a Hard Week and We Go to Coffee

More about Gather in Growth podcast: 

Where can I connect with fellow rural women who aren’t afraid to dream big dreams? How do I create and sustain daily habits that help me reach my personal and professional goals? Am I the only one that absolutely loves living in the middle of nowhere but wants to understand the world beyond my backyard? What should I do about the unshakable feeling that there’s more to life than just showing up? How do I break free from other people’s opinions and confidently live as my authentic self? 

Welcome to Gather in Growth, a show created for passionate, growth-focused rural women like you. From mindset work and building strong habits to nerding out over personal growth books through the lens of life on a backroad, this is a show to leave you feeling joyful, inspired, ready to take action, and a little less alone. 

Tune in for honest and heart-felt conversations with host, Emily Reuschel, and fellow thought leaders, to talk about personal growth and thriving as a rural woman. Here you’ll gain tactical strategies to bring your dreams to reality, real talk about the ups and downs of tackling goals, meaningful insight from fresh perspectives, and the confidence to step into the calling that’s been laid on your heart for a reason. If you crave to feel seen in a small town, you’re in the right place. 

Whether you’re currently running on a backroad, shuffling kids to town, hopping along for a tractor ride, or three loads deep into folding laundry… we’re in this together. Absolutely anything is possible and I’m so grateful to be on this journey with YOU! 

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