Episode 709: Sacred Boundaries – The Key to Sustainable Success (Mindset & Self-Care)

EBT709 – Sacred Boundaries: The Key to Sustainable Success

Intro  00:01

Hey food bloggers. Thank you so much for joining me in this mindset and self-care focused episode here on Eat Blog Talk. One of the reasons I started a blog talk was to hold a space to talk about the importance of mindset and self-care. Being an entrepreneur can be a lot. If we are not taking care of ourselves, then getting actionable information about SEO Pinterest or whatever else is all moot. I will meet you back here every Wednesday to discuss various mindset and self-care topics. So you have the energy and space to tackle the rest.

Hello friends. Welcome back to another mindset and self care focused episode of Eat Blog Talk. So happy you’re here. I hope you’re having a wonderful week. In today’s episode I’m going to talk about sacred boundaries and the fact that boundaries are the key to sustainable success. This is something that has drastically shifted the way I show up in my business and in my life. This is something I’ve learned the hard way over the past few years and that is the sacred art of setting boundaries.

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Boundaries are not just logistical. I think they get a really bad rap about being rigid or keeping people too strict and maybe keeping people out of your life.

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But for me, they are deeply spiritual, they’re energetic, they’re protective, and they are so necessary. They’re almost an act of devotion to my own energy, to my alignment, to my peace and to my purpose. So in today’s episode we’re going to talk through six quick points that support this topic on sacred boundaries.

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Number one, the cost of misalignment. Let’s start with the truth.The truth is that I’ve been burned out, overwhelmed, stretched and stuck in situations that didn’t feel right, but that I stayed in out of either fear or obligation or both. One example is a past partnership that looked really great on the surface. Outwardly it appeared to be successful, but inwardly I just felt like I was wilting inside. I had given away parts of my voice and my power and my purpose without realizing it. And the truth is I let it happen.

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It’s my responsibility. This all fell on and falls on me because I did not set a clear boundary when I felt those first signs of misalignment. Boundaries are rarely a one time event. They’re a pattern that I believe we practice over and over, first within ourselves and then with others. Number two, let’s talk about what is a sacred boundary.

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A sacred boundary is a decision made in love and clarity to protect what matters most to us. It is not about pushing people away like I think boundaries get a bad rap for. It’s more about pulling your truth closer to you. It is saying that you won’t sacrifice peace to keep things comfortable.

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It’s saying that you’re worthy of working in ways that nourish you.

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It’s saying that you can love someone and still say no. It’s saying that you can honor the divine flow of things, of life, and still draw a firm line. Number three signs you might need a boundary. How do you know when it’s time to set a boundary? Sometimes it feels really obvious, like when you feel totally drained after a meeting or a commitment or a long day of misaligned work, or a long week of that same type of work.But other times I think it’s a little bit more subtle.

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So here are a few things that I’ve learned to watch for in myself. If you start to dread a certain task, a certain call, a certain person, or a certain type of work that you’re doing, even if it looks good on paper. Another thing is if you hear yourself thinking, I really don’t want to do this, while simultaneously agreeing to do it.

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Or if your calendar is full of things that technically matter but something just doesn’t feel right. Or if you’re saying yes to things out of guilt or habit.

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Or perhaps just wanting to please other people and not because they actually align with your values. Or you feel resentful or frustrated after you do something but you can’t quite put your finger on it or explain why. Or maybe you’ve lost sight of what lights you up because you’ve been way too busy managing everything and everyone else.

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If any of these things feel familiar, it does not mean that you’re doing something wrong. It just means something might need to be adjusted.

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It’s your inner self tapping you on the shoulder, giving you a little tap and saying, hey Megan, let’s come back to alignment. This is your reminder. Number four, the magic that happens after the boundary is set here is something I’ve learned every time I’ve set a boundary that feels scary at the time, but I do it anyway.Magic follows. When I’ve claimed a lane, lovingly, of course, that lights me up.

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Whether it’s with people or communication or something else, I feel alive again. Something in my soul just feels aligned and right when I have said this is not working for me about something that doesn’t feel right or aligned space opens up for aligned opportunities. It happens every time. When I trusted myself enough to say no to things that don’t align with my soul I re anchor into a truth that I am safe to protect my joy and my peace and my happiness.These things are not always easy.

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Setting boundaries feels so hard sometimes, but it’s always clarifying and fruitful and magical. It’s not always instant. It doesn’t happen right away all the time, but it always unlocks something new. Five, here are some tips for setting boundaries in your business. Here are a few practical ways that you can step into your sacred no and your aligned yes.

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Pause before agreeing so you can just think or say, let me sit with that and actually do it before you say yes or no to something that feels a little off. Name your top three values. Use your values as a filter for making decisions. This helps me all the time. It’s a really good reason to sit down and actually name your values so you have them when you need them.

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Also consider this. If it costs you your peace, it’s too expensive. Check in with your body. Our bodies don’t lie. They’re often giving us signs and signals that have all the answers.

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Your body might be telling you this is not peaceful. This decision is not right. So listen, tune in. Here’s another one. Practice honesty.

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Instead of skirting around an issue or an opportunity that doesn’t feel aligned, you can just say, this opportunity sounds amazing, but it is not aligned for me right now. That’s all you have to say. Another is to rehearse hard conversations. So if you need to journal about something or speak it out loud to yourself or to a loved one, this can get you into the habit of speaking. Those things that you know you need to say that maybe are hard to say in reality.

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So when it comes to it, you’re in the flow and you can say those things you need to say. And the last suggestion is to revisit your calendar weekly and make sure that your calendar is always honoring your energy. If it’s not, if it’s draining your energy, then you need to rethink what is on your calendar.

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Number six: a reminder for you people pleasers out there, myself included here. If you have struggled with boundaries in the past, I have too.

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It’s okay. We have been taught to keep the peace, to be nice, to say yes, to avoid conflict. All these things I think have been ingrained in our souls in one way or the other. But here’s the reframe I want you to carry forward. Setting boundaries does not make you a difficult person.

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It makes you clear and honest. It doesn’t mean you’re rejecting someone or something. It means you are choosing you and that is so important. The more you choose yourself, the more impact you can have on others from an actual place of integrity and not depletion or misalignment. Some closing encouragement.

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You are allowed to design a life and a business that feels good. You are allowed to say no in order to protect your peace. You are allowed to create boundaries that let your magic flourish in this world. When you do, watch what happens. Watch how clarity returns, energy rises, how clients, projects and collaborations start to feel right again.

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This is sacred work. You are worthy of it and you deserve it. I invite you to do a little audit this week. In what areas of your life or business are you saying yes when you should really be saying no? Also, think about this.

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What would it look like to set one clear loving boundary this week? Just food for thought for you. I hope you enjoyed this episode. I will see you back here again next week. Thanks for listening.

[00:10:07] Outro

Thank you so much for listening to this mindset and self-care episode of Eat Blog Talk. These mindset episodes are now available on YouTube so watch it over there. Search Eat Blog Talk on YouTube and we’ll see you over there.