While I'm over here learning how to sit still, some of you need to start moving.

Last week, I wrote about what it has meant for me to stay put and what it requires of me to stop looking for the next place, the next thing, the next version of my life, and learn how to actually be where I am.

And I meant every word of it.

But here's the thing about advice: the medicine depends on the patient.

I've spent a lot of my life moving, while some of you have spent a lot of yours waiting.

You’ve been waiting until you're sure, waiting until the timing is better, the kids are older, work slows down, you have more money, or somebody else finally gets on board.

And before you know it, another year has passed, and you're still waiting for the right moment to begin.

So while I'm over here learning how to sit my pretty bottom still, maybe your assignment this season is the exact opposite.

Maybe it's time to get up, get out, and start doing some of the things you've been putting off.

Perhaps fall is your freedom season.

Somewhere around the time the first pumpkin spice latte shows up, we collectively start acting like the year is over.

Summer is done, the holidays are coming and everybody starts talking about how fast the year went. And before long, we're pushing everything we haven't done into January.

We'll start working out in January, yeah ok. We'll get serious about our finances in January, yeah, that too. We'll finally start that business, take that class, make that decision, or do whatever it is we've been putting off.

And listen, I get it.

By the time September rolls around, most of us have been through enough to feel like we've earned the right to coast into the new year. We've survived the first eight months, and now we've got Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the other holiday festivities to look forward to. Why not just enjoy ourselves and pick things back up in January?

But here's the thing.

There are still nearly 100 days between the beginning of fall and December 31.

That's a lot of life. Girl, go outside. There's still a whole quarter of the year left. I mean, seriously. Think about how much can happen in three months.

You can meet someone, fall in love, and realize you don't even like them anymore in less time than that (been there done that). You can start a new job, move to a new city, learn a new skill, or completely change your mind about something you were absolutely certain of in June.

And yet, somehow, when it comes to doing the things we actually want to do for ourselves, we convince ourselves that three months isn't enough time to make any meaningful progress.

So we wait.

We put our plans on hold, mentally close out the year, and promise ourselves that January will be different.

And then January arrives.

Suddenly, we're supposed to become these entirely new people. We're going to work out five days a week, eat better, save more money, read a book a month, drink a gallon of water every day, and somehow become the most disciplined versions of ourselves before Valentine's Day.

I’m exhausted just thinking about it. Aren’t you?

And don't get me wrong. I love the energy of a new year. There's something beautiful about turning the calendar and feeling like you have a fresh opportunity to begin again.

But I also think we've given January entirely too much responsibility for our happiness.

We've turned it into the month when we're supposed to finally get our lives together, as though the other eleven months are just there for us to recover from whatever happened the January before.

Now, here’s a novel idea…what if we stopped treating fall like the beginning of the end and started seeing it as an opportunity to begin?

There's something really refreshing about starting something in September or October. The pressure is different. Nobody's asking about your resolutions. You don't have to announce your intentions to the world or convince yourself that you're about to become a completely different woman.

You can just start doing the things you've been wanting to do. And the beautiful thing is that you have time to figure out what works for you before the new year even begins.

You can experiment. You can change your mind. You can try something, discover you don't like it, and try something else. You can make progress without feeling like you're racing against some imaginary deadline.

By the time January arrives, you could already have three months of experience doing the very thing you were planning to put off until then.

And even if you don't accomplish everything you set out to do, you'll have spent those months actually living your life instead of waiting for permission to begin.

The year isn't over, and neither are your opportunities to make something of it.

So before you pack away all your plans with the summer clothes and resign yourself to spending the next three months waiting for a fresh start, I want you to consider something.

What would happen if you treated the rest of this year as an opportunity to enjoy your life rather than a countdown to the next one?

Because there's still a whole lot of living left to do between now and December 31.

And I think we should have a little fun with it…so here we go…

One of the things that happens as we get older is that we become incredibly good at doing the things we're supposed to do.

We spend so much of our time working, taking care of our families, managing our responsibilities, and making sure everything and everyone is taken care of that we sometimes forget we're allowed to do things simply because we want to.

Somewhere along the way, having fun becomes something we have to schedule around everything else, and even then, we can find ourselves feeling like we should be doing something more productive with our time.

And I truly think that's a shame.

When was the last time you did something simply because you were curious about it? Something that had absolutely nothing to do with your career, your family, or some larger goal you were trying to accomplish?

I'm talking about the kind of thing that makes you say, "You know what? I've always wanted to try that," and then you actually go do it.

So I'm proposing that we make this fall a season of side quests.

