Are you on the right path?

This year it will be twenty years since I left Australia to backpack around Europe for three months. It was amazing, fun, crazy and everything in between! I met some brilliant people and one still very close to me is Vanessa.

She recently reminded me about a time in Vienna - it was a warm Summer’s evening and we were heading into one of the main city squares, going to something we were told was a ‘must see’ (although not that interesting as I can’t remember now…) There was a group of us from the hostel and as we were walking ahead, someone called out for us to stop while they were looking for something in their bag. We did and as we turned around noticed there was a lively music festival in full swing.

Somehow we had missed it.

There were loads of people dancing and having fun - so naturally we changed our plans for the evening.

We also had a new motto for our travels;

“Sometimes you just have to stop and turn around”

You can be heading in one direction, certain it’s where you want to be going, but from time to time it’s important to stop, reflect, turn around, look a little deeper and ask yourself;

Am I still on the right path for me?

Am I creating the life I truly desire?

and even more specific;

What’s most important at this stage in my life?

How do I want to be spending my time?

These questions came up for me recently during a time of rest and recovery. And I didn’t realise they needed answering - until I made space to listen.

Slowing down, taking time off, finding ways to relax can be difficult especially if like me, you were brought up to work hard and conditioned to keep busy. And of course it can be painful, doing less allows all kinds of difficult emotions to come to the surface.

Persist though, because by doing so you make space for new perspectives, ideas and creative solutions.

Being reflective also allows you to see how far you’ve come, how much you’ve grown as a person. And this is really important as generally we don’t give ourselves enough compassion, empathy and grace with what we’ve been through. Maybe you want to forget the pain and sadness and move on, that’s completely understandable - but you survived and can thrive.

And you don’t need to do this alone or wait until you’re forced to slow down and rest. Reiki is a wonderful emotional support and can give you the space from your busy life to reflect and listen. I’d be very happy to have a free chat with you about how Reiki can help you on your way.

Or you might be in a different camp, at a crossroads - not sure what path to take, or what direction…

Don’t despair! You’re probably closer than what you think or it feels like. I’ve been here a few times and know how frustrating it can be. Here are some ideas that helped me;

Go back to something that you used to love doing - even if it was when you were a child. Tap into playfulness again.

Find a class / course / something you’ve always wanted to try and give it a go.

Move out of your comfort zone - this is key! You can still keep the rest of your life stable, you don’t need to pack your bags and travel halfway around the world (or you could).

Try this visualisation (it’s helped me many times) - imagine yourself ten years from now, looking back over the decade, ask yourself;

What will I most regret if I don’t give it a go?

See what comes up. All ideas welcome and there will be something that sticks. If you’re left with a couple of ideas, visualise them both in detail - how do you feel? What path lights you up more?

We’re so lucky in this day and age to have many paths open and available, not like that of our parents or grandparents. Yet we can get stuck with choices…

If you need some help to work through this transition in your life, send me an email and we can have a chat about how Reiki could help you!