The start of the new year brings invitations…to get back on that exercise program…to eat more healthily…to read before bed instead of scrolling, for example. One of the things I’m focused on is reflection. Centering myself at the beginning and end of the day. Reading to inspire. Gratitude. Carrying my values through my day.
As part of my “line up” last year, I learned to incorporate The Book of Awakening, by Mark Nepo. It’s a book with daily entries centering on “having the life you want by being present to the life you have.” Today’s entry stopped me in my tracks. Like it was written just for me, just for this space, reacting to the tense and tumultuous world we are living in right now. Read on…
“Meeting the world – January 28th entry, page 32
There is a wind that keeps blowing since the beginning of time, and in every language ever spoken it continues to whisper, You must meet the outer world with your inner world or existence will crush you. If inner does not meet outer, lives will collapse and vanish. Though we often think that hiding our inwardness will somehow protect or save us, it is quite the opposite. The heart is very much like a miraculous balloon. Its lightness comes from staying full. Meeting the days with our heart prevents collapse.
This is why ninety-year-old widows remain committed to tending small flowers in spring; why ten-year-olds with very little to eat care for stray kittens, holding them to their skinny chests; why painters going blind paint more; why composers going deaf write great symphonies. This is why when we think we can’t possibly try again, we let out a sigh that goes back through the centuries, and then, despite all our experience, we inhale and try again.”
What I love about this entry is the reminder that our inner life isn’t a luxury or an escape—it’s what grounds us. It’s what steadies us when the world feels sharp or overwhelming. So many of us try to muscle through the hard days by tightening up, pushing down, or disconnecting from what we feel. But Nepo invites us to do the opposite: to meet the world with a heart that is full, not hidden.To let our values, our tenderness, our curiosity, and our gratitude be the way we stay upright. It’s a radical kind of strength, one that doesn’t require armor.
As I move into this new year, I’m taking that invitation seriously. To pause long enough to notice what’s happening inside before reacting to what’s happening outside. To let small practices—lighting a candle, reading a paragraph that shifts my perspective, stepping outside to breathe Wyoming’s cold morning air—be the ways I keep my heart full. And when the world feels heavy or loud, to remember that humans have always found a way to try again. That sigh Nepo describes—the one that stretches back through centuries—feels like a reminder that resilience isn’t about force. It’s about returning to ourselves, again and again, and meeting the day from that place. It’s an invitation to show your soul to the world.
✨ Mindful Moments: ✨
As we move through these early weeks of the year, I hope you find small ways to let your inner world meet the outer one with steadiness and intention. Not through grand resolutions or rigid expectations, but through the quiet practices that keep your heart full—pausing before the day sweeps you away, noticing what matters, tending to what’s tender, and returning to yourself when things feel off‑center. The world will keep being the world, with all its noise and beauty and contradiction. But we get to choose how we meet it.
May this season invite you to breathe a little deeper, listen a little closer, and trust that each time you begin again, you’re strengthening something essential. Here’s to a year shaped not by pressure, but by presence.
- For today – notice what matters. A kindness for others? A kindness for yourself? Empathy? A deep breath?
- What value do you want to carry with you today?
Erin Taylor Coach Offerings
As a certified leadership coach, I utilize an assortment of proven industry-recognized energy and leadership assessments including:
EQi 2.0-Emotional Intelligence Assessment – one of the most scientifically validated Emotional Intelligence instruments on the market today. The Hogan Assessment – a powerful tool designed to evaluate personality in the workplace, offering deep insights into leadership potential, interpersonal skills, and career development.
