I’ve had many defining moments along this journey of life. And many of those moments included some incredibly memorable conversations. Conversations that stick with you and help you view your world from a different perspective.
One such conversation happened many years ago with a close friend while I was chewing her ear off about how much I felt disillusioned by my career and how things just seemed to be so far from where I thought they would be.
And her straight forward observation and advice –
it’s all about marrying fantasy with reality
Let me explain – when it comes to making a decision that will change your direction, you have expectations and visions in your head of how it will pan out – some of it is based on factual information but for the most part it is day dreaming and grabbing onto shooting stars. At some point after you’ve made the decision and jumped in feet first, you need to take stock.
A re-callibration is required.
A chance to confirm why you chose this path
and how much of your initial fantasy exists within the reality.
This can really apply to many aspects of our life and those big decisions where we are faced with a fork in the road – whether it be a new job, a new career, a new partnership, even a marriage or starting a family.
There are many points along the way where we need to stop and re-callibrate.
Realign our goals and visions with how our every day reality is showing up.
Make tweaks and adjustments and set off again.
But as I have discovered, there is one essential ingredient I was missing to help ease this journey.
Presence
My reality check often came at a point where I had walked a long way down a path with my head in the clouds dreaming of my fabulous future. Once I bumped into something right in front of me that blocked my path, I took a look around and thought “How on earth did I get here?” And as I took stock of my surroundings, I recognised nothing. As though I had wandered down a dead end street and there was no way back.
Image by Vaikoovery
With the crazy pace of modern life, we need to activate our pause buttons more than ever.
Switch off the auto pilot and get out of the clouds.
Take the time – rest and reflect – don’t keep charging ahead.
You know where your mind (and perhaps your heart) has already gone – but look down at your feet
are they pointing in the same direction?
By being present – you begin to re-callibrate on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. You can check in to see and feel how your reality is aligning with your vision. Without being present you end up missing the journey between Fantasy and Reality.
after all it’s about the journey
