“There is no guarantee that you will be certified to teach the Way of the Happy
Woman retreats,” she said strongly.

I suddenly started to feel sick to my stomach.  I had invested thousands of dollars,
traveled all the way to Thailand (a month after my last radiation treatment, no less)
and devoted 2 years of my time and energy to study this work.  Now my mentor, my
teacher, my guide was telling me I might not be certified to teach her work???  I felt
angry, sad and terrified all in the same moment.  She ended the call a few minutes
later and I sat in stunned silence, feeling scared to death that I had made a huge
mistake (and had wasted a staggering amount of money).

I wanted to feel better.  I wanted to feel happy, calm and excited about the work I
had been studying but these feelings of anger, sadness and terror were overwhelming
and threatening to flatten me completely.  Fortunately, years of having my own
grounding practices helped me to shift into action.  After a few minutes of sinking into
my practices I was able to hear my inner wisdom again.  I was reminded of a story my
friend told me once about a researcher who was writing a book about burnout.  He
interviewed many different people and organizations until one day, his research led
him to a group of nuns.  While all of his previous subjects had experienced burnout,
this group of nuns had been working extremely hard for decades and none of them
had ever experienced burnout.  Their explanation was simple.  Every day they listened
to the calling in their hearts, showed up, did the work and left the results up to God.

“Let go,” my wise self whispered.

Immediately I could see that not only was I attached to a specific result but that there
was so much tension and rigidity in my body from trying – no pushing and striving – for
a specific result that I hadn’t even noticed how exhausted I was feeling.  Exhausted
physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

I knew I had to let go.  I knew I had to stop trying to control things and shift, instead,
to listening to the deeper calling of my heart.  Make no mistake, letting of the results
is an incredibly difficult action.  Letting go called up all my old demons – the imagined
judgements of others, the worry of not being enough, the fear of failure and public
humiliation (because in my excitement, I had announced to all of you, dear readers,
and anyone else who follows me that I was going to be offering the Way of the Happy
Woman retreats).  I was not a happy woman…I let go anyway.

What are you trying to control?  Are you so focused and attached to a specific result
that you are depleting your life force energy?  Attachment to a specific result is
depleting.  Showing up and taking action on the calling of your heart is life giving.

I had already learned this lesson about letting go when I was diagnosed with breast
cancer.  My life suddenly became very focused on results, results that I had no control
over.  The fear of dying (the ultimate act of letting go) made me desperate to find
control, to force life to turn out the way I wanted it to turn out.  But there is no cure for
this disease and so I am reminded daily that I have to let go, that I have to stop trying
to create a specific result.  I have to listen to what I am being called to do, I have to
show up and I have to leave the results up to a power much greater than me.  What I
have noticed when I can let go is that situations seem to turn out better than I
imagined (not always but most of the time) and they turn out in ways that I would
never have been able to control anyway!

Let go, Sweet Ones!  Stop pushing and striving and trying to control the outcomes.
Start listening – your heart is calling

Love,

Deb
Turns out I did get certified in the end!  My first retreat was a hit so I have set two dates
for a spring retreat.  You have the choice of in Winnipeg or in Steinbach this time!

Please join me for …

The Way of the Happy Woman Spring Self-Care Mini-Retreat!

Self-care isn’t selfish. When we women slow down and attune to our bodies
(and the cycles of nature), we become more vital, creative, and powerful.

If you’re longing to give more, do more, be more, please join me for a very
special half-day self-care mini-retreat for women!

Together, we’ll create a sacred container for quiet contemplation and creative
group practices. Nourish yourself with women’s yoga, insight meditation,
seasonal self-care secrets, intuitive journaling, and more. It’s all based on The
Way of the Happy Woman (www.wayofthehappywoman.com ): Sara Avant Stover’s
acclaimed book, practice collection, and global community.

It’s happening in two locations:

Steinbach, Manitoba
Saturday April 18, 2015
Early Registration Date: March 27, 2015

AND/OR

Winnipeg, Manitoba
Saturday May 23, 2015
Early Registration Date: May 1, 2015

And when you register by the Early Registration Date, there’s a sweet discount.
Click here for details & registration. I hope to see you there!

Follow Deb:

Join me for some yoga or meditation and give yourself the gift of letting
go…just for an hour!

