As many of you know, I’ve spent the past year living abroad in Europe. This has truly been a dream come true for me and it has been the best year of my life. I feel so happy, content like I am living my life to the fullest. I feel so happy I could burst into tears of joy. As I write this, it is my final week of my year living in Valencia. I literally had a meltdown yesterday about it and today I feel back on top of the world. So, I want to share my roller coaster ride with you so I can help you to stay connected with your happiness or get back to it quickly if you’ve slipped out of it.
The Spiral
Firstly, my perception on meltdown day was typical what I call ‘spiral behavior’. One thing sets you off and then all the sudden you’re spiraling into a pit of self-doubt, shame and cursing yourself for being a terrible human. Even when you’re feeling on top of the world, a tiny Instagram post or comment can change things. For me it was a perfect storm, I was starting to pack all of my belongings into one suitcase, heart crushing. A year of dreams, thinking about leaving this amazing place I call home. I felt like someone was taking Valencia away from me like we were breaking up, but neither of us wanted to. I was also out of my routine after a long weekend of fun with my friends in the sun and pool. I wasn’t doing my regular meditation and I wasn’t even brushing my hair because you don’t need to on beach days. BUTTTT turns out you do need to put a little thought into you, if you want to stay connected to your happiness.
The Recovery
The next day, I woke up, meditated on my goals and dreams. I thought about my beautiful family and friends in Canada. I thought of the possibilities. I went to the gym to clear my mind, work on my fitness and listen to an audiobook that my cousin recommended to me. (“The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday”) Isn’t it funny the way the universe gives you little nuggets or gifts right when you need them?! You can pick them up or go on suffering. Pay attention to these nuggets. The book was a nugget for me. I thought, hmm, sounds like a perfect book for me as I am about to face more obstacles moving home to Canada and starting to pursue my next goals and dreams. So, I listened and among many things that stood out to me, I wanted to share this one on perspective with you:
“Perspective has two definitions
1. Context: a sense of the largest picture of the world, not just what is immediately in front of us.
2. Framing: an individual’s unique way of looking at the world, a way that interprets its events.” – Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way
The Importance of Perspective + Self-Care
I realized again, how important perspective is especially at times when we come up against obstacles. I completely changed my focus. I went to the salon and got a hair mask for some self-love (as my blonde hair gets fried in the sun + sea), and then went on a coffee date with Mikey to set intentions for our future together. We played around the city, melted in the warm sun, and enjoyed every minute. Now, I am writing to you about it and it brings me joy to share my experiences with you. What a perfect day! My fears turned into possibilities.
What I Learned
Perhaps it was more re-iterated than learned. We all know these things, but sometimes get caught up and forget to implement them. What you focus on expands. You can focus on the fear, change, obstacles and start to spiral. Or, you can focus on the fear, change obstacle and see it as a challenge, something for you to take on and overcome. It will make you a stronger human and a better boss. Further to this, self-care is important. For me, having my meditation time, gym routine and beauty regiment makes a difference in my entire outlook. Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good as my girls’ soccer team used to say.
If you need some help shifting your perspective, give me a call, I would love to connect with you, seriously! Or if you would rather text; send me an email, or drop me a message on Instagram or Facebook. Just give me a little hint that you want to connect, and I can do all the reaching out and talking, I promise it will be fun, worth it and you’ll feel 100000000 times better!
