Holding Your Ground Tonight

Hey there, I'm glad we have this time together tonight. Before we begin, let's just get you set up properly so you can get the most out of this session. Go ahead and lie down somewhere comfortable — your bed is perfect. Let your arms rest gently at your sides, or if it feels more natural, let your hands rest softly on your belly or your lap. Either is fine. Let your legs uncross and just fall open naturally. You don't need to do anything with your body from this point forward except let it be heavy. Now, this session is designed specifically to help you release the mental chatter that comes before a big negotiation — that loop of rehearsing worst-case scenarios that keeps your mind spinning when you're trying to sleep. What we're going to do tonight is gently guide your mind away from that loop and into a place of deep, settled confidence. You'll experience a visualization of yourself in that call tomorrow — calm, grounded, holding your position with ease — and then the session will slowly drift you off into natural, restful sleep. You don't need to try to stay awake for the whole thing. In fact, falling asleep during this session is exactly the goal. Your unconscious mind will absorb everything it needs to, even as you drift off. There's nothing you need to do right now except close your eyes, let your body sink into wherever you're lying, and just listen. If your mind wanders, that's completely fine — just gently come back to my voice whenever you notice. This recording is for general relaxation and sleep support. If you have any serious medical or psychological concerns, please speak with a qualified professional. Now, let's begin. Close your eyes.

You've been waiting for this, haven't you? That part of you that's exhausted from rehearsing, from running through every possible objection, every counter-offer, every worst-case scenario — that part of you is so ready to just... let go. And you can feel it already, can't you? Even just hearing my voice, something in you is beginning to settle. [6 second pause] So here's what I want you to do. I want you to take a breath in — not a forced breath, just a natural, easy breath in — and as you breathe out, let your jaw go soft. [5 second pause] That's it. And another breath in. [4 second pause] And as you breathe out this time, let your shoulders drop. Just let them fall. [6 second pause] Good. You know you're ready for this, don't you? Part of your mind might still be running that negotiation loop — and that's okay. We're not fighting it. We're just going to let it wind down naturally, the way a spinning top slows when you stop giving it energy. [7 second pause] Notice your eyes behind your closed lids. Notice how heavy they feel. How there's a kind of pleasant weight pressing down on them. And you might notice that the more you focus on that heaviness, the heavier they become. [6 second pause] That's right. And now I want you to imagine that heaviness spreading — moving from your eyes down through your cheeks, down through your jaw, down through your neck. [7 second pause] Every muscle in your face softening completely. [8 second pause] Your forehead smooth. Your mouth slightly parted. Your entire face completely at ease. [8 second pause] And that relaxation is moving now — down through your shoulders, down through your arms, all the way to your fingertips. [9 second pause] Let your hands go completely limp. Completely heavy. [8 second pause] That's exactly right.

And as your body continues to settle, I want to take you somewhere. [6 second pause] Imagine that you're standing in a room — a quiet, private room — the night before something important. [7 second pause] It's your space. It could be a study, a hotel room, a home office — wherever feels right to you. But it's yours. And it's calm. [8 second pause] The lighting is low and warm. Maybe a lamp in the corner casting a soft amber glow. [7 second pause] The air is still. There's a faint, grounding scent — maybe wood, or fresh linen, or something that just feels like home to you. [8 second pause] And in this room, you feel completely yourself. Not performing for anyone. Not preparing. Not rehearsing. Just... present. [9 second pause] You walk to a window and look out. [6 second pause] The city or the landscape stretches out below you — lights in the distance, the quiet hum of the world going about its business — and you realize something. [8 second pause] That world out there is going to keep turning regardless of what happens tomorrow. And somehow, that thought is deeply comforting. [9 second pause] You've built something real. You know your numbers. You know your worth. And no matter what anyone says on that call tomorrow, none of that changes. [10 second pause] You step away from the window and sit down — in a chair, or on the edge of the bed — and you feel the solidity beneath you. [7 second pause] The ground is there. It's always been there. [8 second pause] And now, from this quiet, grounded place, I want you to let your mind gently drift forward — not with anxiety, but with calm curiosity — to tomorrow morning. [9 second pause] You see yourself getting ready. Moving through your morning with ease. There's no rushing. No tension in your chest. Just a quiet, settled readiness. [10 second pause] You sit down at your desk or your table. Your device in front of you. The call is about to begin. [8 second pause] And here's what you notice — your breathing is slow and even. Your hands are still. Your mind is clear. [9 second pause] Not because you've rehearsed every possible answer. But because you know something deeper than that. You know your value. And that knowledge sits in your body like ballast in a ship — it keeps you upright no matter what waves come. [12 second pause] The call begins. You hear the other voices. And you notice — you're not reactive. You're not bracing. You're just... listening. Calmly. Fully. [10 second pause] When someone pushes back on your valuation, you feel something interesting happen inside you. Instead of a spike of anxiety, there's a kind of quiet steadiness. Like your feet finding the floor. [10 second pause] You take a breath. And you respond — not from fear, not from the need to please or to close at any cost — but from a place of genuine clarity. [9 second pause] You say what you mean. You hold your number. Not aggressively, not apologetically — just clearly. The way you state a fact you know to be true. [12 second pause] And the other side feels that. They feel the solidity in your voice. The absence of desperation. And something shifts in the room — or on the call — because people respond to certainty. They always do. [12 second pause]