Yoga
Mondays 7:30 – 9:00 Rest and Renew
Wednesdays 11:00 am – 12:00 Yin
Source Yoga Studios, 2567 Pembina Highway

Meditation
Thursdays 9:15 – 10:15 am
Prairie Roots Winnipeg, 202-562 Academy Road

Social Media
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/GetItDunnJoyfully
Twitter: @debdawsondunn

Recently, Macleans magazine wrote an article calling my city (Winnipeg) the most racist city in Canada.  This seemingly harsh label felt like a punch directly to my heart.  It was so distressing for me to hear that there are so many people that hate, judge, attack and bully other people.  It’s not like I have been living in some dream world where everything is lollipops and rainbows but for some reason, this racist label hurt me in a way I never expected.  The article made it sound like everyone in Winnipeg is a racist and I wondered if some of my distress was because maybe…I am racist.

I wanted to quickly shut down any such thoughts but I didn’t. As I listened to our Mayor address the article, I began to feel overwhelmed with the enormity of trying to change this situation. How can I stop racism? How can I help others see what I see – that everyone is a human being, an aspect of the Divine and deserving of respect and love?

And then came the question….is there anywhere in my life that I hate, judge, attack or bully? I wanted the answer to be ‘no’ but after some close scrutiny the answer came back as a’ yes.’ There have definitely been times in my life when I did all of those things. Sometimes it was directed at another person but most often, it was directed at me.

Have you ever hated a part of your body?
Have you ever called yourself stupid, fat, ugly, useless or lazy?
Do you go to bed when you are tired, eat food that is nourishing, spend your time with people and in situations that lift you up? Do you treat yourself with respect and love?

How can we hope for peace in our families, communities, countries or world when we are not at peace with ourselves? How easy is it to make the leap from judging and hating ourselves to judging and hating others? How can we wipe out racism if we can’t love all parts of ourselves fully? How can we stop bullying if we can’t even talk nicely to ourselves??

We have to start with ourselves. Definitely take every opportunity to speak up, stand up and take action against racism and bullying but remember that all action must start from a place of love within your heart. “When we become different inside, this is reflected by the way life treats us outside. Self-change is the pre-requisite for external change.” (from Understanding the Enneagram)
Learn to love yourself in all your glory and all your messes and then we truly will be able to create a peaceful and more joyful world.

Let’s use the month of February to turn this around!
Join me on my Facebook page to talk more about the ways we can love, respect and care for ourselves this month and maybe, just maybe….we can change this world for the better!

Here’s one way to learn to respect and love yourself.  Please join me for …

The Way of the Happy Woman
Winter Self-Care Mini-Retreat!

Sisters: self-care isn’t selfish. When we women slow down and attune to our bodies (and the cycles of nature), we become more vital, creative, and powerful. If you’re longing to give more, do more, be more, please join me for a very special 1/2-day self-care mini-retreat for women!

Together, we’ll create a sacred container for quiet contemplation and creative group practices. Nourish yourself with women’s yoga, insight meditation, seasonal self-care secrets, intuitive journaling, and more. It’s all based on The Way of the Happy Woman (www.wayofthehappywoman.com ): Sara Avant Stover’s acclaimed book, practice collection, and global community.

It’s happening right here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, February 28, 2015. And when you register by Friday February 6, 2015, there’s a sweet discount. Click here for
details & registration. I hope to see you there!

Every year I encourage my clients, readers and social media followers to choose
a theme for the New Year.  I like having a theme instead of resolutions because it
starts you off from a place of being enough.  Resolutions are usually about lack,
what you think is wrong with you and trying to fix something about yourself like you
are broken in some way (FYI…YOU ARE NOT BROKEN!). 

Last year my theme was Nourish.  I also had a guiding phrase which was
Fiercely Nourishing my Rhythms.  Using this theme as my focus over the year
revealed how often I let my needs go by the wayside in deference to the needs of
others.  I noticed how often (daily, hourly) I deprived myself of even basic needs like
water, sleep or going to the bathroom.  I observed how often I was being pushed to
keep up to others and how it seemed like I was constantly at the mercy of other
people’s schedules and agendas.

How did you make out with your resolutions last year?  Or maybe you chose a
theme because you have been following me for a long time and you have found that
it works better for you.  What do you imagine might change for you if you chose a
theme for 2015?

