Last year I made an important life decision to leave my secure, well-paying job, to pursue my dream of studying kinesiology, to focus on my own health and help others to be the best version of themselves.
There were a few key things and realisations that led to this decision, which I know was right for me:
- Ignore your warning signs at your own risk
It’s easier to see the priorities in life when you’re lying in a hospital bed after emergency surgery. Health. Family. Friends. Seeing my children grow up and watching the sunset at every opportunity.
I had been under chronic stress and essentially stuck in the fight/flight response for the better part of the previous 10 years. I had not been living my values truly and had not cared for myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually or physically – and finally, my body said “Enough!”
When you put off checking in on yourself and try to disconnect from your own warning signs, your body will eventually stop supporting you. Trust your instincts here.
- Gratitude – you find what you look for
Even though nobody “enjoys” learning things the hard way, sometimes we need these jolts to:
a) realise we’re stronger than we ever dreamed; and
b) discover that the lessons are actually a gift to be grateful for; they help us truly move forward and grow.
I came across an inspiring author by the name of Toni Powell at a session she held on Gratitude at my daughter’s school last year. Yes, I use a capital G for Gratitude. The wisdom Toni shared was just what I needed, at that exact time in my life. I also have a link to her wonderful website from my home page, so that you can experience Gratitude for yourself. You will never look at things the same again.
- Listen to your heart
So much more than a Roxette song, this is a reminder that sometimes our brain really just gets in the way. For many years, I made a living resolving complaints. I was good at it and it became how I defined myself. What I didn’t notice was that after some time I fell back on this habit for everything, but I’m sure you’ll agree that many things – feelings, other people (especially small children) – tend to defy logic!
To make the decisions that support you living life to the fullest, listen to your heart. Listing pros and cons has its place, but if you come across something that lights you up and makes you want to leap out of bed in the morning, you can be pretty safe your heart is saying “Yes! Let’s do this!!” Your brain, on the other hand will try to see everything that can go wrong with that decision. Its job, after all, is to keep you alive and to make things easy and comfortable. But is that really living?
- Ask for help
Asking for help for me used to be painful. It felt it was admitting failure and I liked to be independent. But when I got sick, my family and I were put in a situation where we had to ask for help; there was no other option. And helped me to see firstly what a fantastic community we live in, but also that people love helping! The reason we’re all good at different things is that it helps us to meet our basic human need of connecting with others. These connections are what give us the most meaning and joy in life.
Having “it all together” is nice in theory, but it’s not usually real. Being brave enough to share my vulnerabilities and admitting I need help is where I make the biggest discoveries.
So, thanks to some amazing learnings and perspective shifts I took a leap into the unknown and I know it was the right decision. I’m helping people in a way that “fits” me and I feel I’m now living as an example to my kids that anything is possible if you follow your passion.