I wanted to take today to reflect on my chosen theme for 2023 – “effortless acceleration” – and to get real with you about some big lessons I learned about making progress with more ease and joy.

As much as I had high hopes for gracefully gliding through effortless breakthroughs at the start of 2023, you may remember from previous episodes that the year threw me some unexpected curveballs. But I also experienced amazing acceleration and alignment in ways I never imagined! Let me walk you through it.

The biggest unexpected twist I had this year was selling my big house that I once shared with my ex-husband. While at first it was hard to let go of what felt so much like a home to me, once I tapped into the messages I was receiving, I suddenly had the clarity to see that this space was actually holding me back. It was ensnaring me.

I had felt like the space pillar of my life was sorted. I was comfortable in my home, and my daughter liked living there too. And – I’m being honest with you here – I thought that if I sold the house, other people would judge me. They’d think that something was wrong with me or my business if I put that big, beautiful house on the market.

But when I really tuned into my needs and allowed myself to hear God’s voice speaking to me, he told me that it was time to move on.

I didn’t need all that space. My daughter would be moving out soon, she didn’t need it either. And I didn’t need a chorus of consensus from 25 different people telling me what I should or shouldn’t do with my own home. I didn’t need anyone else’s permission to take action.

So I listened to God and I obeyed. I listed the home over Easter weekend – usually a slow time for house sales! – and ended up getting 51 showings and 13 offers in just 20 days…with 4 all-cash bidders who were all ready to make an offer! Talk about effortless alignment!

So my house was taken care of, and what about me?

God aligned a solution for me. 

About the same time, I woke up one morning with the idea in my mind that I should go up to DC to record a podcast episode of my podcast with a guest. Now I could have made this recording over Zoom. I often do that, and it’s fine. But this time, I felt in my bones that it was the right time for me to take a trip.

So I hopped on a plane to DC and I used the time there to catch up with a girlfriend who I hadn’t seen in a while. During our conversation, I told her about my recent house sale. And to my surprise, and just like that, she offered me her fully furnished Atlanta townhouse to live in while my daughter is still in high school! In that moment, God’s calling truly made sense to me.

I had to give up my old house with grace to move into my new one with ease.

Now my daughter and I live in a beautiful, calm space where we’re close to everything we need. 

So what seemed like a curveball ending up accelerating more alignment than I could have dreamed of! And it goes to show – what you ask God for might come true, but not in the way you think it will. When I asked God for “effortless acceleration”, I thought that I wanted to accelerate my business. Instead, I did accelerate, but in my space pillar. Your desires might not manifest in the way you’re imagining right now, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not manifesting at all.

The second big lesson of my 2023 came through reading a book called “Effortless” by Greg McKeown.

One question that he asked stuck with me: “How can I make it easier to do what matters most?”

I realized that in my desire to dream boldly, I also had a tendency to overcomplicate things and overwork myself.

I started asking myself “How can I achieve this goal without overcomplicating the process?” whether in my business or personal life. 

This really showed up when I was stress-testing new technology at the launch of my business program. Too many complicated systems ended up frustrating my team and clients. And you know what I say about frustration: frustration is an invitation to take inventory.

Why is this frustrating? Could this process be easier? Is it really aligned with my values? 

So when I was thinking about my launch, I leaned into the discomfort, went back to the drawing board, and decided to go with a streamlined app instead of the complicated procedures that we were previously planning on.

And along with the new app, I made another big business decision in 2023.

No more launches.

If you’re a business person or you work with other businesses, you know that launches take it out of you. Launches demand that you block-book your calendar and remove yourself from other people so that you can be 100% dedicated to your launch.

And… I can’t do it any more.

In this season of my life, I crave sanity and simplicity. 

So that means that going forward, my programs will now be enrolling year-round. If you want to join, you don’t have to wait until I launch it again. Transformational learning takes time, and I want to support my clients through a beautiful journey – not intense sprint! So you can drop in whenever you feel called to do so instead of waiting for an artificial “moment”.

You see, in his book, Greg also talks about how “effortlessness” shouldn’t be trivialized. In our society, we like to put value on things that seem hard. We want to see the blood, sweat, and tearsgo in before we see the results of our hard work come out. 

But… it doesn’t have to be like that!

I like to say that I work at the pace of my grace. God gave me the vision and he’ll give me the provisions as they come. And if I can achieve that vision without burning myself out in the process, so much the better.

That’s why, I decided that in 2024, I’m going to keep the same theme as 2023.

That’s right.

I’m asking God for another year of effortless acceleration. 

Just like this year, next year I want to be alert to what’s most important in each moment. I want to scale joy, and scale my business.

Transformation takes time, so I’m giving it another year. 

I can’t wait to see what another year of clarity, obedience and action brings for all of us.

Wishing you joy on the journey –

Patrice.