What Do I Bring? What Do I Need?

I got back from my NIA Blue Belt Training in Lansing, MI, a few hours ago, and I am "recapitulating" the six days I spent learning the 13 Principles of the Blue Belt, going a bit deeper into my NIA practice.

Before each of the sessions, we had to answer two simple questions about the upcoming topic:

What Do I Bring?

What Do I Need?

For example, if the training was about "Communication," we had to write down answers to "What do I bring?" "What do I need?"

Initially, when I asked myself, "What do I bring?" the words poured out of my pen like water from a fountain. When I asked myself, "What do I need?" the well dried up. I had trouble answering the question because I rarely think of what I need. It's usually what other people need.

These two deceptively simple questions hold a quiet, magnetic power. I began asking myself these questions with curiosity and without judgment. I found myself unlocking clarity, confidence, and a deeper understanding of myself.

Many of my clients (and sometimes I) ask, "What did I do wrong?" "What's wrong with me?" "Why does this sh*t always happen to me?" These questions are disempowering, and your subconscious mind will find a negative answer.

"What do I bring?" "What do I need?" adds a positive twist, getting you to reflect on what you offer and how to focus on your needs.

🧳 What Do I Bring?

Start here, not from a place of ego, but from awareness.

What energy do I bring into this space?

What skills, stories, ideas, perspectives, and humor do I naturally carry?

What light do I shine?

What baggage might I be dragging in unknowingly?

This question is an invitation to ground yourself in your gifts. It's a gentle reminder that even if you don't think you have it all, you still bring something deeply valuable: you. Whether you get insight, warmth, laughter, listening, truth, sass, or stillness—it's all part of the package.

Check in with yourself every day. Ask this before a conversation, a meeting, or a meltdown.

It reorients your nervous system toward intention instead of reaction.

🧭 What Do I Need?

This one's a little trickier for the overachievers, caretakers, and recovering people-pleasers in the back. And when I point a finger at you, I'm pointing three fingers back at me! 👋

So often, we show up trying to be everything without ever stopping to consider…

What do I actually need?

Maybe it's support.

Maybe it's silence.

Maybe it's ice cream. (I'm not gonna lie, ice cream came up A LOT.)

Asking this question is an act of self-honor.

It's a declaration that your needs matter too, not just your performance, productivity, or people-pleasing prowess.

Hint:

Needs aren't weaknesses.

They're signals.

They tell you where your soul needs to recharge, re-center, and reconnect.

🌟 The Magic Combo

Here's where it gets juicy: Ask both questions together.

• What do I bring? → Tap into your power.-

• What do I need? → Tap into your permission.

Together, these two questions create a dynamic balance of offering and receiving.

Giving and growing.

Presence and possibility.

Imagine the clarity this brings into a relationship, a business decision, or a healing journey. Instead of guessing or ghosting your own intuition, you're dialoging with it.

✨ Try It Now

Pause. Breathe. Ask yourself:

"What do I bring to my life right now?"

"What do I need more of?"

Then listen.

Like, really listen.

Your answers may surprise you.

They may shift from day to day.

But the act of asking? That's where the transformation begins.

You bring something beautiful to this world.

And your needs are worth honoring.

So go ahead—bring it.

And don't forget to receive it, too.