A Radical Gift

I gave myself an unexpected gift a few weeks ago, and it had a ripple effect that has radiated throughout my life.  It wasn't an expensive piece of jewelry or plans for an exotic vacation. Quite the opposite.  It was a change in my daily schedule.

I kept an iron-clad calendar during my corporate career.  It was the only way to ensure all my personal and professional responsibilities were executed without fail.  But the curious thing is that intense discipline over my schedule never eased when I started Athena Wellness – until recently.

Here's a glimpse of a typical weekday morning: up at five, morning practice, gym at 6:15, then coffee and a group writing Zoom session at 8 for my first round of work-related writing.  Breakfast, shower, then back on Zoom for my second writing session at 11.  Afternoons are reserved for client meetings and administration.

Here's what changed on December 1st.  When I signed into my 8 o'clock writing session, instead of opening a work file, I grabbed my notebook and spent the hour journaling.  That may not sound like such a leap, but it's the kind of journaling I only make time for on a rare Sunday morning.

This type of journaling invites special music, a fountain pen and a box of washi tape.  There are scissors, glue tape and a stack of magazine images.  It's the perfect time to lift the window shades and turn on the string lights draped around the frame.  And it's a lovely time to pick an oracle card to open possibility for the session.

The radical gift was a cordoned-off hour of creativity, right at the beginning of my workday.

This shift goes against the grain of the routine I've followed my entire adult life.  By my old standards, this hour isn't productive or efficient—which makes the very act of carving out this time even more of a revolutionary delight.  This deliberate shift is one more step in creating an aligned life that I love living. 

Why This Matters for Your Next Chapter

If this resonates, you likely recognize the calibrated schedule and badge-of-honor discipline I described.  But as you consider your next chapter — one you get to design based on your current desires — consider what will feed you rather than deplete you.

Here's what I've learned: the activities that make your heart sing aren't distractions.  They're profound clues to your essential identity, breadcrumbs leading back to yourself.

But there's something specific about how these activities work.  It's not just about doing something enjoyable – it's about entering a state of absorbed attention where your analytical mind finally releases its grip.

The Portal of Flow

When you're deeply engrossed in something you love, whether it's collage journaling, wandering through a dusty antique shop, or losing yourself in old punk rock favorites,  something shifts.  The pressure to produce and solve problems fades.  Your conscious mind, the one that has unfailingly delivered for decades, steps aside.

This is when the portal opens. 

It's in the rhythm and the focus required to create an expressive journal spread that the solution to a recent frustration can suddenly appear.  It's while your hands are busy and your mind is quiet that the subtle realization about your career path gently surfaces.

These insights don't arrive through force.  They arrive because you gave your inner wisdom the space and joy it needed to speak.

The Resistance You'll Feel

I know what you're thinking: "I don't have time for this."  Or perhaps, "This feels indulgent when there's so much to do."

I felt that twinge, too.  I’m years removed from corporate life, yet it took deliberate resolve to finally claim this hour for creative expression.

But here's the truth: the insights required for your next chapter—the authentic choices about what you truly want to build—don't emerge from more analysis or harder work.  They emerge from stillness and pleasure.  From being, not doing.

Each time you choose to engage in a flow activity, no matter how small the time segment, you're building the foundation for an aligned life.  You're learning to trust your inner voice.  You're confirming that your value isn't only in what you produce.

The Gift That Keeps Giving

As the holiday season approaches, the noise and demands around us tend to grow louder.  It’s easy to get swept up in the pursuit of doing it all.  But there’s another option — a quieter, more nourishing gift you can offer yourself: the time and space to truly listen to your own life.

Here's my invitation for you:  Don’t wait until a rare Sunday morning.  Look at your schedule.  Find a fifteen-minute pocket and block it off for the pure, singular joy of a heart-singing activity. 

Choose one activity that has always called to you but felt too impractical, too indulgent, or too "unproductive."  Block off time for it.  Not next month or someday in the future.  This week.

Then notice what happens.  Notice what thoughts arise during those moments.  Notice what insights appear in the hours afterward.  Notice how your body feels when you honor this appointment with yourself.

My guess is that you’ll be surprised at how expansive and decadent this can feel.  You might be surprised to discover that the answer you've been searching for—about your next career move, your business direction, or simply what brings you alive—has been waiting for you in the quiet space between effort and ease.

That small window of time is not just a break. It's the most revolutionary investment you can make in the person you're becoming.  It’s the gift that keeps giving, shaping your next chapter one joyful moment at a time. 

What will you choose?

Journal Reflections:  What beliefs or habits make it difficult for you to prioritize pleasure or flow in your daily life?  Where in your current routine could you create a small pocket of time for a nourishing, creative practice?  If you could give yourself one “radical gift” this week, what would it be — and what’s stopping you from claiming it?

P.S.  Ready to explore your next life phase?  If so, I've created a special gift just for you!  It’s a guide called 5 Questions to Explore a Soulful Second Chapter.  It contains the type of reflective work that gave me the courage to make my midlife transition.  You can download it for free at athenawellness.com/reimagine.

Links:

Midlife, Professional Women, Well-being, Wellness, WomenKathy Robinsonwellness, wellbeing, women's wellness, midlife, midlife transformation, transformation, life transitions, wellness practices, life transformation, midlife wellness, intentional living, midlife transition, career change, second act, new beginnings, midlife success, next life chapter, healthy aging, midlife identity, collage journaling