Kay:

Fantastic Friday Questers! Welcome back. It is June 25th, and this is episode 385. We want to thank everyone who participated in yesterday’s quest, helping us to wish Shila a very, very happy birthday and today we have another great quote for you from a classic icon. This is classic icon week here on the Mentorship Quest, and today’s quote comes from Marilyn Monroe, who says, “I restore myself when I’m alone.”

Shi:

This is such a good reminder quote here and it just wants to remind you really quick. Today is June 25th, which means that it is six months until Christmas, from today. So, another reason to love this week (and it’s certainly always a fun thing that I now recognize the day after my birthday) is that now we are halfway to Christmas and back around the bend we go. It also means that we’re rounding out on that halfway mark of the year and if you are the kind of person who likes to stop and take pause, taking Maryland’s advice here is the perfect way to do that, to be alone so that you can assess where you are and maybe strategize where you’re going and take that time to create space within your spirit so that you can explore in the way that’s right for you and unique and individual for you, and truly find the restorative power as Ms. Monroe tells us here.

Kay:

I think there’s something really important about being alone that many of us overlook out of the fear of being lonely and being lonely and being alone are two completely different things. When you take it from a place of empowerment, it can look like, “I’m going to empower myself by being alone because I want to sort through something, or I have something to examine within myself or I want to take this a step further and go forward.” So, being alone can come from a place of power, but many of us avoid it out of a fear of being lonely, not recognizing that those aren’t two and the same thing.

Shi:

I’m so glad you brought that distinction forward Kay and it’s an important one to make because being lonely is not healthy for you. If that’s something that you chronically feel or you suffer from feeling lonely, or you have anxiety about being lonely, then that’s something that you’ll want to explore maybe with a therapist, maybe with a coach, maybe with some reading material, or some YouTube university. There are lots of ways because the social benefits of being connected and feeling connection and a sense of belonging are incredibly important. So, being lonely isn’t good for you, but being alone is important for all of us so that we can be together with that spirit inside of ourselves and be together with that energy and our own bodies and to have that time to restore, to renew. You’re alone when you sleep and that’s your body’s time for renewal and restoration and many of us, if you’re like me, do your activity of working out alone. That’s a really restorative time for me, I know as well. But I have never suffered from loneliness too much. Those bouts when you’re a kid or you’re in high school and you’re going through those growing pains and feelings, but I’ve always loved being alone. So, I can hard-core relate to this quote right here, because I know how good it feels. If you’ve ever gotten to work from home, just imagine you’re Shila, you’re 35 years old. You’ve got your husband, the two dogs, the three kids, the crazy businesses, all these different things going on. When I get that rare day to work from home or be home by myself it feels so good to just be quiet and shuffle around and just think to yourself. Sometimes you walk by the mirror and make a little funny face at yourself. There is something so beautiful and so restorative about being alone.

Kay:

It really is restorative and can be such a wonderful thing, especially if you’re using it from that place of empowerment to help propel you toward maybe some additional clarity or additional strategy or anything that’s really constructive for your life. I definitely also resonate with that Shi. I get so much done when I’m alone but oftentimes, I lie on the other spectrum, definitely grew up fearing being alone. Didn’t want to be alone with my own thoughts. Didn’t like the way that felt and so oftentimes I find myself when I am alone being so incredibly busy with things to do. I find all of the different projects. I clean if there’s no one in my house. It is so rare that I find an alone moment. I’ve got to be doing things. But that is so restorative for me and I’m the type of person that feels restored when my space is clean and organized and when I feel good. So, it’s interesting how that comes into play when I’m alone because the restorative process just like sleep is very natural for us, and that has to happen alone. So, like Marilyn tells us, “Restore yourself when you’re alone.”

Shi:

It’s a Friday Restoration Quest. At some point today, or over this weekend, we want you to intentionally set aside some alone time. Technology is not allowed or included and see how refreshed and re-centered you feel afterward. Are you ready? You can say it along with us now..

Kay & Shi:

Let’s quest!