By Amanda Clegg, Relationship Coach, CNEP, CLC
Reading Time: 3 Minutes

I didn’t wake up this morning feeling embodied.

It’s currently Monday. I had *lots of* errands to run. A mental list already going. And with it, a subtle urgency that crept in before the day has even really started.

My word for the year is flow (the word I chose when I wrote about taking a gentler approach to goal-setting this year – check out this blog if you missed it last time!).

But today, flow didn’t arrive on its own.

I had to remember it.

Standing in the kitchen prepping our morning drinks, I paused, and I actually said the word aloud to myself (and my cats). I didn’t say it to myself as a goal. I said it as an invitation. Then I paused long enough to feel what it might ask of me.

Not rushing.
Not gripping the day so tightly.
Letting things take the time they take.

As I moved through emails, cleaning, groceries, through parking lots and lines and small inconveniences, I noticed how often I had to choose it again. Flow wasn’t passive. It was participatory. A quiet, ongoing decision to soften instead of brace. To move through the day instead of against it. To slooow downnn.

Yesterday, that same word felt completely different.

I was snowmobiling through fresh powder, snow as deep as I am tall. Exhilarated. Focused. Fully alive. Flow then was fast and wild and intense.

Today I was calmer.

Yesterday I was bolder.

Same word.
Contrasting expression.

Often, all it takes is a single inhale…a single exhale…to remember the word, to reconnect with my body and the present moment. When needed I also add in a touch of gentle self-parenting, especially with snowmobiling and dirt biking because honestly it’s SCARY. And with moments of anxiety, stress, and overwhelm…because we’re all little kids inside who need loving care.

Living our word is not about replicating a feeling.

It’s about letting the word meet you where you actually are.

Want support finding and living your word this year?

Years ago, the first coach I ever worked with said something that’s stayed with me ever since:
“Amanda, for the rest of your life, you need to be your own best client.”

I think about that often. Especially on days like today.

Being my own best client doesn’t mean I do it perfectly. It means I notice when I’ve left myself. It means I don’t feel ashamed the moment I realize I’m back in old patterns. I pause. I listen. I adjust. I come back.

Flow didn’t mean floating through the day without friction. It meant meeting the friction differently.

Letting the day be what it was.
Letting myself be who I was inside it.

Embodiment isn’t a state we achieve. It’s a relationship we stay in. One that asks for attention, honesty, and a willingness to come back when you forget.

Some days your word will feel exciting.
Some days it will feel easy.
Some days it will feel like work.

And sometimes, even when you’re writing about flow, talking about living in flow, thinking, “Oh yeah, I’m on it today”…life reminds you that your body is tensing and you’re moving way too fast again. I’d gotten so caught up in urgent flow, trying to get everything done, that I completely forgot about present flow – including the fact that I desperately needed water. So I paused, stretched, took a few sips…then came back. Slower. More relaxed. Flow in real life, folks!

Remember: remembering is the practice.

And when you forget (because you will) being your own best client means you come back without punishment or judgment.

Again and again.

Big love & gratitude,

Amanda

Amanda Clegg( CLC, M.NLP )

Amanda helps teens, individuals, and couples create secure relationships within themselves and with each other. Her favorite (and most impactful!) tool to use is the Enneagram, which deepens awareness, understanding, and compassion so that we all can continue to foster meaningful connections in our day to day lives, moment by moment.

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