If you're unfamiliar with the term, a side quest is something you do in addition to your main mission. It comes from video games, where you can wander away from the main storyline, explore somewhere new, meet interesting characters, and get into all kinds of adventures that have absolutely nothing to do with the reason you started playing in the first place.

And I think we could all use a few more side quests in our actual lives.

Take a pottery class, even if you have absolutely no artistic ability. Spend a Saturday exploring a town you've never visited, or go to a concert for an artist you only know two songs by. Sign up for salsa lessons, join a book club, try pickleball, or take yourself to dinner at that restaurant you've been wanting to visit.

And if you want to go apple picking even though you don't particularly care about apples, just go pick the dang apples.

The point is to give yourself permission to experience something new without needing it to serve some greater purpose.

I think that's especially important for those of us who have spent years showing up in the same roles. We've become so accustomed to being mothers, daughters, partners, professionals, and caregivers that it's easy to forget there are parts of ourselves we haven't had an opportunity to explore.

And sometimes, the only way to discover those parts of yourself is to step outside the life you've gotten comfortable living.

You might discover that you love hiking, that you're surprisingly good at dancing, or that you enjoy spending an entire Saturday wandering around a museum by yourself. You might meet someone who introduces you to an entirely different way of thinking about the world, or find yourself interested in something you never would have considered before.

Or you might take that pottery class, make the ugliest bowl anyone has ever seen, and decide that pottery is not, in fact, your calling.

That's perfectly fine, too.

Not everything you try needs to become part of your identity. Sometimes the experience itself is enough.

We've gotten so accustomed to measuring the value of our time by what we accomplish that we've forgotten how to enjoy doing something simply for the sake of doing it.

We take up a hobby and immediately start thinking about how we can get better at it. We discover something we're good at and start wondering whether we could turn it into a business. We find something we enjoy and somehow manage to turn it into another obligation.

And before we know it, the very thing that was supposed to bring us joy has become another item on our already overcrowded to-do list.

I don't want that for you this fall.

I want you to have experiences that remind you how much there still is to discover about yourself and the world around you. I want you to make room for curiosity, spontaneity, and the kind of fun that doesn't require you to accomplish a single thing.

Because the life you're building should include more than the responsibilities you're managing and the goals you're working toward. There should be room for the things that make you laugh, the experiences that surprise you, and the occasional adventure that makes absolutely no sense to anybody but you.

Sometimes you just need to go do something random and have a good time.

Now, while I'm absolutely encouraging you to get outside and enjoy yourself, I also want you to think about something a little bigger.

What would you love to already be true about your life when January arrives?

Not what you want to start working on in January, but what would you love to have already begun?

Think about it. You might want to enter the new year with a stronger body, a healthier relationship with money, a new circle of friends, or a home that finally feels like a place you want to spend time in.

There could be a decision you've been avoiding, a conversation you need to have, or something you've wanted to create but haven't given yourself permission to begin.

Whatever it is, you have an opportunity to start building it now. And fall is the perfect season for that kind of work.

We tend to think of fall as a time when everything starts winding down. The days get shorter, the leaves begin to fall, and nature seems to be preparing for a long period of rest.

But there's still quite a bit happening beneath the surface. Trees are conserving their resources, roots are continuing to grow, and seeds are settling into the soil in preparation for what's to come.

I think there's something we can learn from that.

You don't have to announce your plans to the world or put pressure on yourself to have everything figured out before the year ends. You can spend the next few months quietly building something for yourself, making small changes, and creating a life that feels a little more like the one you want to live.

And when January arrives, instead of standing at the starting line wondering where to begin, you can look around and realize you're already living differently.

Because the life you want next year is built by the decisions you make this year.

I want you to think about two things this week.

First, what's something you've been wanting to do just because it sounds fun?

Something that makes you curious or excited, even if it serves no other purpose. Give yourself permission to do it this fall.

And second, what's one thing you'd love to already have in motion by January?

You don't need to figure out the entire plan today. Just think about one small step you can take this week to get started.

Because, as you know, everything in life begins with a decision, and sometimes that decision is simply to stop waiting.

Last week, I wrote about learning to be where I am.

This week, I want to remind you that being present doesn't mean you have to remain stationary.

There are seasons when we need to rest, seasons when we need to rebuild, and seasons when we need to get out into the world and remember that there's still so much life available to us.

Maybe this fall is your invitation to do a little of all three.

To enjoy the life you have while giving yourself permission to create something new.

And to remember that you don't have to wait for January, a milestone birthday, a relationship to end, or some extraordinary event to give you permission to begin.

You can decide that today is as good a day as any.

Because when you go first, then life follows.

Donteacia 💛