You Deserve to Blossom
Within Bud & Blossom, I write about how intentional cannabis use can contribute to a life well-lived. Through cannabis, I regained my own penchant for life a few years ago, and so I write to inform others on their own cannabis journey. But along with cannabis, I also like to write about other healthful practices, mantras, and self-empowerment tools that my readers can leverage to up-level their lives.
Because when it comes to transforming one’s life - as my colleague Linnea would say - “there’s many roads to St. Louis”. The journey toward better wellness is a multifaceted, and at times windy, path. Cannabis helps, but complete transformation requires many strategies. It’s about combining all the wellness tools in your toolbelt and then using them consistently to drive toward the life that you want to live.
And so today, as you prepare to embark on the new year ahead, I want to share the following sentiment with you: you deserve to blossom into your dream version of you.
It’s such a worthy endeavor to pursue the best version of yourself. They/she/he are in there. And they are so ready to live openly and freely! To get there, start with knowing that you deserve it. Once you’ve convinced yourself of this, it will be so much easier to step toward that vision - without all the resistance and baggage holding you down.
We all face many challenges, and no two people have the same experience. But generally, we all face areas of our lives where we remain stuck. We know we can do better, but we can’t quite grasp how to actually step toward this. And when self-sabotage, doubt, fear, and “critter brain” reign supreme - it really doesn’t feel good!
We might indulge in behaviors that we know aren’t good for us - late-night chips and dip, anyone? We might let others' expectations and rules guide our own behavior. We don’t pursue our true passions because we worry about questions like “what if I’m not good enough?” or “will other people judge me?” It’s exhausting.
By the way, the answers are... you’re more than good enough and people will judge you. But people will judge you no matter what you do, so you might as well do what you want, right?
And so, if you’re feeling like this is you - you’re feeling stuck, you’re feeling unfulfilled, you’re feeling tightly wound and uncomfortable like a flower bud waiting to burst - then I want you to think about what it might look like to blossom.
Anaïs Nin Returns
The Universe hit me with some amazing reminders this week… by way of a quote. I’m not usually a quote person, but this one has impacted my life significantly. And it’s all about stepping into living your best life. And that’s why I’m excited to share it with you, because it’s relevant to our lives as we face what the future will bring us in 2021 and beyond.
Let me backtrack a little bit. Prior to becoming a cannabis blogger and coach, I worked in a corporate setting. My job had nothing to do with cannabis or wellness. I learned a lot, but the “why” behind the job just wasn’t doing it for me. I didn’t really feel any sense of higher purpose… and this left me feeling empty and disenchanted with my life choices.
And then, I went through substantial grief after the loss of my friend. And then cannabis helped me transform my life. And yet I continued to struggle with professional burnout and just feeling like I wasn’t living up to my full purpose. Then, inspired by many cannabis-fueled meditation sessions, I got a crazy idea: why not start a cannabis blog? I wracked my brain for names, made a huge list, but eventually landed on Bud & Blossom. Because I truly believe that when we smoke bud, we are able to blossom into the best version of ourselves.
But then, I didn’t know what to do. I was scared. I couldn’t write a blog about cannabis and also just keep being a Customer Service Manager at a traditional company, could I? I imagined some really prickly conversations with HR at my traditional company and I didn’t know what to do. And I let that tension simmer and fester for a while while I posted a few blog/social media posts on my new platform that had nothing to do with cannabis.
And then, one day while scrolling through inspirational quotes on Pinterest, I found this quote by the writer Anaïs Nin. It resonated with me so much that it took my breath away!
This quote says it all, doesn’t it? It’s scary to move forward and chase what we want. Change is hard, and for many of us, it can bring about pain. And yet the experience of feeling stuck is somehow more painful.
The quote armored me. I quit my job and invested full-time into Bud & Blossom and I haven’t looked back.
Fast forward two years. I have now been running with Bud & Blossom for some time, have gained momentum and, most importantly, have spent meaningful time doing what I love: learning, writing, and speaking with others about the cannabis plant. I have been running toward the life that I want and, despite falling and scraping my knees every once in a while, I have been getting closer to my vision.
But then… gosh… 2020 happened. This year has been challenging for all of us, hasn’t it? It’s forced us to flex, step up, be bold, cultivate resilience, and step into agility. A million things all at once. A rubber band ball with cat hair and gum in it.
