Learning to Receive the Life You Created
Sitting in our little home in the French countryside, I realized something I never expected: creating a beautiful life is one thing, but fully receiving it is another.
A few days ago, I was sitting on the couch in our home in France.
An over 200-year-old house in the Burgundy wine region—something that, for most of my life, only existed in my imagination.
The beautiful couch from Italy had been delivered prior to our arrival so I was just sinking into it for the first time.
Our wood-burning stove had just been installed making our main room so cozy.
I hadn’t seen either of them until we arrived, so coming this time was a bit like Christmas in a way.
Our kitchen had also been completed fully, and we had a new porch built so I was excited about all of that as well.
As I sat snuggling into my soft and comfy couch drinking my morning coffee while watching our neighbors sheep graze out our open french doors, the fire warming the room, everything landed at once.
This quiet, almost surreal realization:
This is my life. Doug and I actually created this dream come true…and now we are LIVING it.
I remember feeling actually giddy.
I was really bubbling with joy I couldn’t contain.
On a scale of 1-10…I was an 11.
I had a moment where I thought,
I can’t believe I get to experience this.
And then, a couple of days later, I noticed something shift.
Nothing was wrong.
The house was still beautiful.
The surroundings were still everything I had dreamed of.
But that initial feeling… softened.
Not disappeared. Just…settled.
And in that settling, I became aware of something I hadn’t expected:
It takes a real capacity to fully receive a life like this.
I used to believe the work was in creating it.
Having the vision.
Taking the leap.
Becoming the woman who could call something like this in.
But sitting there, in the quiet of a life I once only imagined,
I realized—
Being here… is one thing.
Letting it fully land is another.
Because there were moments I could feel myself completely in it—
present, open, taking it all in.
And other moments where something in me subtly pulled away.
Not dramatically.
Not in a way anyone else would notice.
Just enough to feel the difference between
experiencing something…
and fully receiving it.
And what I’m starting to see is…
It’s not always obvious why that happens.
It’s not loud self-doubt.
It’s not a clear thought of “I don’t deserve this.”
It’s quieter than that.
Almost like your system doesn’t yet know how to stay open to something that feels this good…
this steady…
this real.
Like there’s a difference between wanting a life like this—
and having the capacity to fully live inside it without bracing, minimizing, or drifting out of the moment.
There’s a concept I’ve taught for years—that we all have a limit to how much joy we let ourselves feel.
And I could feel mine here.
Maybe this is true not just for places or experiences—but for love too.
For the relationship you say you want.
For the partnership you’ve imagined.
For the life you’ve been calling in.
Because what if the real work isn’t just becoming the woman who can create it…
But becoming the woman who can receive it once it’s here?
Fully.
Openly.
With heart and arms wide open.
Allowing myself to feel THIS GOOD…
without apologizing for it…
and without that quiet sense of guilt that can sneak in.
That’s the layer I feel myself stepping into now.
Not in some dramatic, all-at-once way.
But in small, quiet moments…
where I notice I have a choice:
to stay open to this level of joy…
or to subtle pull away from it
And I can feel that this is where my work is now.
Not in chasing something more…
but in expanding my capacity to hold what I already have created.
To let it be as good as it is.
To let it land and truly become mine.
To let myself be fully present and inside of it.
And in between those moments, life here has been… incredibly beautiful.
Morning walks through quiet fields with sheep and cows and birds singing all around me.
Long 3 course lunches with local wines that are an experience of pleasure all their own.
Conversations about possible future renovations as we build out our master suite and terrace above our main floor.
Talks about our future and reflecting on things we desire to do to feel more like this on a daily basis when we get back to the U.S.
Here there is a much slower rhythm that invites you to actually be in your life instead of rushing through it.
It’s everything I once dreamed of.
And now, I’m learning how to receive it.
If you’re calling in a relationship, a life, or a version of yourself that feels expansive—
this is the work we do inside The Soulmate Solution.
Not just creating what you desire…
but becoming the woman who can fully receive it once it arrives.
If you see yourself in this… you can explore The Soulmate Solution here.
Or reach out to me directly if you prefer a more personal conversation:
karen@karenmcphailcoaching.com
Some of the highlights of being in the French countryside in Bourgogne:
Delicious food…
Amazing walks as I continue to get in condition for my Camino walk:
Little fun house projects:
Great finds at great prices:
A tour of the factory where we ordered our wood for our future wood floors that we will see when we return in the summer:
Special time spent together enjoying the pleasures of just BEING here:
