DECISION PERMISSION By Kristy Jean
M
y career was less than motivating. My friendships were reduced to infrequent text messaging. My “super mom” energy was a facade. My marriage was two words away from collapsing. And my identity had become a question mark. My “cup” was so empty it was beginning to crack… I was in desperate need of Decision Permission. “Decision Permission is the contentment that only comes from the personal journeys we willingly take to
contemplate, act upon, and learn from the challenging decisions we face throughout our lives. -Kristy Jean, Decision Permission: Five States of Support for Every Level of Decision Making All of these areas of my life were falling apart, because I just kept avoiding “the work”. I didn’t want to face the fact that I was struggling, because I knew that facing my fears meant that I would have to make change–for myself and others. Although we have so little control over what happens to us in the course of a day, we have so many false senses of control that give us hope that if we just try hard enough, we can keep everything in “order” and everyone “happy”. I slowly came to realize, though, that my endless efforts to avoid rocking other peoples’ boats were slowly sinking my own. It was time for me to figure out who I was and what I needed in this one and only life I was blessed to live. This is where the “Five States of Support” were born. Through research, my leadership experiences in education, and a wealth of tears on yoga mats, in meditation classes, and throughout reflection retreats, I developed these five states to provide a sense of control in those times when life leads us to believe we have none. These “states”--not stages–lend themselves to a linear path, but they honor the truth that our lives are not linear, and so you can dive into and around the states as decisions are made for you and by you: *From Decision Permission by Kristy Jean
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