Some days, the noise of the outside world has really thrown me off my game. And so, after what felt like a particularly challenging couple of months this summer, I decided that I needed to refocus my energy and rededicate myself to self-care. Find my chi again, if you will. I set aside some commitments and responsibilities and committed to a renewed focus on my health. As you might expect, I have used cannabis during this time to straighten out my priorities and clarify next steps.
My new focus on simplicity and wellness has me reading in the evenings (looking at screens before bed is no beuno for your sleep health!). And so, the other night, I went to my office in my pajamas and pulled a few books off the shelf to bring to bed with me. Granted, these books were dusty, and to be honest, I had only cracked each of them open once or twice after bringing them home from the bookstore.
The first book I explored, A Book That Takes Its Time, is an absolute delight. It is a guided meditation journal and prompts you to reflect on gratitude and what makes your life beautiful. I had such a fun time exploring it once again. I continued to read and then found my beloved Anaïs Nin quote for the first time in years. “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
There it was again. Upon finding this in my book, I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude and whimsy. It felt like The Universe was giving me the reminder I needed. I breathed it in… and remembered that blossoming, while painful and challenging, was a worthwhile pursuit. Learning to flourish is always going to be better than remaining stuck. What a cool coincidence that I’d found this quote again.
Next, I picked up a 2nd book, You are a Badass. I read a few pages and stared in awe as the following quote appeared: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
As Albert Einstein once said, “A coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous”.
Well, if that’s true, then the powers that be are reminding me of the imperative to keep running toward the life of my wildest dreams. Won’t you join me?
Ready, Set, Blossom
It's high time to blossom into the best version of you. The one who knows what they want and is willing to take the steps to get there. And, consider that right now, you have a thicker skin than ever before due to the events and challenges of the last few years. You’re ready for this.
So, what’s next? Well, a lot of growth, for one thing! Here are some recommended strategies/things to think about as you step forward.
Take time for yourself. Make space for yourself to do nothing - so you can think and spend time with your thoughts! You can put down the stream of social media/news/podcasts/meetings down for a little while. It’s time to learn YOU. Cannabis can help.
Nourish your body. No stress about getting in a strenuous workout every day or following a strict diet. Just focus on doing what feels right for your body. If you are living in alignment with your vision for yourself, then a healthier body is inevitable. Treat your body to nourishing foods that fill your body with energy and consider a regimen of balanced cannabinoids to keep your endocannabinoid tone in balance.
Audit your self-limiting beliefs. What you say to yourself really matters. I have been learning more about this recently, and wow - it’s scientifically proven that mindset and self-talk makes a huge difference to our daily lives and overall outlook. So, don’t plague yourself unnecessarily by believing old stories or beliefs about yourself that keep you down. Reframe your negative beliefs into new beliefs so that you can manifest good things.
For example, think about turning “I can’t speak in front of others because I always get anxious and mess up” into “I can speak eloquently, effectively, and with confidence - with or without an audience.” Reframing your limiting beliefs into positive and motivating beliefs will literally rewire your brain and help you truly embody your individual empowerment. Give it a shot!
Arm yourself with positive affirmations and mantras. Lately, I’m all about printing out statements that mean something to me and pasting them on my office wall to keep me motivated and mindful in my daily life. If you’d like, feel free to download this graphic PDF of the quote referenced in this post to keep you focused on becoming the best version of you.
More than anything, I want you to know this: you absolutely can step toward that optimal version of you.
Maybe you’ve seen this “you” before, but then lost it. Maybe your best “you” comes out with friends and family, but you have a hard time embodying the strength and confidence of The Powerful You when you face professional or other social interactions. For many of us, in certain areas of our life, there’s a gap between current self and the version of ourselves that we KNOW we can be.
But we deserve to step past those limiting beliefs. To move from mere flower bud to blossom. Know that you deserve it so you can embody your internal empowerment and start to step toward your vision in the new year. Let’s manifest some amazing shit for 2021! Treat yourself well, nourish your hopes and dreams, and you’ll be unstoppable.
My work is dedicated to helping other people step toward health and wellness. Essentially, helping people blossom. Head on over to my cannabis coaching page to learn about my coaching services, designed to guide individuals toward their highest self. I look forward to hearing from you. Muah!