Top courageous moments of 2024
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Mel: [00:00:00] Welcome to Permission to be Human, the podcast. I'm your host Mel Findlater, mother, coach, and curator of Permission to be Human, the company and community. If you're a mom, know a mom, or want to be a mom, and you crave getting out in the world to make a difference, then you're in the right place. This is a space for moms like you to connect with yourself, your purpose, and your big audacious dreams.
Because when you feel your best, you can better you, your family, and the wider world. Let's do this.
Hello. Hello everyone who is out there listening. You get me again, lots of solo episodes in December because. Guess what they're much quicker for me to do and it's December and I'm a mom and our lists are crazy full of things that we. [00:01:00] Have added to it on top of our usual month's work because Christmas and this season around it. Whether you celebrate that or something else is full on. And we want to make it magical and. That takes a lot of time and mental load.
So I am reducing everything else. I know that I. Say that with a lot of privilege in being able to do that. But I have set up my life in a way that I can, and I am. As hard as it actually is. Stepping back in December. So that I can step forward in my motherhood and, uh,
Everything else that comes with this time of year.
So today I thought we would go into a little bit of reflection. And. Take a look back at some top courageous moments of 2024. I'm doing this a lot for me, let's be [00:02:00] honest, but I also. Invite you to take this as an example of an activity that you can do for yourself. Have a sit down. I got my journal out little note pad, whatever it is and reflect back through the year on. Things that you have done. That required courage. And there should be lots of them.
Some of them might be big. And actually the things that I've come up with. And R I'm going to talk about today. May come across as like the bigger things, but there are those everyday moments as well, along the way that take courage. The courage to say yes, the courage to say no, the courage to show up, even when you don't want to the courage to take a break, you know, all of these things require courage as well.
So. I encourage. And the interesting, those two words are the same encourage and courage. Hmm. That's a whole nother [00:03:00] reflection for another time. But I encourage you to think about your moments of courage this last year. And. Just give yourself a moment to really reflect on that and see how amazing you are and everything that you have managed to.
Do, but also everything you've managed to be this year. And it could be five minutes. I just sat down. This was maybe 10 minutes with me sitting there thinking of these things and I could. Pull up my Google photos and probably come up with about a hundred more, but nobody wants to listen to a hundred. Of my stories.
So I'm going to give you a select few. From the year.
So. One of the main things that I think I'd like to tap into in this. And that I've done is the work. And by the work, I mean my inner work [00:04:00] and I said yes to therapy and going. You know, sometimes it's every three weeks, sometimes it's every six weeks. Sometimes it's longer than that, but really allowing myself to.
Explore who I am. Uh, w who I have been, who I want to be and everything that comes in between, I'm really shifting through, you know, Finding those wounds and things that have happened in my life. Not necessarily in detail, but, but more, more so the effects of them. Uh, and on who I am now in the stories that. I tell myself that aren't necessarily serving me and really allowing myself this year has been really around loud myself to shift from the breach. Uh, that I ha have had around, uh, All sorts of things that come with womanhood. And really shifting that now into more of a seed stage of reflection [00:05:00] and, and sadness.
And, uh, the next phase is figuring out. What that means and how to sit with that and how to move that through to hopefully a space that is, uh,
You know, a little more me than a little more, what I want to be. And, um, Yeah, so. It has taken so much courage to show up every time to every single appointment with my therapist and allow that to be there. And do you know what? It's hard to work? Right. It's hard work to show up there, but it also percolates into the rest of your life because these things just sit there.
And for me, it's about starting to allow myself to feel and. Feeling is inconvenient. A lot of the time. So that has been. A million moments of courage. This last year. Let's do it in doing the work. Um, a more tangible one for me is back [00:06:00] in January, I decided to apply for the do lectures, which is a tiny little conference in. The middle of nowhere in Wales.
And, uh, I got in and as an attendee, you have to apply. There's only a hundred people that go. And I got in and was like, oh, okay. Now I gotta figure out how to get there. And I went and I did a solo trip over to the UK, visited some friends and then went to Wales and it was wonderful. And exactly what I needed to really. I just take a lot of the mental load off of, uh, my life and what. You know, comes from my everyday life of being a wife and a mom and a business owner and all the things. And.
And really go and be me for a while.
And that was lovely.
