Tell us your BUSTING OUT story?
This time last year, I retired from teaching group fitness, resigned from my sales + marketing role at the gym, let go of my five year marriage, and unexpectedly fell in love with a woman. The catalyst for these changes: Vipassana, a 10 day silent retreat.
What gave you the motivation to change your life?
Misery. Sadness. Hitting rock bottom – emotionally. Feeling lost. Withdrawn. Numb. Deep down my world was falling apart, and I was exhausted trying so hard to keep it together and keep up with appearances. The dark days were hanging around way too long, and I could feel myself slipping a little more every day. I was over the tears, I was over the lies I kept telling myself, and I was over trying to please everyone else. I had forgotten what it was like to be ALIVE + AWAKE, OOZING LOVE + ENTHUASIASM…I wanted those feelings back in my life, and not just for a fleeting moment.
What was the most challenging thing you faced when you BUSTED OUT of your old life?
Letting go. Letting go of having to have it all figured out, letting go of logic and reasoning, letting go of other people’s opinions, letting go of other people’s expectations, letting go of people pleasing, letting go of disappointing other’s, letting go of playing it safe, letting go of the lies I told myself, letting go of stuff that no longer ‘felt’ right, letting go of who I thought I was meant to be.
When you felt like going back to your old life how did you stay focused and on track?
There’s nothing like appreciating silence and solitude to bring you back to the path of heart and remind you what truly matters. For me, meditating, journaling, practicing yoga and resting in nature’s embrace is always more insightful and reassuring than indulging in a bottle of wine, thrashing myself at the gym or seeking someone else’s opinion.
Looking back, what are some of the realisations you have now that you didn’t have back then?
We already know the answers. Deep. Deep. Down. We already know. The answers we’re seeking aren’t in a book, a seminar, a psychic reading, or a counselling session. All the answers we seek are within. We hear and feel the whispers, but we don’t trust ourselves enough to do something about it. So, we keep on looking for signs, we keep on looking for messages, we keep on gathering more evidence, more proof. This is why they say, the longest journey we’ll ever make is from our head to our heart.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to make a change?
Go to that place where the volume of your thoughts is quiet enough you can hear the true whispers of your heart. Decisions made from here will always prosper and the pathways of possibilities to make it happen will be illuminated. Promise.
About Susana
Susana is a yoga teacher on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She’s passionate about evoking the truth, making love the bottom line + living life wholeheartedly. She shares her insights and inspirations at http://www.ramblingepicure.blogspot.com/