Rest, Motion, and the Breadcrumbs of My Soul
An object in motion stays in motion. An object at rest stays at rest unless an outside force acts upon it.
Newton’s first law of motion was drilled into my head during the early school years, and I never imagined how much it would come into play in life. Real life. All the examples—or at least the ones I remember—were about moving some type of inanimate object, never about getting your butt off the couch and back into your life.
This year, I decided to take a big break over the holidays. I wanted to rest and luxuriate in the lights of my Christmas tree. My boyfriend had a few weeks off of work, and for once, neither of us had to be anywhere. It felt like a Christmas break from my childhood—no obligations, just taking each day as it came and enjoying myself.
I didn’t want to think about clients, revenue, or social media. Basically, I went dark and figured picking things back up in my business would be a problem for 2025 me.
Well, I’m now 2025 me, and I’m feeling a little lost. I’m stumbling around like someone turned out the lights in an unfamiliar room, and I can’t find the switch to save my life. The unfolding of a vision for 2025 has been slow, but I’m not in a rush. But I haven’t made it from visualizing to planning, so taking action feels like a distant dream. That’s an uncomfortable place for me to sit.
The break—I needed it. I don’t begrudge it for a moment. My brain and body needed the rest, and I was happy to give it to myself.
Rest. Take a break. Don’t try to do everything. You deserve time for yourself.
How many times have we all heard some version of those things? I believe them to be true, and I talk about them, but what we don’t often talk about is how hard it is to get back into the swing of things.
When we take our routines and chuck them in the bucket, it’s no easy feat to get back into a productive groove. It seems obvious when talking about some things, like going to the gym—you take a break, and when you return, you’re sore and don’t want to be there. But you do a little bit each day, and before you know it, you’re back at it. For some reason, I’m having trouble extending that logic into all areas of my life, even though I fundamentally understand that process.
To be clear, over the last several weeks, I moved my body, even if it was just walking the dog. But getting onto social media, creating offers, and engaging in any marketing or revenue-generating activity wasn’t on the radar. Now, I’m asking myself: Where do I start? What’s my priority?
I wanted a reset, and now that I’ve had it, how do I want to show up? The truth is, I don’t know.
Be careful what you ask for; you just might get it. Kidding, but seriously.
If I’m honest, I do know where to start. Anywhere. Send an email. Make a post. Baby steps compound into big wins over time. Start small. Start messy. Just start. I know this in bones. And yet, I’m being precious about it, trying to talk myself into starting where I left off, because that makes sense.
Over the last several weeks, I wrote every day, and I loved every second of it. I participated in a writing workshop and used prompts to get me started each day. The words poured out of me.
Though I journal regularly and have go-to prompts that help me get below the surface of my psyche, it’s been a while since I’ve brought a memory to life with words and then transformed the reflection into a poem that stirs my soul. I haven’t written in a way where I wanted to be discerning with my word choice, to feel like I was making art for only my eyes, in more days than I can remember. But for the last three weeks, that’s exactly what I did.
It awakened something in my soul that has felt long dormant. I haven’t quite figured out how to leap back into the routine of my business, but I’ve awakened my writing practice. I feel confident and creative with my words, and I feel excited about that.
Maybe that’s enough for now. Perhaps the writing is the “getting into motion,” and that path will lead me where I need to go.
Everything feels like a blank canvas—my routine, my coaching business, my schedule. And while that’s freeing, it’s also a little daunting. It’s easy to pick back up where you left off, but it’s always tough to make those first few decisions when starting from scratch.
When clients are making big changes, I encourage them to follow their curiosities, to follow where their interests are leading them. It’s like following the breadcrumbs of your soul. If you reflect on why you’re drawn to that person, place, experience, or thing, you can uncover how you feel or what you desire when it’s not immediately obvious. When you keep following your curiosities, the new path will emerge as clear as a well-worn one.
Maybe it’s time to take my own advice. Less forcing, more allowing. If my soul feels giddy when I sit down and write, then perhaps I just need to sit down and write.
Perhaps it’s my turn to follow the breadcrumbs of my soul.
Journal prompt: Think of a time when you felt stuck or at rest—whether emotionally, creatively, or in your daily routine. What small action, curiosity, or interest helped you start moving again? If you’re still at rest, what’s one tiny step you can take today to begin? Write about how it feels to be in motion and what it might lead you toward.
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