It’s amazing how the trajectory of your life can change with one decision.
While you may not have realized it, dear friends, I’ve been in Costa Rica over the last two weeks on a scouting trip. And, just like that, (*snap*) my son has a new school, we have a new home and we’re packing up our lives to move internationally in a month.
Exciting?! Definitely! But also overwhelming and a bit frightening too.
I’m not frightened of living in Costa Rica. Far from it. I’m not frightened of the change. I get energized in situations like this. What frightens me is how we’ll all show up in the midst of the chaos that is sure to ensue during this move.
When life feels out of control, because you’re managing so many moving pieces and making a million decisions a day, we tend to misplace our kinder, gentler selves. We react. We get short with one another. We entrench. Battle lines get drawn (“No, you cannot bring all the Legos of your youth to Costa Rica!”). Our better selves fall by the wayside.
However exciting big changes may be, we human beings who like our comfort zones, are sure to shapeshift on any given day when those zones are threatened.
So in addition to my never-ending-to-do-list, I know I need to add, “Ground yourself. Breathe.” Because what’s at stake is bigger than simply getting our stuff from point A to point B.
This has been a year of enormous change for all of us. Who will we be on the other side?
Will the person you bring to your life’s activities be someone who represents your values? Will they be the person you hope they will be when things get hard? Will the you who carries the weight of your responsibilities also be the you who is representative of your better self?
Only time will tell.
But this life is not an all or nothing thing. There will be good moments and reactive moments. You will not be all one way or another. Because you’re human.
It’s how you continue to bring yourself back to the you you want to be that matters. Who do you want to be in your story?
These are questions that will keep me centered these next few months, as we pack up our lives for our grand adventure.
Let’s remind ourselves, friends, that life, in-of-itself, is a grand adventure. How we show up on a minute-to-minute-basis matters. Who we become on the other side is simply the sum of those actions. Who do you want to be? How about…
Brave.
©A Thoughtful Company, LLC, 2020
Dear friend. I thought you might have been down there…. Best wishes for a successful move. What other “Legos” do you want and need to leave behind?
One word really jumped out at me as I read your piece: “Breathe.” It’s amazing how life comes back into perspective when we take a few moments to step off the moving sidewalk, to pause and reflect. Things that seemed so important in one moment can become embarrassingly trivial. I have to remind myself of that. In these days of darkness, it’s easy to look at external signs for “life preservers” – validations that what I’m doing is meaningful. Better to have that periodic conversation with myself to answer the all-important question “Am I trying to be meaningful in what I do?”
And now for the really important question, where will I be able to fly fish when I visit you?
The first step to take is to get in touch with your self, canceling all external influences and acquiring a full awareness that allows you to perceive your real desires.
The heart knows the way to go. People who lean towards rationalizing all aspects of their life struggle to follow what their heart suggests. Too often we prefer to listen to the brain, analyzing the pros and cons of each situation and ending up losing sight of the emotional drive that should animate any choice.
Choosing rationally can be useful in minimizing risks, but it often leads to unhappiness.
It is therefore essential to try to listen to your inner voice and let yourself be guided by it: there are many who argue that the soul already contains the answers you are looking for, while every problem arises from deciding whether or not to listen own conscience.
The world is full of people who have had the courage to make important choices, sometimes going against everything and everyone, but most of these people have a smile on their face, the smile of they listened to their hearts and nothing else.
Congra Kimberly! Very exciting and great tips for conducting bravery! When you start taking action from your own narrative… this is the story on the big screen! Wishing all the best my lady! Bravo!
Great reminder Kimberly! We do get to choose who we are in each day. However bumpy that day may be.
You brought back memories of international moves. And the camping trips we took while living in various places.
Your article provoked a perspective shift. Seeing all that travel from my mom’s eyes on those moves today – wow. Mom and Dad were brave.
Just before reading this, I made a simple silly video that helped me be brave with what I’m about to get going. Your article helped me realize that’s what was happening when I recorded that — and Wednesday’s clips that I’ll be chopping up today…
Thanks!! It’s amazing how one article can shift recognition.
What each of us is doing now is being brave!!
blessings,
Cynthia
Oh how wonderful, brave friend!! Brave begets brave. It sounds like you’re on a roll!
Kimberly, another excellent article. Major change is frightening and I often find myself reverting back to old thoughts that never served me well, but kept me safe – at least I convinced myself it was safe. I am incorporating major change in 2021 – not to the same extent as you. New TV show, three book deal, new marketing program, and looking to acquire two businesses. How will it all turn out? I will put in the effort and time will tell. Thank you for the inspiration to try.
Holy smokes, Frank! You’ve got A LOT going on friend! I’m excited about what you’re up to and the impact you are sure to make and look forward to cheering you on!
Thanks for that post, Kimberly. I am coming back from spinal surgery and working like a madman to get my legs back under me. I actively seek inspiration. This is, in my mind, a true find.
All the best…jim
Oh Jim! What a year this has been… That is no small thing, my friend. Sending so much good energy your way! This whole inspiring thing? It seems to me that it’s reciprocal! Keep doing what you’re doing, madman. You’ve got this!
Kimberly,
You always invite us to look deeper inside ourselves. It’s so true that when life happens we can, if we’re not careful, act in a way that doesn’t show up in the way we normally do. You did that in this article.
I wish you and your family a relatively smooth migration.
Yvonne
Thank you so much, Yvonne. Working to remember that it unfolds one situation at a time!
Kimberley, it is this right here…”It’s how you continue to bring yourself back to the you you want to be that matters. Who do you want to be in your story?” I firmly believe that the quality of our lives are based on the quality of the questions we ask. This question lends itself to a fundamental core value for me that deserves to be asked every day, and more than once if needed. Thank you for living your life out loud… You are blazing a trail for others. Bravo and Bravo!
Your comments always feel like a big hug, Carolyn. Thank you so much for investing so much of yourself here! I hope you know how much it matters!