Permission slip

This is your invitation to write yourself 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗽…

…a permission slip that gives you an opening to what you desire, what you need, or what you’d like to explore.

As young children, we learn to expect and await permission from external sources of authority.

Such conditioning can be protective and supportive for our survival and safety, especially as we build early understanding of our environment and its risks.

As we grow, this same protective conditioning can have the unintended consequence of keeping us from exploring new edges beyond the approved boundaries. Eventually, too much of this protective tendency can lead us to feel stifled, stuck, or dependent on the permission of others.

Instead of waiting for permission to be granted by a source 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴, we can practice tapping into our own 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. This is where our permission slip comes into play.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:
1. You get the chance to move your need/desire out of your head and onto the page so it can be fully seen.
2. You apply your signature to that same page, thereby signaling ownership and authority.
3. You have a visual reminder of your intention.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼:
• Take a break.
• Leave work early.
• Get it wrong.
• Pivot your direction.
• Try an experimental approach.
• Speak your truth.
• Let it be messy.
• Name a need that you have.

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚. Permission slip possibilities are limitless.

The power of the permission slip is that it opens up 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦.

So grab a post-it, jot down the area of permission you’re granting, and add your signature. It’s a powerful practice to end your day, begin your day, or up-level your day at any time.

Please share what's on your permission slip in the comments so we can celebrate you!