Welcome, and thank you for joining me for a new month of exploring intentional personal growth through the lens of Clinical Hypnotherapy and NLP.
August, here in Australia, falls in the winter/dry season. It’s nature’s time for rest and restoration. But we humans — so used to equating activity and productivity with a day well spent — often struggle to reflect nature’s slowing down.
A good friend of mine has been navigating some life-altering medical issues over the past 12 months. Even though she’s gathered a lot of life experience, she found herself measuring her worth by what she used to do.
It wasn’t until she accepted her changed circumstances that something shifted.
Instead of judging herself harshly for what she could no longer do, she recalibrated her expectations — and slowly, she began to reconnect with her value outside of hyper-productivity.
It was hard to witness a friend grapple with such a big life change. It made space for reflection — for her, her family, and those of us walking alongside her.
So this month, let’s slow down — just enough to catch our breath and notice our path.
Let’s ask:
“What are we rushing toward?”
Many a great thinker has reminded us that life isn’t about the destination — it’s about the journey. One of my favourite quotes, by Alan Watts, goes:
“Life is not a journey with a destination… the whole point of dancing is the dance.”
And if you’re reading this, you’re on the dancefloor.
You might be gliding across the floor with ease.
You might be stumbling through new moves.
You might be catching your breath in the corner.
Or maybe you’re churning in a mosh pit near the speakers.
No matter your pace or place — we’re all here to dance.
So perhaps this is a good moment to ask yourself:
Where are you right now?
How far have you come?
What have you learned?
What have you had to let go of — or might still need to — in order to enjoy the dance for what it is?
If you’ve been reading my newsletters for a while, you’ll know how much I love journalling. Writing things down, making a voice memo, even just chatting with a friend — all of these can help us process what’s going on beneath the surface.
And if you enjoy my hypnosis offerings, stay tuned — later this month I’ll be sharing a reflective (and hopefully inspiring) 6 Minute Moments audio to complement our August theme.
If you’re finding value in these newsletters, please feel free to share them with a like-minded friends.
Wishing you a week filled with fun on the dancefloor,
x Marisa