I learned how to nourish my body with really good food that supports my unique
constitution – not by using a diet that was dictated by someone with “the foods you
should and shouldn’t be eating” list.  I nourished my spirit with daily meditation and
journaling.  I guarded my time by setting specific days and times for work and specific
days and times for rest and play.  I made relationships a bigger priority, hired
someone to clean my house and spent as much time outdoors as I could.  I
nourished my body, mind, emotions and spirit and by also nourishing my rhythms
extraordinary things happened.  I became much calmer and more relaxed.  I
attracted opportunities that I could never have anticipated and the best result of all….
my health has totally come back “on-line.”  For the first time in more than 5 years
(even before the cancer) my body is actually working the way it was designed to
work and I have never felt healthier or more vibrant!

When you choose a theme instead of focusing on resolutions you open yourself
up for results that you could never have planned for.  By focusing on a theme that
is based in abundance and that inspires you, your whole life will be impacted, not
just a few areas where you think something is wrong.  If making resolutions is
something that you are drawn to, please continue, but if making resolutions hasn’t
been bringing you the results you crave why not pick a theme instead and see what
happens in 2015?

My theme for 2015 is Spaciousness.  What theme will you choose?  For added
encouragement, head over to my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GetItDunnJoyfully)
post your theme and you could win a free registration to my women’s retreat on
February 28^th!  Now wouldn’t that be a delicious way to start the New Year?!

Please join me for …

The Way of the Happy Woman
Winter Self-Care Mini-Retreat!

Sisters: self-care isn’t selfish. When we women slow down and attune to our
bodies (and the cycles of nature), we become more vital, creative, and powerful.
If you’re longing to give more, do more, be more, please join me for a very special
1/2-day self-care mini-retreat for women!

Together, we’ll create a sacred container for quiet contemplation and creative
group practices. Nourish yourself with women’s yoga, insight meditation,
seasonal self-care secrets, intuitive journaling, and more. It’s all based on The
Way of the Happy Woman (www.wayofthehappywoman.com ): Sara Avant Stover’s
acclaimed book, practice collection, and global community.

It’s happening right here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, February 28, 2015. And when you
register by Friday February 6, 2015, there’s a sweet discount. Click here for
details & registration. I hope to see you there!

I received a great compliment recently. 

“You inspire me to slow down,” she said.  “I’ve never met anybody
who embodies slowness like you do!”

I am paraphrasing a bit here but hopefully you get the gist of what she
was saying.  She wasn’t calling me slow (at least I don’t think she was!)
but rather she was commenting on how everyone she knows and meets
is constantly rushing from one thing to the next.  She is new to our city
and was finding it hard to make connections with other people. 

Up until a year ago, I would not have taken this as a compliment.  I would
have viewed it as yet another flaw, another part of me that needed
upgrading, a part of me that wasn’t enough.  It wasn’t until I had a profound
experience in the Hong Kong airport last November that I was able to
embrace the merits of slowing down and going at my own pace (which is
quite slow compared to most people).

For as long as I can remember I have been teased, yelled at, ridiculed,
left out and left behind because I did things more slowly than everyone else
around me.  I have also spent most of my life berating myself because I was
so slow and as a result I fell into the belief that I wasn’t capable.  I believed
I was stupid and sometime way back in my younger days I gave up on myself
and figured that everyone was just better, smarter and more capable than me. 

It was my “speed lump” that changed all of this for me.  In order to
go through surgery and treatments I was forced to slow down to a pace
that was slow even by my standards.  For the first time in my life, it was
okay to be slow.  No one expects you to keep up your crazy pace when
you are dealing with cancer.  It was society sanctioned permission to slow
down.  It makes me alternately sad and angry that the only way or time a
person is allowed to slow down is if they have a disease.  If you are
fortunate to survive the disease there is an expectation that you resume
society’s pace as soon as possible. 

But I didn’t jump back into the pace that people were expecting.  I went to
Thailand!  I navigated my way across the world, through foreign airports,
through language barriers, through political unrest and technology glitches.
I did it slowly, methodically, sitting and thinking about my next steps and
being present to what was in front of me.  And I realized…I. Was. Capable.
When left to my own pace and rhythm I am extremely capable!  Now I am
embracing my “slowness” and it turns out…it’s inspiring others! 

Here is the power in slowing down.  You have the opportunity to discover
parts of yourself that have been hidden or rejected.  These hidden and
abandoned parts of yourself have value and it’s time to bring them out into
your life.  I know many of you are busy with cooking, gift buying and planning
and attending holiday celebrations at this time of year but can you slow
down – just a little bit?  I guarantee it will be the best gift you could ever
receive. 

And in the spirit of slowing down….

I am giggling with excitement these days because after a long 6 months of
very intense training I am now certified to lead ½ day retreats in The Way
of the Happy Woman!  So please watch your email for my first winter retreat
coming your way in February.  You are going to love these retreats (male
readers will love them too because happy women make for a happy life!!).
You will leave feeling peaceful, calm and deeply connected to yourself and
your rhythms.

As this year comes to a close may your days be beautiful and joy-filled
(and maybe even a little slower!).

Not to dwell on the past but…it was a long, long winter for most of us
this year. I have been in the ‘season’ of winter for over a year now, ever
since the cancer diagnosis.  Like a sudden and unexpected blizzard that
shuts down cities and forces everyone inside for days, the diagnosis
forced me to come to a stop and go inside to look for guidance and
healing.  It has been a long process (and mine had been shorter than
others, I know) and it was feeling like this “winter” would never end.

Everything in my life has been up for re-examination.  Do I want to
continue as a member of these groups, do I want to keep writing a
newsletter, am I still inspired by being a coach, are these the people
I want to spend my time with, does this food nourish all parts of me, do
I really want to wear this boring underwear….how do I want to spend
my one wild and precious life?  Maybe this is why the recovery process
has been so long, because I had so many questions to explore.
Spending so much time in the darkness has made me deeply long for
the light and I hear this longing reflected in many of your statements
and frustrations about our long, cold winter this year.  All of us have
been longing for the light, it seems.

What I have learned is that the light is always there but I often spend
my time and energy focusing on the darkness.  This is why, no doubt,
that I have focused my coaching practice on helping women reconnect
to their joy – we teach what we most need to learn!  The joy, the light,
the positive are always available to us, we just need to turn towards it.
If you place a potted flower near a window but not directly in the sun,
eventually you will see the flower leaning towards the light.  Observe
a field of sun flowers over the course of a day and you will see how they
continuously turn their faces to the sun and follow it across the sky each
day.

You, too, can turn towards the light.  Your inner light is always shining and
waiting for you to see it.  You can turn towards external light as well.
Think lighter thoughts, dress lighter, spend time with others who are light
filled and positive.  You can choose light actions – do you really have to
do the dishes or could you eat watermelon in your back yard and have a
seed spitting contest (and yes, you can do this by yourself too!).  When
was the last time you had a popsicle, went to a wading pool or played
hooky to go to an afternoon matinee?

Yes things can get dark, yes there is work to be done, yes we have to be
responsible adults wearing (somewhat) sensible underwear (or not!!) but
we always, always have the choice to turn towards the ‘light.’  We are now
moving into the season of summer in our physical world (here in the
northern hemisphere) and I hope you will join me in turning towards the light!

Health Update and an offer for you!

I have had some questions from some of you, wondering about the state
of my health these days and there has been some concern over not hearing
from me for a while.  To set your mind at ease, I am feeling really good.  My
test results have come back all clear and I am now finally feeling my energy
return to a level that is even better than before the cancer!  This new energy
has also inspired me to begin a few new projects in my business (which you
will be hearing about in the near future) and is allowing me to open up more
spaces for coaching.

If you are looking for something to help you create the lightest and most joyful
summer ever, you’ll want to sign up for a Summer Sizzler Session!  Summer
Sizzler Sessions are short, 30 minute coaching sessions done over the phone.
They are focused, effective and guaranteed to get you into action on any goal,
project or desire you have been avoiding, resisting or procrastinating on!
These sessions are $75 and are less expensive than my regular coaching
sessions and you can purchase as many as you like. They must be used by
September 15, 2014 and they are available to anyone to purchase (except for
my current clients – I have something else for you!).  Once you purchase a
session, I will contact you by email to schedule a time for us to meet.

I am feeling great; I am back in the coaching “saddle” and I would love to help
you turn toward the light this summer.  You can click here to get your
summer sizzling now!

Love,

Deb

It has been some time since my last note to you and let me say that I have missed writing to you.  A quick update about my health – I finished radiation treatments in October, spent most of November resting and then traveled to Thailand for a woman’s yoga and meditation retreat at the beginning of December.  After the retreat my husband joined me in Thailand and we spent the following 3 weeks exploring the country, savoring the food, shopping in the markets and resting on the beaches.  It was a glorious break from the previous 8 months and I returned feeling stronger, rested and more deeply connected to myself. 

