“The Athena Principles” Key Takeaways (Tenth/Final in a Series)

This post is the last in a series highlighting the main ideas of The Athena Principles, Simple Wellness Practices for Overworked Professionals.  It’s my hope that in getting a taste of the concepts and exercises in the book, you’ll be inspired to continue to explore ways to connect with yourself and live a more empowered and wholehearted life.

Wellness transformation is like a slow-motion chain reaction.  When you find ways to reconnect with yourself, you make better wellness choices to support the aim to live more wholeheartedly.  That, in turn, leads to optimized well-being.  Again and again, in the thousands of decisions you make each day, you will become more aligned with your deepest desires.

As you move closer toward your desires, the feeling of disconnect from your true self will fade in your rearview mirror.  You’ll no longer live with the feeling of having a low-grade fever (fragmented, empty, isolated, stuck, unfulfilled, apathetic, fatigued, depleted) or with more intense feelings like overwhelm, frustration, sadness, anger or despair.

As you experience wholeheartedness, you’ll become better at dealing with the source of the disconnect, such as relationship and career expectations, societal norms, over-commitment, busyness or anything that requires you to hide, mask or numb your true self.

As you continue to move toward living authentically, how do you navigate the tension between who you are in the world today and what you feel in your heart?  The initial discomfort you may feel as you move forward toward wholeheartedness is stuck energy getting unstuck.  The older that stuck energy is, the harder it can be to dislodge.

In addition, it can be difficult to switch back and forth from your current life circumstances to deliberate actions that move you closer to your desires.  That’s why so many people abandon their dreams in exchange for a life that fits in with their family and friends.  But you play small when you minimize what resonates deeply within yourself.

By reclaiming your wholeness, you step into your personal power; that is, you embrace your whole self with pride, without needing to compartmentalize parts of yourself that once felt unworthy.  It takes energy to protect the unspoken and unexpressed sides of yourself in order to fit in.  Letting go of things that keep you stuck and unhappy - things that no longer serve - allows you to make space for what you desire.  The result is a more authentic presence and the newfound energy leads to greater productivity.

Once you get a foothold on that space, you’ll need to protect it from the noise of daily living.  A good way to honor that space is to become aware of it and be present in that pause.  It will also serve you to create containers of time for activities (email, news, catch-up administration) that tend to siphon off this precious solo time.

By prioritizing this quality time with yourself, your daily actions will come from a place of deliberateness and calmness instead of autopilot.  Becoming aware of what you feed your mind, body and spirit will tip the scale from doing to being and life itself will become your practice.  At that point, you will have created a calm space in which to grow curiosity, enjoyment, appreciation, contemplation, connection and inner exploration.

Wellness is a lifestyle – a way of living that incorporates nourishing and replenishing behaviors that contribute to your growth and well-being. A way of allowing your mind, body and spirit to integrate and use its universal wisdom to keep you vibrant.

But the journey doesn’t end here, in fact, it’s just beginning.  Taking action to live your life as you define it is your ultimate act of power.  

You can start by creating a simple action plan that you can download here:  https://athenawellness.com/actionplan

It is my hope that The Athena Principles will help you reimagine your current stage of life as a time of strength and reconnection – and as a time to thrive.  May you fall in love with taking care of yourself.  Be well – the best is yet to come!

Book Announcement:  The paperback, eBook and audiobook versions of The Athena Principles, Simple Wellness Practices for Overworked Professionals are available on Amazon.  Feedback shared via Amazon reviews is much appreciated!