Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness

There may come a time in your life, and that time may be now, where the churning feeling in your stomach is relentless and your mind constantly wanders to alternate realities where life is more motivating, energetic, free and fulfilling. Perhaps your life is chugging along okay but you fantasies about impacting the world in a positive way, rather than continuing as a cog in the wheel for someone else’s vision. Misery and frustration stem from wasted time, certainly wasted talent and diminishing self-confidence that you will ever be brave enough to make a decision or take a chance.

Taking risks in life means refusing to accept that you are the victim of circumstances and listening to your gut instinct to keep yourself driving forward. This might mean leaving a job or industry that isn’t aligned with your values, saying no to compromises that insult your soul, changing a dynamic or strengthening a boundary in a relationship, moving away from a toxic living situation, or speaking up for a cause that is important to you.

Of course this means facing the uncomfortable truth that you may lose the support of friends or family members, there may be a change in your financial situation, or it may throw you into limbo in other areas of your life. Accepting huge upheavals in our existence boils down to potentially experiencing rejection, relationship breakdowns and isolation. Fear of failure and the quagmire of self-doubt can stop us in our tracks.

The real question should be, have you got it in you to not make these changes in your life? It takes a much stronger person to be faced with the belittling task of settling for an inadequate life where passion remains muted. Who do you want to be in ten years? Can you see yourself continuing down this path? What kind of legacy do you hope to leave your children or future generations?

The fact is, we are all going to die.

This is an unquestionable fact, yet we deny to ourselves the blatant truth and consequence of this on a daily basis. Not pursuing what you love will only prove to destroy what little time we have to experience joy on this miraculous planet. We have been conditioned to believe that working on ourselves is a wallowing, self-indulgent, self-pitying and self-involved exercise. THIS COULDN’T BE MORE WRONG.

The truth is, it’s impossible to ignore our true calling if we really want to positively affect the world, even in a small way. The only way to find your true and authentic self is to discover your joy and your passion, and connect with the world through this. By figuring out what is important to you, you can connect with others who possess the same values.

Often, clients that I work with feel stagnant in their lives and have lost touch with what they love. This feeling is perpetuated by habitual distractions like social media; food and alcohol, which momentarily take away the focus from the challenges of change. If you are in this space right now, I invite you to do two things:

Name at least ten things that are important to you and why. This establishes your values, and will greatly depend on your personal experiences and perspective on life.

Brainstorm all of the things that you ever loved doing, right back to when you were a child. Leave all judgments and reasoning out of this process – again, there should be at least ten things. It’s okay to love unconventional things.

Once you have identified some things that you love or have loved at one point, adapt some of these ideas into practical things that you can integrate into your life. Then, ACTUALLY DO THEM.

Experiencing passion and excitement in our lives creates more inspiration, as well as joy, fulfillment, confidence and creativity. Life instantly becomes a place you want to be, and the feeling of living in black and white springs to Technicolor. You begin to unearth your strengths. Anxiety and a general lack of enthusiasm become a thing of the past.

If all else fails, ask for divine guidance. No matter what you believe in, if you are just treading water to pass the time in this life, put your pride aside for a minute, look up at the sky and say “I’m ready and willing to start living my life if you’ll please show me the way”. If the thought of a higher power repulses you - try looking in the mirror. You can at least start with believing in yourself.

Time is valuable, you are valuable and your gifts that you could be potentially offering the world are valuable. You bring to the world your unique experiences, perspective and talents, whether you choose to accept this fact or not. Don’t give up on yourself! You are a treasured asset to this planet and you deserve to live a fulfilled and passionate life.