Today I want to share with you something that I have been learning from this cancer experience.  I have been very purposeful in not writing my regular newsletter these past few months.  I have been careful to stay out of the public, intentionally saying no to requests for my time and energy, coaching only a small group of clients and fiercely protecting my meditation, journaling and yoga time each day.  I have been extremely careful to stay out of the pull of ‘what’s next for me’ now that the treatments are over.  I no longer want to go back to my old ways – not because they were bad or unsupportive but because something new needs to be birthed. 

One thing I have always underestimated is the amount of time it takes to recover – from anything.  Probably because I was always so focused on getting things done, I never stopped to truly evaluate how tired I could get.  Being tired was usually disguised as being hungry (which translated into carrying extra weight) or being impatient/short tempered (raging because the dishes were carried to the dishwasher but never put in the dishwasher) or being the drama queen (you don’t love me…nobody loves me…sob, hand swept over forehead). 

Can you relate?  My mentor says that it’s not stress that is harmful to us but the lack of recovery time from stress.  Since we are continuously in a state of stress these days, you can imagine how hard your body is working and how much of a recovery deficit you are in. 

My cancer is a case in point.  While I thought I was living a pretty balanced and healthy life, cancer has shown me very clearly where I have denied myself the love and nourishment that I truly needed.  Going through the diagnosis, surgery and treatments acted like a highlighter for the beliefs and habits that needed to be changed or discarded completely.  The biggest belief?  That my rhythms were not important – that somehow I was supposed to keep up with everyone else, perform on everyone else’s schedule according to their expectations and their expertise.  Operating on this belief meant that I denied my own experience, my expertise and my own inner wisdom. 

February is a month that focuses on love.  What I would love is for you to focus on giving love to yourself.  Maybe it’s in the form of rest, getting out your paints and canvas, tending to your smallest of needs like water and a hug, giving yourself extra time with a good friend or a good book….what are the ways that you can nourish your rhythms?  Can you step away from the stress of trying to be like everyone else and step into love with yourself?  Of course you can! 

Give yourself the gift of some recovery time each day or week this month and experience your joy in a new and deeply enriching way.

It has been a while since my last correspondence with you and it felt like the time was right to connect with you again.

A brief health update…I finished radiation treatments near the end of October.  I came through the treatments very well and have been feeling very strong and healthy both during the treatments and afterward.  I have had tremendous support from friends and family – some of my friends actually drove me to my radiation treatments every day, saving me the stress of driving and parking and providing a very joyful distraction from the task at hand!  I have been taking the time since to allow my body to rest and heal, not pushing myself to get back to “being productive” and giving my spirit time to sort out what’s next for me.

Not pushing myself to get back in the “game” has been very challenging for me.  The name of my business is Get It Dunn (does that give you any clues as to my drive?!).  Working, producing, striving, reaching….these are common activities and inner pulls for me and to let them go has been like cutting off my right arm…who am I if I am not producing and what (if anything) do I need to be doing? There have been no immediate answers to these two questions, just glimpses and inklings that I am learning to trust.  One thing I am learning is that there is a definite need for this space and time – for this permission to stop.  My mentor likens this phase to the concept of summer fallow – the practice in farming when a field is not sown with grain for a period of time to allow it to recover and rejuvenate.  When the field is put back to use after this resting time, it is usually more productive.  I don’t know if I will be more productive (or if I need to be more productive) but I do know that I am being called to stay in this place of rest and limbo and my body reminds me of this call when I forget and start pushing myself again.

I share this with you with the hopes that you may also listen to the call of your heart and body to take some time to rest or slow down.  We are in the season of fall – a time for letting go and slowing down.  We are also nearing the end of the year and it is a good time to slow down and reflect.  Every year I ask my clients to take the time to look back on their year to make a note of their accomplishments, their challenges and their blessings. I would encourage you to do the same. What was your theme for this past year?  How did it play out through your year?  In what ways did it support you and guide you in your decisions and activities?  How long did you remember you had a theme before it was forgotten?!!  My theme for 2013 was Play and I couldn’t be more grateful for having chosen this theme.  When I got the cancer diagnosis, there was an opportunity to abandon the theme, as you might well imagine.  I didn’t and it was one of the ways that I was able to move through this difficult time with some grace, lightness and even joy.

