I am saying goodbye to something important to me today.

On July 3, 2012, I created a “Journaling and Self-care” meetup group on Meetup.com. This step was the very first step that I took after completing my Spiritual Life Coaching Certification from the Life Purpose Institute. I was taking my career in an expansive new direction.

I delighted that day when I launched the meetup group as I watched person after person sign up. I closed the first day with over 60 members!  I knew I was on to something that was going to fill my soul, and that was obviously a void in the community.

When I signed a lease for a new beautiful office space, I didn’t have any clients. What I did have was a meetup group with over 100 members and counting. I focused on inviting those members to journaling meetups and other group functions that I would create with the focus of self-care.

I wanted to help other women heal, and align more closely with their purpose, which was the exact transition that had been so meaningful to me. I viewed the amount of people that kept signing up for my group as a sign that I was moving in the right direction. I believed that the ease of the Universe opening doors for me was a kind of assurance of what I was trying to create.

My journaling and self-care meetup was a wonderful way for me to connect with like minded women and gain some of my very first clients. Through the last 5 years I have hosted over 52 meetups.  I have hosted guided journaling classes, spiritual book clubs, vision board workshops, self-care pow-wows, vision book creation classes and so much more and I met amazing beautiful women along the way.

It’s been fun to review all the titles and topics as I look back and review the meetups I offered and see how they evolved and reflected my own journey of self-discovery.

I have enjoyed every second of it and felt truly blessed to engage with people as we did soulful, meaningful, vulnerable work together.

Today, I have made yet another important decision. I am closing this precious group.

As a woman who is proud to practice what I preach, I used my own coaching logic to make this decision. Just as I share with my clients, we simply only have so many hours in the day. You have to choose your priorities and what to focus on. For the next few years I would like to focus my efforts in yet another new direction…Writing…

Knowing how to say goodbye is a important layer of honest self-care. RAther then just let this group become idle, I have decided to consciously close it

It is time for me to say good-bye.

Intentionally guiding things that you have loved out of your life may bring up a mixture of many emotions. It may feel painful, sad, scary, or conflicted. Taking action steps with intention in a present and empowered way, helps you to honor yourself, your new goals and how your past experiences have served you.

If you have been with me in one of my meetups, then you know just how special they were and just how bittersweet it is for me to say goodbye. I honor this process, and myself, because letting go was not always easy for me to do, and today I am proud that I am doing so with grace, and the ability to let myself feel all the emotions that I am feeling during the process.

To follow more of my journey, go to my instagram, it’s where Im spending a lot of time these days, and sign up for my emails to stay in touch! xo

https://www.instagram.com/lauramadrigano/

L.O.V.E. from Laura