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This week’s affirmation is encouraging us to choose PEACE.

Are you ready? Repeat after me:

I wholeheartedly and intentionally choose peace over pressure.

Go ahead… do it again!

Lioness, I know we are in a society that teaches us pressure is normal. Hustle is rewarded. Working 24/7 is supported with technology and celebrity endorsements. Pressure is often sold as a necessary ingredient to success. We need to hustle and hurry to “make it”. Many of us have told ourselves that discipline and motivation had to look ONE WAY – the “up at 4am or you aren’t really in the in it to win it lane”. 

This is a lie. We can create margin for and do all of the things we want to and need to – without the stress.

The first step in choosing peace over pressure is recognizing what pressure looks and feels like. Slowing down to understand what triggers it so you can start to make decisions filled with peace – earlier and earlier in the process. The warning signs for me are obvious – when I am paying attention. I get irritable (oh, my cranky pants are seriously three sizes too small!), I get nasty headaches, I fall away from my faith to worry and live in my own strength… I take my backpack of “stuff” back from God and carry it myself – which ultimately showed up as fierce fatigue. When fatigue shows up – it is a HUGE FLAG because I am blessed with divine energy.

Now, recognizing all of these doesn’t always stop me from denying it or trying to power through. I have to work at it. I have to remind myself to give the backpack BACK!

However, now that I understand what pressure feels like, I am able to stop and visit my PEACE method with a twist.

I have shared how I believe intuition is an essential life skill we must all embrace and learn to refine and nurture. Feeling and recognizing what you are about to do will be filled with pressure and not peace is no different.

Here is the P.E.A.C.E. process – built out into an acronym – with that twist I mentioned.

First, P.

P stands for Pause:  Take a moment and pay attention to what you are feeling.

E is for Examine: Ask yourself: “Will this bring me peace or add more pressure?”

A is for Assess:  Now it is time to weigh your choices. Which is more important RIGHT NOW – peace or pressure?

C is for Choose:  Yes, you have the option to choose wisely. Not every single decision you make will be peace-filled and that’s a reality. Sometimes a deadline or meeting is going to be bursting with pressure.  The beauty of this process is that you are consciously aware of the repercussions of your choices! You can prepare yourself and those around you for what to come instead of becoming a leader wearing cranky pants that are 3 sizes too small!

E is for Execute: Now you can confidently and intentionally, integrate the activity, nurture the relationship, etc. knowing it will add value to your life – in alignment with your core principles and desire to infuse more peace and less pressure.

Lioness, start implementing these steps into your days this week and feel the difference. Celebrate when you recognize the pressure and make better choices. Give yourself grace when you don’t. Embrace and boldly brace for the moments you must choose pressure… and revel in the knowledge that you have created the margin and prepared for moments – just like this.

xxoo,

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