You know those thoughts that take up residence in your brain with such power that you can't quite shake them off?  Well, this is the quote that keeps repeating over and over for me just recently:  

Instead of finishing the year strong - why don't we try for soft instead?

As we start the last month of this profoundly chaotic year, we are going to start seeing a crazy flurry of posts and emails telling us to "finish strong, don't stop now, the year isn't over yet."  We will be  exhorted to "dig deep and give it all we've got."

 The problem this year though, is that I think so many of us have given it all we've got - and more - and right now, there is nothing much more to give.

 You know that saying as well as I do: We can't pour from an empty cup.

 This year has been a tough one on so many levels, for practically everyone I have met, and so instead of urging you to suck it up and stay strong, I have a different challenge for you:

 Let's give ourselves permission to finish SOFT instead.

 What does finishing soft mean for you?  For me, it means giving myself permission to listen to my body and ask her what she needs from me, instead of pushing her to the limit of exhaustion, with promises of a two-day downtime over Christmas.

 It means consciously stopping the critical self chatter and reminding myself that my best will look different to everyone else's ... and that's ok. Finishing soft means allowing myself to celebrate the small wins of the year, instead of agonizing over missing the big deals.  And that the question of my self-worth is my decision, nobody else's.

Finishing soft allows me to be more gentle... 

And that means space and time and self-kindness.  God knows the world needs more of that right now.

 What does Finish Softly mean for you?