I another thing is. Back in the spring. I came up with [00:07:00] this idea. For a brand new. Family run business. That was super exciting. We were all really, really into it. And we allowed ourselves to really flow with the idea for about three months and paid someone to do a business plan for us. Not that you have to pay someone to do business plans, but in this case it made sense because they'd done this type of business before. So it was courageous to allow ourselves to really go down that route and dig deep into. What we like about it and what we wasn't gonna work. And then to get this business plan down and then to look at it and go. Nope. That's not going to work.
That's going to be a lot of hustle for us. For a very slow return. So. You know, The courage say yes at first. And then the courage to say no, actually not right now. Uh, and maybe some iteration of it in the future. So. That is definitely one it's about saying yes and no. Right. [00:08:00] Uh, definitely continuing this podcast has been. Constant moments of courage, putting myself out there, telling you the things that I'm even talking about right now. I'm sitting in a room, staring out a window, talking to myself is what it feels like.
Right. So the, the courage to show up and do that in the hopes that even just one person listening, ha it has a positive impact on it. And I really hope it does. Um, and as well as showing up. I've started to really ask guests. To come and speak on the, on the podcast that I expect will say no. And that has been a fascinating process of, you know, being okay with rejection and sometimes getting the yeses that I didn't expect.
So that has been amazing.
Um, I. Put the courage club. Concept out in the world, which if you've listened to the podcast long enough, you've probably heard about. But, you know, I just popped [00:09:00] a message onto a face, the local Facebook group, who was like, I want to build the community. I need the most, I want to have fun. I want to play.
I want to meet new people and want to try new things. Who's in and found people who wanted to do that with me. And that is out there in the world, working right now with a small group of women. Um, and I'm excited to figure out what that will become. Uh, but we've gone climbing up to the skywalk here, which is like a really high thing that you can lay on a net on top. Beautiful views.
And we're going Carolyn on Monday. Uh, by the time this comes out, we will have kenneled. In the, the local neighborhoods. And, uh, I expect that to be tons of fun. Uh, as a group of women who don't typically sing a lot, it'll be, it'll be really great. Um, so putting that idea out in the world before I even.
Felt like before I felt it was perfect.
Right. I've been sitting on this courage club idea for literally like. [00:10:00] At least 14 years, right. So, you know, that's a long time. To then be like, ah, You know, Screw it let's just put it out there and see what happens and I did. And, um, there's certainly a lot more. Moments of courage that I will need to move that forward. And decisions to make, but, uh, I'm really proud of myself for getting to the point that we're at.
Um, and along those lines, I. I'm feeling a lot of courage right now around a recent decision I made, like I said around December and not working, this is literally the bits of work that I'm doing is just to get these podcasts out.
And listening to my body that says it is tired. It wants to winter, it wants to rest and not to push it. You know, and to say yes to the work that I talked about before, through my personal work. Uh, As in my inner work. [00:11:00] Saying yes to that and saying, no, actually, too, if you've listened and heard that I'm going to be launching the courage club officially in January, I've decided not to do that.
I am going to postpone it. Most likely until the spring and let it percolate to see exactly what I want it to be, but also to give my body and mind the space it needs to. Do what it needs to do. It says right now rests. So that is. What I'm going to do. And then, uh, we'll step into the next season as, and when it comes. My way.
So really saying yes to rest is my courageous moments. Even when I've put it out in the world already. Even what I've said, I'm going to launch this and then I, you know, all excited. It's it's okay. Right. It's okay to say no.
Uh, I've tried lots of new things with the, uh, with a friend nearby we've gone and tried pickle ball, which is actually I laugh a ton.
It's really fun. Uh, we went to a [00:12:00] sound bath. Just to see what that even was. And I've gone off to a couple of different women's circles, a mum circling a woman's circle. All alone, not knowing a single person that was going to be there and really, really loved it. Um, But I remember the moments at the beginning of like showing up and having no clue what was going to happen and my heart absolutely racing. Uh, and then going out their feelings out of there feeling so nourished afterwards. Right.
That's the power of showing up for yourself and also being witnessed with other women.
Aye. Was part of something called the fire within series, which is, uh, a group of workshops over the course of four or five months. And uh, with some woman in nature, there was lots of singing. There was, uh, exploring the myths and doing things with our hands. And really bringing [00:13:00] like ritual back into our lives.
