A week ago I finished an exhilarating and life-giving branding challenge. I poured my heart in to the assignments, finding new ways to express the why and how of living my purpose and giving voice to the mission of the work that I do in the world. I willingly struggled to post my completed assignments on the Facebook page of The Brand Story Challenge Group. I stripped and laid myself bare each day and then basked in the after-glow of visions and dreams of my future business endeavors.

And then something happened…

The challenge ended. I found myself sick and exhausted and out of any ideas for what to do next to move myself forward. I was confused.

What happened? What do I do now? How do I move forward? What am I even doing? Am I honestly doing what I love? Why after such great optimism and effort do I feel so lost and so stupid? Ever been there?

I’ll Have What She’s Having

In a world of celebrity envy, prosperity gospels, make all your dreams come true in six months webinars, 21 days to your best body EVER and endless fast-fixes to the complex, multi-faceted problems that cause inner conflict in our lives, it’s easy to feel lost and lonely. So many people I know are facing life-changing issues that are creating inner turmoil and sleepless nights. Measuring our success by the unresolved conflicts within ourselves leads to blame, shame and the desire to have someone else’s “perfect life.” But this one life is all we have right now.

Listen

The most valuable skill in any conflict you are engaged in especially with yourself is deep listening. After the challenge, my body was talking to me and trying to teach me something about myself and I needed to listen. Not judge but really listen. My new friend Marilyn Eppolite, an expert in energy and body-based therapies assured me that what was happening to me was natural especially this time of year. It was a renewing of sorts. Taking the time to admit my emotional exhaustion and nurture rather than fight my body was the beginning of deep listening. Answers surface when we let all of who we are have a voice in our life.

Take A Step Back

Whatever consumes us controls us. Refuse to be controlled by what you view as your limitations. The inability to resolve inner conflicts is temporary if we do not allow it to make a permanent impression on us.

Do something with me please. Breathe in, visualize it and literally take a step back, breathe it out, leave it there and walk away. It’s there anytime you want it back.

Practice Being Fully Present

Gary Zukav, a prominent and, I think, thoughtful author says, “we have to feel. Emotional awareness is the first step to spiritual growth.” In other words, being fully present allows us to tune in and actually experience our life rather than the fantasy. Taking in and feeling what is really happening as it is actually and currently happening helps us come to grips with reality and understand that answers will come. After all, if we look back at our previous challenges, we realize that they always have.

Adopting these life-giving strategies changed my week and hey, that’s a great start.
 
 
To learn more about Marilyn Eppolite, visit www.thewisdomwithin.net

To learn more about The Brand Story Challenge, visit www.jenniferkem.com