Right now, I’ve been busier than I have been in a long time. I’m attending classes regularly for a mastermind I joined. I’m writing every day. I’m in the process of releasing two brand new courses.

This time in history has been good for my creative spirit. I’m focused on the present. I’m soaring, and I’m not going to let up, no matter what.

As we’re out walking or sitting and chatting late at night, my husband has increasingly been talking about what we should do next month, next year. He’s in planning mode. And he’s been trying to bring me into the conversation, almost daily. Each time I walk away. “I don’t know what I want to do,” I tell him.

And I could see the frustration. We’re good together – I’m grateful for it, when so many couples are having trouble living together 24/7. But no matter how good you are, throw in a bunch of stress and living on top of each other in a tiny place, and occasionally you’re going to need your own space.

I never really put my finger on it until a couple of days ago.

I jarred awake from a deep sleep. From deep inside, a little voice said: You’re afraid that if you think about the future, all of your hopes and dreams will seem futile at best. You’ll break down into tears and won’t be able to stop for a long time.

Sounds simple, right? I should have known that was my problem. But I didn’t. I’d pushed the future out of my life, and focused only on the present. That’s all I permitted myself to do, because it kept me safe from thinking about dreams that now might never come true.

My realization at four in the morning did something for me. I could explain it better to my husband. And of course, it made me think about you.

I blog to provide you with ideas you might be able to use yourself. This is my story – my viewpoint – and if it helps you too, all the better.

This is my new reality:

I’m giving myself permission to not worry about the future

When I realized I’m not ready to think about the future, I gave myself permission to be okay with that. Because I had plans. And those plans are changing as we speak.

What will travel look like? Will we be able to move as freely as we did just a few short weeks ago?

What about going to conferences? Joining up with friends in faraway places? Or slow traveling the rest of my life?

I’m also not paying attention to the bigger things. Like the changes in the economy. Or how food distribution systems will change. Or politics. Or …

No matter which way you turn, there is something else reminding us of how significant our changes will be in the not so distant future. But right now, I can only control a fraction of it. So that’s where I put my focus.

I’m giving myself permission to be creative in new ways

I love business. I love being an entrepreneur. I’m an idea person, and love to develop new projects. I have a list of books and courses I’ve wanted to create for a long time. I have the time right now, so I’m diving in and creating.

And I’m having the time of my life! This downtime has pushed me in all kinds of directions. Like building a podcast. And discovering new programs for course development. And new writing tools.

That’s how we grow. That’s how we stay young!

But it’s more than that. My family has also discovered other ways to be creative, together. Like the patio garden we planted with kale, green onions, basil, and tomatoes.

Inspiration builds when you’re creative. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. Reorganizing your pantry can give you a burst of energy to try your hand at cooking.

I’m giving myself permission to take care of me

I’m very health conscious. Even more so now that we’re staying in place.

We stocked our pantry days before we were ordered to stay in place. As a vegan, I know how to cook anything with just a few basic staples. In fact, we’ve been having fun creating new meals just by selecting two or three ingredients. Our dinner tonight was inspired by – sweet potatoes and cauliflower.

I use my Fitbit to track 10,000 steps, every day. I’m lucky to live by a river, so walking is easy. Sometimes I walk alone. Sometimes with my family, or a friend. I use that time to breathe deep, absorb the sunshine, enjoy the tranquility all around me. Just today, I watched a bald eagle grab a fish from the river and have breakfast, as an unhappy osprey circled, clearly upset he was so close to her nest. What a show!

I journal in the morning. I do a few yoga stretches to settle in before I start my writing for the day.

I’ve turned off almost all television – especially violence. We watch Great British Bakeoff. We rented The Fantastic Fungi the other night.

There is so much negativity in the world, I don’t need to bring it into my life any more than I have to.

I’m consciously aware of what I give to myself each day.

I’m giving myself permission to reimagine how I make my income

Many years ago, I learned the concept of multiple streams of income. I consider myself lucky today to have income from a variety of sources, so any one falloff doesn’t impact me in a big way.

Yes, I’ve lost income through this. But not through every resource. And that gives me peace.

It also tells me I have to teach this concept to others, especially women, who might not understand this concept. (I’ll be writing more on it in the weeks and months to come.)

If you lose your job and it provides you with 100 percent of your income, you’re wiped out overnight. Now split that in two – two income streams at 50 percent each would give you breathing room if something happens to one. Move it to three income sources. Or four. See how quickly this concept can change your outlook on life?

For me, I’ve gotten a bit lazy with it. I’m not as diversified as I once was. This was my wakeup call. I’m further refining what I do each day. I’ve come to rely too heavily on one-on-one clients. So I’m changing that up again. I’m diversifying my income sources by making courses, and I know it will do my business – and my life – a world of good in the very near future.

I’m giving myself permission to learn

I’ve signed up for four different education programs in the past few weeks. The mastermind I signed up for at the beginning of the year has been an enormous learning curve this past couple of months. But I haven’t stopped there. I’ve enrolled in an Instagram course. A Pinterest course. And MasterClass.

The world is changing. People have been saying that for a long time. But we’re now at the cusp of something HUGE. How many business owners in January would have told you they could never offer work-from-home environments? Think those same people have the same tune? When you’re thrust into a situation, you find ways to change.

That means we all need new survival tools. ALL OF US. Because nothing is going to look the same from this point forward.

So I’m learning like never before.

I’m also teaching, something I haven’t done – outside of my books – in years. I have a brand new class starting up in May on writing. If you’re a writer and want to explore how to be a better writer, maybe even turn it into a career, this is the class for you.

Up next will be a course on plant-based thriving. It’s in the works – you can sign up to be notified when it goes live.

I’m giving myself permission to focus on what’s important

How much time do you spend worrying about things that truly don’t matter?

That’s human nature. We like to keep up with the influencers and dream about their beautiful lives. But here’s the thing; most of them have BIG problems too.

We like to look out and daydream about things outside of our control. We worry about things that will never impact us.

Like this next election. Who cares about all the fighting going on and the utter chaos it’s leaving in its path. I can only do one thing: learn enough to be able to vote. That’s it! That’s the only thing I can do to make a difference … VOTE. So that’s what I’ll do.

Yet people love to hang on every word. To leave the television on all day long. To argue with people online on “why their opinion matters.” Enough.

Because it doesn’t truly matter.

So every day, I start my day by asking: what are my WINs for the day – my “what’s important now” moments that I choose to live during the day.

It usually involved meditation and yoga. Journaling in the morning. Writing – that’s always at the top of my list. Walking. Eating right. Spending time with those I love.

Because eating healthy today will make my future better. Arguing on Facebook won’t. Meditating and going for a walk will make a difference in my life. Watching crappy television won’t.

I count my WINs every day.

You can use this to make your world a better place too.