As the hard COVID lockdown started to lift, I became more and more anxious about returning to work. My business had been closed for 5 full months and at a time when I should have been relieved to open my doors again, I was feeling insecure and terribly overwhelmed. My head was filled with thoughts like, “What if this happens again?” and “Will this change how I do business?”, “Do I even want to be doing this job anymore?” I knew that I was not the only one feeling this way, but I sat in my car one afternoon and just cried and cried. I was feeling empty, overwhelmed and unhappy.
Since then, I have been on such an amazing journey and the people I have met along the way have changed how I see myself and my future.
Here are my top 7 takeaways.
- Life happens, but your thoughts are a choice
I don’t think I ever realised how powerful our own thoughts are in the creation of our realities. And even more shocking, I was not aware of some of the nasty (urgh!!…quite nasty) things I used to tell myself. I thought of myself as a positive person, always seeing the bright side of a situation…yet, when I came to self-judgment, I was quite harsh on myself. How could I create this outcome I desired so much if I was filling my own thoughts with no possibilities?
Becoming aware of our thoughts and beliefs, being curious about where these thoughts and beliefs are coming from and learning how to transform these into healthier and happier thoughts and beliefs has changed every aspect of my life. We cannot control what happens to us in life, but we definitely can control what we choose to think and do in response to these things.
2. Happiness is for the birds
If someone had to ask me, “Well, what is it that you truly want in life?”, I would answer that I “just” want to be happy. What I did not know was that happiness is not some huge event or overwhelming feeling, it was the sum of many small things that happen every day, almost like the sound of birds singing when the dawn breaks.
Noticing and acknowledging the every day things in our lives is the road to our happiness.
3. Creativity is soul food
Since I was a little kid, I have always loved crafting, creating and fiddling away to keep my hands busy. Since becoming a mom (more than 16 years ago…yikes!), I have allowed myself to believe that I “do not have time to waste”. What a mistake I have been making all of these years…allowing my tank to run dry and thinking that this was actually serving those I loved.
Now that I have started to create and “play” a little more, I am able to share myself even better with those that I love.
4. Dream big and then take even bigger action
Limiting beliefs…are these just buzz words that are flying around these days? Can we really limit ourselves just by what we believe we can do? I have been challenging my own beliefs and trying to understand how my self-limiting beliefs has shown up for me in my life…and things are starting to change for me. However, thinking about how awesome you are and what you are capable of is not enough, it is only the start!!
Planning and taking action is powerful!
5. I am not alone
I have been an entrepreneur for almost 20 years. I love working for myself and being an introvert, this works well for me. But it can become a lonely place and the spark dies when you don’t have other people to bounce ideas and worries off of. My journey over the last year with a Business Coach and being part of a community with other entrepreneurs has opened my eyes to how valuable people are who are in your corner.
Now I continue to reach out and build these valuable relationships with other positive people.
6. Things do not have to stay the same forever
I was born and bred, lived and worked in the same city all of my life. And now, at the age of almost 50, I am thinking of making a change, how crazy is that? I can feel that I need to make a change, that I am changing as a person and this has been super scary. Even though I am feeling overwhelmed and uncertain, I am ready to move on and make some changes.
After all…things don’t always have to stay the same, do they? It has taken me many years to acknowledge that this is something that I am allowed to do, capable of doing and I am taking the steps to make this a reality in my life.
7. Done is better than perfect
Things do not always have to be perfect! You do not have to know it all or do it all. Showing up and doing the best you can with the knowledge you have is enough!
And this is why I have written this blog today! Will anyone read it? Will anyone care? What will people think? Does any of this matter? Who knows, let’s see…I showed up! I shared what I know! I hope this helps someone else who is going through big changes in their lives as well.
Leave a comment and help push me in the right direction! I value your input.
