One of my clients recently described herself as "the phoenix rising." 

Everything about her seemed to glow brightly and gloriously as she spoke about her newfound abundance of energy and sense of purpose. 

To be clear, just a few months ago, this was someone who frequently felt exhausted and now she was bursting with ideas and excitement.

Where are you in this journey? Are you fired up with ideas, bursting into your grandest self? Exhausted, frayed at the ends, and disconnected from life? Or maybe somewhere in the middle - in the murky fog on the path to fired up or on the slope towards complacency? 

Here’s what shook me up when I was in each of these places:

Understanding the risks and possibilities of shining my brightest. 

Grab a notebook and something to write with. 

Here’s how we do it when I work with clients:

1. What is your greatest dream? 
2. What is the possibility of pursuing that? What is possible if you’re successful?
3. What is the risk of NOT doing that? What harm may be caused if you don’t take action?

For many clients, the risk may be the inverse of the possibility, for example:

Possibility: I will help 10,000 people live their most impactful and fulfilling lives.

Risk: 10,000 people will continue living passively and miss out on making their impact and living fulfilling lives. 

Here’s another example:

Possibility: My child will see that they can follow their dreams.

Risk: My child will learn that success means limiting their dreams. 

There’s no right and wrong here, so take the time you need to reflect. 

Then, as the phoenix rising says, move mountains. 

“We could move mountains if we only knew that they were imaginary.” 

- Kamilah Reid-Burrell*

Go ahead and shine, dear one. 

* Kamilah Reid-Burrell is leading research on women in their 40s and beyond and their work, running the Women’s Work: 40+ Edition project. Interested participants can catch Kamilah on LinkedIn or at [email protected].