And now, as that image gently fades like a beautiful dream you're carrying with you, I want to take you even deeper into rest. [8 second pause] Imagine you're standing at the top of a long, gently winding staircase. [6 second pause] The staircase descends into warmth and softness. Each step takes you deeper into the most peaceful sleep you've ever known. [8 second pause] I'm going to count you down, and with each number, you'll feel yourself sinking deeper, more completely, more comfortably into rest. [7 second pause] Ten. [10 second pause] Your body is so heavy now. So wonderfully heavy. [9 second pause] Nine. [10 second pause] Sinking deeper with every breath. [10 second pause] Eight. [11 second pause] The thoughts are slowing. The mental chatter is quieting. [10 second pause] Seven. [12 second pause] Deeper still. More comfortable. More at ease. [11 second pause] Six. [12 second pause] Halfway down the staircase now, and the warmth below is wrapping around you like a soft blanket. [12 second pause] Five. [13 second pause] Let everything go now. There's nothing to hold onto. Nothing to figure out tonight. [12 second pause] Four. [14 second pause] Your mind is quiet. Your body is still. [13 second pause] Three. [15 second pause] Almost there. Drifting deeper and deeper. [14 second pause] Two. [16 second pause] So deeply relaxed now. So completely at peace. [15 second pause] One. [18 second pause] All the way down. Deeply, completely, wonderfully relaxed. [20 second pause]

And as you rest here in this deep, still place, let these words find their way into the quiet of your mind. [10 second pause] You are someone who knows their worth. [12 second pause] Not because someone else confirmed it. Not because the terms sheet says so. But because you've done the work. You've built something real. And that knowing lives in your bones. [15 second pause] Tomorrow, when the pressure comes — and it may come — you will feel your feet on the floor. [12 second pause] You will feel that ballast inside you. That deep, unshakeable steadiness. [14 second pause] You don't need their approval to know your value. [15 second pause] You can hold your position with warmth. With respect. Without aggression and without apology. [16 second pause] Calm is your superpower in that room. [14 second pause] The less you need the deal at any cost, the more power you carry into the conversation. [15 second pause] And you are willing to walk away. Not out of ego. Not out of stubbornness. But because you respect what you've built enough to protect it. [18 second pause] That willingness — that genuine willingness to walk away — is the most powerful thing you can bring to any negotiation. [16 second pause] And they will feel it. [18 second pause] You speak clearly. You listen fully. You respond thoughtfully. [15 second pause] And when the call ends, however it ends, you will feel proud of how you showed up. [20 second pause] Because you showed up as yourself. Grounded. Clear. Unafraid. [20 second pause]

And now, very gently, let your mind drift forward one more time. [12 second pause] See yourself after the call tomorrow. [10 second pause] The call has ended. You close your laptop or set down your phone. [12 second pause] And you take a breath. [10 second pause] And you notice — you're okay. More than okay. [12 second pause] You held your ground. You said what needed to be said. You listened without flinching. [14 second pause] Whether the terms were agreed or whether there's more to negotiate — you walked through it with integrity. [15 second pause] And that feeling — that quiet pride in how you showed up — that's yours. Nobody can take that from you. [18 second pause] And as the days go on, you'll notice this quality becoming more natural in you. [14 second pause] In every high-stakes conversation. Every room where the pressure is on. [15 second pause] You return to that stillness. That groundedness. That quiet knowing of your own worth. [18 second pause] It becomes the most reliable thing about you. [20 second pause] And tonight, you sleep deeply and completely, knowing that everything you need for tomorrow is already inside you. [20 second pause]

And now there is nothing left to do tonight except sleep. [15 second pause] Let the images fade gently, like the last light of a fire settling into warm embers. [18 second pause] Your body is heavy. Your mind is quiet. [20 second pause] Each breath carries you deeper into the most restorative, healing sleep. [22 second pause] The negotiation will take care of itself tomorrow. [20 second pause] Tonight, you rest. [25 second pause] You have everything you need. [25 second pause] And now... sleep. [30 second pause]

Just drifting now. [30 second pause] Deeper and deeper into rest. [35 second pause] Safe. [30 second pause] Grounded. [35 second pause] At peace. [40 second pause] Sleep now. [45 second pause]