Take some time for yourself, do some reflecting, allow yourself to rest more than you normally would right now and notice how amazing your life is and has been.  Play with ideas for your theme for 2014 but most of all be present to yourself and what you need and the gifts you receive will be astounding!

Enjoy this last part of 2013 and I will look forward to connecting with you in 2014!

This is a quick update to keep you in the loop (if you were
wondering) about my health.  I have recovered beautifully
from the surgery and the test results have been pretty
good.  Not as good as I had hoped for but still really positive.
I had to have some additional tests to determine if the cancer
had spread and the tests all came back clear so we are all
very happy about that!  I am now moving into the “insurance”
phase of treatments meaning anything that I do now will be
to help prevent a recurrence.  I am expecting to begin
radiation treatments sometime in August/September and then
it will be continued monitoring and healthy choices for the next
several years!

I realize that my life will never go back to “normal” meaning
the way that I was used to living it but this experience has
been offering me a way to create an even richer and more
meaningful life.  Because I have had time to really slow down
and listen to my heart, some new whisperings have become
louder and clearer for me.  This has prompted me to share
one of my favorite newsletters with you to hopefully remind
you that you, too, can slow down (of your own accord) and
listen more closely to your heart.  You will most likely be
delighted by what it has to say!

Play Dates and Hammock Time

Re: Do It Now
Schedule time in your week for play and rest!

I love having my breakfast outside on a warm, sunny summer
morning.  The fresh, sweet air, the birds twittering away in the
trees and the warmth of the sun all combine to make a truly
joyful start to my day.

I realized several years ago that if I wa nted joy in my life I had
to create the conditions for it to show up.  There are two
conditions that I know are necessary to help joy show up in
your life – play dates and hammock time!

I once heard a comedian complaining about having to arrange
play dates for his children.  He thought it was ridiculous that
play had to be arranged.  I don’t really have an opinion either
way about play dates for children but I think it’s a brilliant idea
for adults!  When you don’t play it’s hard to know that is joyful
for you which means that you will often default to work or chores
to fill your time. Scheduling time for playful activities seems like
the perfect solution for creating conditions for joy!  Let’s get
started, shall we?

• Schedule time once a week for your play date.  Once a
  week is important – this can’t be an “every once in a while”
  activity.  If you want to develop a consistent connection to
  your joy, you need to develop consistent habits and actions.
• Choose activities and plan field trips that will make you feel
  light, energized and connected to your joy.  Have some play
  dates just with yourself and some with really good friends or
  family members who understand that this is a fun outing, not
  an opportunity to whine, complain or have you take care of
  them!
• Protect this time as fiercely as a mother bear protects her cub.
  DO NOT allow this time to be rescheduled, infringed upon or
  otherwise interfered with and do not let other daily tasks creep
  in (ie: “oh, I’ll just stop and pick up a few groceries on my way
  to my date…”)

The second condition I mentioned was hammock time.  What happens
when you lie in a hammock?  Very little!!  You might read or maybe you
can do some writing or check your emails but mostly a hammock is
about relaxing, napping and day dreaming.  Slowing down is the point
of hammock time.  In order for joy to show up, it needs the conditions
of peace and quiet which allow you to truly feel it when it arises.  Here
are your basic steps for hammock time:

• Find something that you can use to have a few moments to
  yourself – a hammock, a deck chair, a picnic blanket, a beach
  towel or even a favorite shirt or funky hat.  The idea is to have
  a visual clue for everyone (including you) that indicates that you
  are taking some time for yourself and that no one is to disturb you.
• Discuss with your family, friends, room mates, coworkers (anyone
  who may be affected by your hammock time) that this is your time
  to take a break and that when they see you in the hammock, deck
  chair, funky hat, etc, that they must be very quiet around you and
  under no circumstances other than fire or profuse bleeding are
  they allowed to come near you.  Wondering what’s for supper is
  not an acceptable reason to interrupt hammock time!
• Make space for hammock time every day.  Do it for as long or as
  short a time as you want but I recommend a minimum of 15 minutes.
• Leave the distractions behind – no emails, text, music, books,
  phone calls, etc.  This is your time to listen to yourself and be open
  to what your heart wants to tell you.  Give yourself the gift of a
  distraction free zone.  It may feel uncomfortable at first but trust
  me; you’ll come to find it the most delicious time of your day!

