I received this error message on my PC screen on a day when I was feeling frantic – too few hours in the day, too much to do, overwhelmed, annoyed and certainly in no mood for this type of ridiculous communication from a machine!
And then it struck me – I felt like just like that discombobulated robot!
And certainly my “operating system” was throwing error messages. Not just on that day but MOST days.
It sneaks up on us. Until we think that this constant flight/fight state of adrenal fatigue is normal, that this is what a productive life or job entails. Of course, deep down we know it’s not. That if something does not give, and soon, we are going to meltdown, burn up, give up or book a one-way flight with our savings (if we are lucky enough to have any) and never come back. Or we will be faced with a reality that is more common and even more frightening – years, months lost to a state of shut-down, teeth-grinding, dissatisfying survival mode.
The cold hard truth is that we have choices. Always.
The choices we make every day and not just the big life-changing ones, steer our life and work on a course. We can craft our lives and our jobs. Seriously. Ask me. I spent a decade on autopilot to burnout but I got out. How? I was desperate and therefore ready for change. I was offered a 3-month Creative Life Planning Journey with a coach and a small group of what are now dear friends and decided to take a chance. I had no idea what it would entail or if it could help me, but I had to try something. To be frank, I had no energy or motivation to help myself so I accepted the help. There just had to be more to living than a never-ending to-do and crisis response list, surely. And you know what, all our lives changed following that 3-month journey we took together. Books were published, companies were started, dreams were pursued. We did and are doing things we did not think were possible for us. The journey has not been all sunshine and roses but at least it’s OUR journey. We are giving it our best shot to do something that matters, to us, to the world around us. We have learned to find out what we actually want and what is important to us so that we can make intentional choices every day, small and big, that allow us to be who we are and do what we are meant to be doing and pursue crazy big dreams in small everyday steps.
The whole experience was so profound that I became certified to lead Creative Life Planning journeys. So that I can share this with others who would also like to get off the hamster wheel and live life creatively and on purpose. Reach out to me if when you are ready. I can’t wait to hear from you.
Warm regards,
Christine
(christine@openspacesafrica.co.za)
For more details on what the Creative Life Planning Journey is all about – visit this page – https://openspacesafrica.co.za/the-creative-life-planning-journey/