1) Connect Connect is the first of the 4Cs: the Fierce Kindness philosophy that helps us create a meaningful life. Connect is about building a deep connection with yourself, others—and something bigger than yourself. CONNECT is essential for finding inner peace—and creating a happy, fulfilling life. 1) CONNECT to yourself, others & something bigger Connect has 3 elements: A deep connection to ourselves. It hurts us to be disconnected from who we are. Connecting to ourselves is how we know what we really want and need, who and what matters. It allows us to create a life of meaning, use all our gifts and be fully ourselves! A deep connection to others—we all deeply want to belong (not just fit in) and be seen for who we truly are. Connecting helps us create meaningful relationships, and learn to allocate our time and energy according to who and what matters most. Lastly, a connection to something bigger than ourselves stops life from feeling flat, empty and uninspiring—and helps us find joy. The Big Takeaway Connecting deeply to ourselves is at the root of a meaningful and happy life. Self-connection is the first and most important step towards a more fulfilling life as it enables us to: Know what we want, what we don’t, set boundaries, take care of ourselves and find inner peace in our day-today lives. Be our whole selves and create a life we love—a life with true meaning for us. Find belonging—where we make meaningful connections with others from our authentic self, not just ‘fitting in’. What a well-CONNECTED life looks like You wake up most mornings looking forward to the day ahead. That’s because you know what you want from life and have built your life around your values. When you feel tired or overwhelmed you know exactly what to do to feel better because you’re connected to your body, paying attention to your stress signals. You have more energy because you’re not wasting it trying to be someone you’re not. You also have groups of people you can be our true self with and feel a sense of belonging with. And lastly, on those days when life itself feels blah or we doubt our worthiness, you have a connection to something greater than you, that reminds you that we’re part of something huge and inexplicably cool—life on planet earth! Core Practices for CONNECT INSTANT BREATHE DEEPLY: Deep breathing is the perfect practice to instantly reconnect to yourself. Place your hand on your stomach and take 3 deep, slow breaths into your tummy (not your chest—this is shallow “stress” breathing). You may also like this 1 min Tree Roots Calming Meditation START A HABIT JOURNALING: I journal most days, with a beautiful notebook. Journaling helps us build a relationship with ourselves. It helps us explore who we are, what we’re good at, what we want, what matters, what’s going on with us—and even identify solutions… Check out these 5 Questions to Identify Your Unique Strengths & Talents! (Printable Graphic) A NEW WAY TO BE 1) SLOW DOWN: Stop rushing and take everything more slowly. Here are 5 Easy Ways to Slow Down – and Be Kind! 2) DO JUST ONE THING AT A TIME. Yes, you busy multi-taskers out there. This one is for you. Do. Just. One. Thing. At. A. Time. Click the link for more on why to avoid multi-tasking with 9 Ways to “Solotask”. FUN DAILY PRACTICE Connect with yourself by Wearing one thing you love every day! Now, Get Started! What one action/thing will you do to connect more deeply to your true self? What Next? You’ve just learned about: C – CONNECT: Connect to yourself, others—and something bigger than yourself. Coming up next: C – CREATE a life you love and learn to love the life you already have… C – CONTRIBUTE. Do something (however small) to make a difference. C – CHOOSE (Fierce) Kindness always—which sits underneath everything we do. Do you want a life of meaning? Are you willing to commit to yourself? To help make our world a better place? Well, these 4 Cs are at the heart of Fierce Kindness. I am always working towards them, and I hope you will too.