First of all, how are you going? 

Before you read any more, we would love you to take a deep breath out and check in with yourself. How are you truly feeling right now? There are no right or wrong answers, and we aren’t about to offer some platitude about how you can just ‘snap out of’ an negative emotion. We just want you to acknowledge whatever is going on for you right now.

And breathe out.

It seems the landscape is changing daily at the moment, and we know that with all of the skills we have been sharing over the last 46 weeks here in The Clique, that you know that we are here for the long game. And so are you. Together we’ve got this. Through all these winds of change.

A few years ago we were at a seminar in Fiji and the presenter told a story about the Palm Tree. You see, Palm Trees are different to big strong trees like the Oak- which have thick trunks and deep roots- Palms almost seem a bit flimsy really. Their trucks are very flexible, and in strong winds they can bend right over and not be uprooted. It’s the flexibility that allows it. And once the cyclone has passed, the Palm just springs back up, dusts off it’s fronds, and carries on. It’s flexibility is it’s strength.

Now I’m sure some of you have a wry smile right now, as you know we aren’t the best gardeners in the world (Alison can kill mint!), but we know you get the analogy. With the daily changes that are happening right now, this is not the time to be an Oak Tree. As much as we may long for the safety and security of it’s boughs, this is the time of the Palm. 

This week we want you to set little alarms in your phone throughout the day, where you stop, check in with yourself, and breathe OUT. We want you to acknowledge exactly how you are feeling. To be present with it. And then be like that Palm and adapt to whatever wind is blowing your way.

The biggest threat right now is not the wind itself, but your ability to pivot. To laugh and yell, “Plot Twist” and get on with whatever is in front of you. We might not know what’s next, but we sure as heck don't want to be uprooted because we are stuck in a thought process that the kids these days call a “fixed mindset”.

See how many times today you can catch yourself holding tension in your shoulders or not breathing all the way out, because you are trying to fight off the wind. Allow yourself to soften, to bend a little, and to feel that tension slip right away, as you emerge with a new flexible thought.

You’ve got this.