Creating a balanced life requires a combination of taking action and
resting/receiving. These are also the requirements for connecting to
your joy and summer is a great time to get started.  I would love to hear
about some of your play dates.  Post them on my blog if you want to
share – that way you’ll be more likely to schedule them and others will
be inspired to schedule their own!  Enjoy!

I realize this message is a bit of a departure from my usual
monthly messages of creating joy and meaning in your life
and I also thought about not sharing this news with you.  But
as you know, I believe in being authentic and true to myself
which means that I need to be honest with my readers.  I
have shared other parts of my life journey with you and
decided that I would also share this part too.

At the end of March I found a lump in my breast.  After a
mammogram, ultra sound and biopsy, on April 29th the
surgeon confirmed that I had a cancerous lump in my
left breast.  

In the middle of May, I completed the 100 Day Challenge –
just in time to step into a completely new challenge (although
not one of my choosing).  What I also want to share with
you is that this challenge is teaching me and revealing to
me things about myself that are quite fascinating!  My
inner strength and faith continue to deepen everyday
and I am developing the courage to let go of even more
of what doesn’t serve me.  

I would be lying to you if I said that I have remained 100%
positive and upbeat through this stage – I haven’t.  There
have been times of deep sadness, fear and hopelessness.
Times of intense anger, confusion and resistance to the
truth.  But what has always been constant has been my
ability to come back to a place of connection, love and
even joy.   All the personal work I have done all these
years and the sharing of my joy message has given me
the reserves to embrace this health issue with love and
compassion.  I have said time and time again that we
cannot be joyful all the time and we cannot have a
perfectly positive and challenge free life – that wouldn’t
be balanced.  Instead the more that we can focus on joy,
create experiences of joy and allow joy into our lives, the
deeper and stronger our reserves will be.  It’s these
reserves that help us to meet our challenges with grace
and ease.  These reserves are the very things that help
us heal more quickly, regain our perspectives and stay
in the energy of hope and faith.  

As you read this note, I am healing from surgery.  I chose
to have the lump removed and I am now taking some time
to decide what I would like to bring into my life and work
now that I have cleared this space!  Over the summer months,
I will not be writing a newsletter and I will be less active on
social media.  This way, whatever needs to come through me
into the world will have some time and space to form properly
and joyfully!  Please check in with me on my Get It Dunn
Facebook page (www.facebook.com/getitdunnjoyfully) as that
is where I will most likely post updates and reminders to you
to continue living joyfully.  

I am doing really, really well.  I am peaceful, healing and fully
milking the opportunity to lounge in my beautiful back yard with
the deer!  So please remember…whenever you can and as often
as you can…choose joy, trust joy and be led by joy!  I’ll connect
with you again soon!

Love,

Today is Day 100 of the 100 Day Challenge and it is time to celebrate.  100 Days is a very long time.  To stay committed to something for that long takes real dedication.  It means you have to keep showing up, even if it at a point where you would normally give up.  As one of the challengers put it “you just have to keep going and the answers will come.”  It’s true – with any challenge in life, if you keep putting one foot in front of the other, the answers, support, the finish line will eventually reveal itself. 

This year my challenge was playing with social media.  This was an excellent challenge for me – it forced me to learn about technology (which I don’t particularly like to do), it made me think about how I can use social media to share my message and it gave me opportunities to connect with new people.  In the last 100 days I learned how to organize groups on Facebook, how to schedule posts for days when I wasn’t at my computer, how to pin something to the top of my page, upload videos, create photo albums, create personalized pictures to post on my page and I posted about all kinds of things that were happening in my life and business.  I learned how to create a Pinterest account, set up boards, pin pictures, repin pictures, follow people and create visually appealing boards to look at.  On Linked in I learned how to maximize my profile, improve my “searchability” change my privacy settings, update my experience and create better connections with my connections!

 I also took a three day video course and a half day Social Media for marketing course.  As I type all of this now, I am reeling a bit from everything that I did and learned.  100 days can add up to something pretty significant. 

And that is one of the main purposes of the 100 Day Challenge.  Taking small steps every day, consistently for 100 days in a row will add up to big changes.  How did you do?  What did you learn about yourself?  What is next for you as you complete your challenge today?  I’d love to hear from you!

Joyfully,

Deb