01/01/2024
2023— I had no idea it would go the way it did.
Stand-alone, this was not one of the prettier years. As a chapter within the evolution, it was absolutely fundamental.
It was a chaotic, painful year but
I believe you can’t transform without a “dark night of the soul”— where you (metaphorically) sit in the darkness & are forced to face your shadows.
Between starting my year sick, unable to recover from an anesthesia,
learning to cope with loneliness out of the blue,
to the domino effects of seeking security & approval from someone outside myself,
becoming victim to guilt,
emotionally abusing myself to make others happy,
lying,
separating,
isolating,
healing myself,
raging,
getting hurt again,
then finally…
transforming.
(Icing on the cake: 3 finger injuries & wasn’t able to climb much)
I spent a long time questioning my wounds around loneliness, abandonment, betrayal, trust, criticism, and rejection and spent even more time, scripting the person I’d like to become and the life I’d like to live until I had absolutely ZERO wavering thoughts about what I wanted.
On the other side of the chaos,
I’ve never been so at peace with my self.
I’ve experienced the most career growth I’ve ever had in a year,
I broke my monthly income record in December,
I finally started alpine mountaineering (a lifelong dream),
I attended so many networking events & conferences which have been so fulfilling,
I co-hosted 10+ Holotropic breathwork events,
& Got to witness the perfect compilation of the last 5 years of my work manifest into a 3-day retreat experience.
Also started running for the 1st time in my life,
Started dancing again,
Sent my 1st 5.10 crack climb,
Shed emotional weight, started weight training & got in best shape of my life;
Made some truly amazing, supportive friends,
& Came back into utmost gratitude for my family and our unconventional life.
If there’s any lesson I hope to share it’s this: If you don’t acknowledge & accept your shadows, they’ll drag you down far & away from the life you assume & dream you will live.
If you don’t own your story, your story will own you.
Cheers to transmuting that sh*t, big things on the horizon in 2024!
12/07/2023