And that was really like a stretch out of my comfort zone. Not necessarily. A world that's that I totally, you know, or feel comfortable with. Uh, at that point, especially. And it led to me. Taking a walk into the woods by myself nearby. Uh, for a whole day and sitting with the fear of the animals around me, because I live on Vancouver island with cougars and bears and all sorts. Um, And just allowing myself to move through that fear and then eventually. With the support of the group nearby, sleeping out in the woods and spending, I think it was about 14 or 16 hours alone. Oh, in the trees, in a rain storm with a hammock and a tarp and, uh, and just allowing myself to, to be there. That was like major moment of courage this year. Um, [00:14:00]
And one that's, uh, I'm really proud of and also kind of terrified to do again, but made, made a really big impact. In my life so far.
I would also say moments of courage her in my mothering. Right. The decisions to say no to some things so that I can be there. For example, for my kid who has a concussion at the moment and has to come home. Halfway through school days. It's in the everyday moments, everyday decisions that I make the intention behind every single decision that I make with them. The courage to keep hugging.
Even when my body is finished, it's been the over touched that day. Uh, and the courage to gently allow my children to know that my body's been touched too much that day and that I love them so, so much. And let's do it again in a little while.
And the courage to repair when things have not gone the way I wanted to [00:15:00] them to, you know, they, weren't my perfect mothering moments.
And I'm able to go back and say, sorry for. What has happened and explain that I love them exactly as they are. And that's, this is my growth journey and any anger or frustration I have is about me. And we can all learn and we are all learning. And those, each of those repair moments require a whole ton of courage.
As you can imagine.
And really, you know, The courage to find the self-compassion within my mother and journey, and really trusting my gut as to what decisions need to make be made with and for my children and my family. And.
Everything around motherhood. I think it's, it's, you know, It's a courageous step every single day for each of us. And I encourage you to think about how your mothering journey also has involved. [00:16:00] Courage, you know, just thinking about today. Yesterday this week, this month, this year. What point.
Have you been invited into. Courage through all the challenges that, that come with it.
Uh, with that. We've had a big. Moments, which I won't share too much about because, uh, this child, doesn't like a lot of stories being told her about, about them, but, you know, it's my kids going into the growing up phase and I've needed to have kind of the talk about what that means for a female.
And that took a lot of. Intention and thinking and courage to do, uh, for me.
And lastly, I would say really. Just taking imperfect action. And trusting. That it all sort itself out. That's really been what I've been trying to [00:17:00] do this year and we'll continue to do. Every day. And. Not beat myself up for it. Have the self-compassion that comes along with doing and not doing right. Just, just simply being. And allowing myself to take that imperfect action. So those are the ones, the top of mine, courageous moments of 2024 for me. I hope you found something interesting within there, maybe something that reminded you of a moment in your year that you have stepped into courage. And. Why not write them down. Make a little mind map somewhere for yourself or write some little notes and stick them in a jar that you can look at later.
These are moments that you can be proud of. Right. We're so easily pulled into the human nature of seeing the negative in things. And this is such a beautiful [00:18:00] way to. Remind ourselves of how courageous we are. Right. Cause when we step into our comfort zone has grown and when we're stepping out of it again and it can feel. Like, we're not courageous. And this is a great way to remind ourselves that. Actually all those things, we now find easy.
Weren't always that way. And we had to step into that with courage and therefore we are brave and courageous beings. You are. I know you are. It's beautiful. So let's remember it. All right. Have an amazing day.
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Mel: That is it, folks. This has been Mel Findlater on Permission to Be Human, the podcast, and I am so glad that you have joined us here today and hope that you have taken away some tidbits that will help you go away, connect with your big audacious dream, and make that massive impact in the [00:19:00] world that you are dying to make.
If you liked today's episode, please, please, please like it, share it. Think of one person. Think of one person that you think would also like it and send it on over to them. Let's get this out there and more moms feeling like themselves. Inspired, dreaming big, and out there being them. Please do head on over to find me on Facebook with permission to be human or Instagram or you can even Off me an email and say hello.
Have permission to be human, always, at gmail. com. Say hello and let me know that you listened. What did you like about it? I would love to hear. If you didn't like it, I don't really want to know. Ha ha, just kidding, you can share that if you want. I would love to know, however, who you are. Let's connect.
Let's find out what you want more of. I want [00:20:00] to hear from you and I want to make it what would be useful to you. As always, remember that you have permission to dream big, permission to feel big, and permission to be you. You have complete and full permission to be human.
For real, you do.
