Consult Your Wise Future Self

Katie McDonald was the featured speaker at the Women in Leadership Nexus’ February 2018 event: “Letters to Yourself: A Moment of Introspection.” Below is some of the advice Katie shared with our women after they wrote a letter to their younger self…

The pace of our days leaves little room for reflection. Scurrying from task to task, we bow down to productivity again and again while we delude ourselves into thinking that tomorrow we will rest. In doing so, we miss the wisdom between the to dos. Is there a better way? Is there more to life than efficiency? Every gesture, every encounter, every experience, every thing are opportunities to evolve. Speeding only makes it all blurry, the lessons to learn obscured. 

For the Women in Leadership Nexus event, we decided to not only slow time down but to time travel back to advise our younger selves on ways of the world. We have learned a lot over the years and we had a lot to share. We were hard on ourselves in our younger years. We could not see the long view. The challenges felt permanent and relentless and our abilities somehow tethered. But when we stopped to consider those days, we had only admiration and compassion for the women we were. Our voices grew tender and our advice soothing, in sharp contrast to how we speak to ourselves today. We still berate ourselves. We lose faith and we lose perspective. 

This exercise demonstrated that we do not see ourselves clearly. That in the moment, our expectations rarely align with our reality. We operate under the misconception that self shame will motivate us to be better, work harder. So we terrorize ourselves with thoughts of inadequacy when what we need to do is call forth our future selves. Our future selves can console our souls and gently reassure us that all will be well. All is well. 

Moving forward, in the sweetest and more compassionate voice, consider that…

• Racing around only makes everything blurry.
• Enough is a feast.
• Overwhelm is a habit. There is another way.
• Life is far sweeter than sugar will ever be.
• Every person who drives you nuts, challenges you etc, is the very person you need to help you evolve.
• You are the knight in shining armor you have been waiting for. By the way, you do not need rescuing. You are not broken.
• Save “I am sorry” for the big stuff. Stop apologizing for yourself, your humanness.
• Good girls are rarely good to themselves.
• Befriend yourself for it is the most important relationship you will ever have.

To learn more about Katie, check out recent Q&A with Katie: click here.

Want to meet with Katie to discuss your health strategy? Call 401-965-4486 or email katie@bnourished.com and mention the Women in Leadership Nexus to receive a 50-minute complimentary health audit with Katie!