Wow, last week was a doozy, hunh? I heard from so many of you after last week’s airport mini-missive that you too had a crazy week!!! Shall we blame it on Mercury retrograde and call it a day?

The point of living a gorgeous life isn’t to avoid the mess. This whole being human business is just MESSY. (Run, fast, from any coach/religion/guru who promises you a mess-free existence.) Our job is to declare dominion over aaaallll of it and dive fearlessly for the gold underneath the mess.

I’ve got something brand new for you this week, and I’m sooooo excited about it!!  It’s a new class about– well hold on, I want to tell you the whole story.  It goes like this.

A few weeks ago, I sent out a survey asking what would be most helpful to you. And you answered!

THANK YOU to every single one of you who responded. (But if you sent me a personal note/update/question through the survey portal– it was anonymous! I don’t know who wrote what!)

Many of you wrote kind, lovely things about what my work and writing have meant in your lives, and they touched me so much that my Feelings came out of my eyes a little. Okay, a lot.

But some of the comments left me feeling slightly broken.

“I’m a single mom with three kids, just trying to pay my bills. Can you please make me something I can actually afford?”

“I wrote you but all I got back was a note from your assistant. It really hurt my feelings. I wish you would have the common courtesy to reply personally to our comments.”

“I posted something on your facebook wall and you didn’t respond– did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me?”

“Here is my question: it will take me several pages to explain it. It begins when I was four…”

“I’m really interested in becoming a coach. Can we have lunch and you’ll tell me how I can make a living at it so I can quit my soul-sucking job?”

Oh, you guys. I felt sick inside. I felt like I’d let you down.

Because the truth is, I care about you guys.

I care so very very much.

I know it might not always seem like it. It’s true that I simply cannot respond to every single email myself. (Which is why I have Gretchen do it!! And she answers them with SO much heart and cheer!) And I just don’t do lunches– during my work day, I WORK. And my programs aren’t cheap. They require significant investments of time, money, and courage.

I know these things are true. I know that sometimes means that I may have hurt your feelings. I have these policies in place to protect myself, and to protect the ones I love, and believe it or not, to protect you too. It’s not because I don’t care. It’s because I’m trying to declare dominion over my own messy and gorgeous life too. I’m right there in the thick of it with you all, and that means making hard choices about how to spend our limited time and precious energy. And if I’m not taking care of myself, my beloveds, and my life, there’s nothing left for me to give back to you each and every week.

I’m an introverted creative dreamer, and social media can steal my soul if I’m not careful. I came home from Austin to over 700 emails in my inbox, and that was after I’d done a cursory clean-out every day of everything that didn’t need an answer. I estimate I cleared out several thousand emails. But that still left 700 blinking things that still required me to DO something. I want to write a heartfelt response to every mail. I really, really do. But I am just one person, single parenting it here, juggling 84 water balloons every day just like you are, and honoring my sacred vow to fiercely mama-bear my EFBA clients who’ve made such a glorious commitment to themselves to be so brave and tender this year.

I’m telling you all this because one of the hardest things we have to do as EFBAs is say no to the important so that we have room to say yes to the glorious. It’s hard to do. And people won’t always understand. Sometimes it hurts our hearts.

But I really am listening. I read every single one of your survey comments. And what you told me is that what you want from me, more than anything else, is a class on listening to your heart and taking risks. So that’s what I’m going to give you, dearhearts. Because while the physical and technological side of life may be a struggle for me, following your heart and taking big leaps in your life is one thing I know a leeeeetle something about. (Though what I have to say on the topic might surprise you!)

So here is this brand-new class. It’s my gift to you. It’s called:

How To Follow Your Heart

And Take (The RIGHT) Risks

~and you can sign up– yes, you do NEED to sign up– by clicking HERE~

One more thing. It’s free. Those of you who wrote in asking for something in the $39 range, I’m going to do you one better. How about zero dollars, instead? And unlike many of my free offerings, this one doesn’t have a pitch or an offer at the end. There’s no paid program I’m launching here; this one is just a gift to you, because I love you and I appreciate you reading my words.

All I ask is that you sign up, and share it with someone you love…or even better, ALL the people you love.

(Want to share it right now? You can post this link on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever your tribe hangs out: https://declaredominion.com/followyourheart )

I can’t wait to teach this free class for you. Until then, I’ll see you out in that arena– the one where life is big and messy and complicated, and we make it gorgeous anyway.

With all the fierceness and tenderness we can muster.

Which, it turns out, is a whole damn lot.

much love,

Anna