Thursday 31 May 2018

Motivation: Wind of Change

Hello sun rays!

Chilling on a rock in Telegrafbukta, Tromsø, Norway
This article welcomes you back in a very different energy field, formed upon a lot of different
circumstances which led to significant changes in the way I am and I perceive things around. Thus, the most suitable title should be " Wind of Change". If this sounds familiar in any way, keep reading.

Life is an unpredictable ocean of experiences itself. It can be calm for really long time but in order to remain functional and sustain any presence there, it needs to be shaken, stirred and redistributed. On the other hand, it can survive through extreme occasions and still make it back to the peaceful calm state again. As a Norse proverb says " It is the still and calm sea which drowns a man" which in my opinion is absolutely correct.

Comfort zones have always been a pleasant environment as they offer the illusion of control just because their limits are within our range of abilities/management, they require minimal effort and uncertainty compared to the world out there. Having a comfort zone can be a very beneficial fortress if you run there through rough times just to recharge your batteries and come back stronger. It can also be a quicksand if you just rely on it without some safety measurements. When you step back into your comfort zone you need to set a specific deadline for your presence there, you need to be completely conscious that this is a healing period to gain back your energy and motivation, rest yourself and return back even more fierce and strong. If any of these terms is not met, your comfort zone gradually becomes a jail and separates you from the life of your dreams. You get so comfortable there, you have everything under control and thus your ability to handle challenges, be creative and explore, sinks in atrophy as the time goes by. Comfort zones are nice but nothing great ever grows there. A downside here is that in most cases, it takes a long time to realize how stuck you are there. However, the feeling your get after your initial step out is of course backed with fear, risk and uncertainty but has also a ton of freedom, independence, courage and confidence in it.

Whither you consciously step out of your comfort zone or circumstances around you cause you to change from the inside (altering your emotions and thoughts too along with your actions), it is certainly a remarkable point in your life. While crossing this path in the present, I recalled a moment from 2017, when I definitely earned some Life Lessons. ( You can find more about it on the link ).
I tried to compare the sense of discomfort, frustration, realization and post-relief between these two periods of my life and I believe that nothing is nearly as big as the intensity of these emotions when situations force you to change without even realizing it.

It comes in waves which catch your eye, you sometimes feel confused but you don't think it's any kind of big deal. Day after day, you keep doing your thing, you have your routine, your goals and social circle but one particular day something feels really different. You can't look at the same people in the same way. Your thought orientation is not the usual one. Your physical and mental response towards the same stimuli is uncommon. That's when you take a step back trying to figure out who you are and where did these observations come from. You feel an inexplicable sense of mental clarity, physical serenity and a cool breeze spreading across your head and body. That's the wind of change. And that's the first time you are not frustrated about all these differences but you can't really understand why.

Let's dive into this a bit further: Usually, this transformation happens under harsh conditions where you have been compressing your own wants, needs, dreams, self expression for so so long. This can either happen in your own will or it can be a long-term situation established by uncontrollable factors that you have to deal with at a certain time. No matter the cause, the outcome follows the same pattern leaving you unrecognizable and some times even surprised by your own self.

Very accurate.
You stand in front of the mirror, you start spotting changes and some of them are not even close to what you cope with. The most significant one is the emotional frost towards things that used to mean a lot to you but do not seem to upset/have any control over you anymore. You do not come in that state within a day because that's a build-up of compressed moments, discomfort and lack of freedom to be your pure, spontaneous self.

What you do not understand until you reach that state is this:

All the burden you felt trapped inside, cumbering and blocking you each and every day can act as an enormous force to launch the arrow farther than you could ever imagine.
Specifically, the arrow will land in a new world, free of all the negative compounds that suffocated you in the past because you will not let any of these grow on the new fertile and virgin soil. You simply take no shit anymore. Even if this is your general moto, this does not represent strength unless you get imposed on yourself and practice accordingly towards situations that have high emotional value for you. Being solid and strong while feeling vulnerable and fragile is the true expression of self-strength. It will not be easy, it will not be pleasant at that particular moment but nothing compares to the upcoming liberation you will experience. Embrace yourself, understand your emotions and give yourself space and time to adapt. Time itself won't heal anything unless you take charge of it.

Wind of Change doesn't come peacefully, it comes after the storm and leaves you renewed with tons of lessons, thoughts and challenges to process and turn into wisdom. 

That's how it goes. You can not jump to the next step if you are not completely done with the previous one. You need to accept the responsibility of your choices and support them, you need to alter some of your default reactions to overcome obstacles and finally LEARN. You need to test your limits, your wants, your values and prove to yourself that you are stronger and more capable of achieving things than you thought (or others wanted you to think). You must get through the storm to build your confidence and trust yourself and your abilities. You may not be able to determine an outcome entirely but at least make sure to have the absolute control of your own contribution. You are allowed to make mistakes, you are entitled to start over and take your time to figure things out. Embrace the journey, let things flow and OBSERVE. The truth is hidden between small or significant things, you only need to pay attention.

Now close your eyes and picture the following: 

Moment of self reorientation
You are on strong ship, fully comfortable and secure but through the journey there is a crash and waters get in quickly. The panic gets over and you feel helpless, frightened and overwhelmed. There are a lot of thoughts to deal with and you are basically blocked and completely clueless where to start from or what to do next. The choice of remaining still and stuck into an unavoidable sinking means certain suffocation and death of your dreams, goals and whole existence. The other choice is to jump off and claim a chance to survive or "a better tomorrow" than letting yourself inactive, to suffer. No matter how scary it feels when you jump into the tide, once you take a deep breath and dive deeper you realize it is far more calm and manageable than the surface (aka first contact). You start adapting and handling it, you believe in yourself and you feel less frightened or uncertain. Then, you get out to breathe again and you are not drowning anymore, you can actually think of the shore since you sorted out the most vital thing first. Things do not really seem that bad and you are actually enjoying yourself swimming and getting more skilled. You are now completely free to dream and choose your own direction and it feels damn nice! You take your time to decide, you set the goal and act upon it.

You focus on that while processing all the facts and progress and after some time you spot other brave warriors swimming in the same sea, either familiar ones from your own "ship" who followed your example or even new ones who are saving themselves from their own "wreckage". What matters is that you are not alone anymore, you are surrounded with people who share the same traces as you do, they have mutual values, experiences, mindset and vibrate around your wave length naturally. You may feel bitter of those who were left behind but after all you realize that everything is a matter of conscious choices, they make us who we are, they stayed back because it was their own choice and you have to respect that. Even if they were present in the form they existed back then, they wouldn't be compatible anymore. That bitterness though is getting smoother and smoother after the appreciation and gratitude you feel for these people around you, they exist without absorbing/spoiling your energy so you can keep going and interacting with them at the same time. While cheering, smiling and enjoying this energy, what a surprise... you can now see the shore! You are actually pretty close without even noticing before! 

Congratulations! You just saved yourself and you arrived in a new, virgin land to build the life of  your dreams, as a brand new person. Welcome to the first day of you Free Life.


Hope that this text had quite an impact on you, as it had on me. More content is on the way so don't forget to follow me on social media to stay updated. In the meantime, you can always reach me for your feedback/questions/recommendations through the contact information provided below. Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Irina

Very recent picture of myself taken in Ekebergparken, Oslo, Norway
Feeling Free.

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