Ebenum Leadership Courses
Himalayan Buddhist temple complex perched on a vertical rockface.

My journey started with a personal development workshop 2011. But while hiking in 2014 in Himalayas, where I found myself constantly trying to find my breath. A group of monks in Crocs and robes periodically stopped to ask me, the girl in REI hiking gear, a North Face coat and Merrill shoes, if I should be hiking at all. They were right to ask but I was determined to see the infamous Buddhist monastery Tiger’s Nest. Or so I thought, at the time.

I presumed a trip across the world to a sacred space would replenish my reserves, but after that trip to Bhutan I was still restless. I came back home with a passion to set myself up for success. I hosted a vision board party and decided to dream big. Somehow I knew I was living small to fit into the B minus life. I began working with a hypnotist and scheduled a Reiki session to work on my chakras. I looked for solutions to the complacency I had felt at work. My “solutions” included everything and anything. I thought meditating in Bhutan, creating a vision board and getting a Reiki treatment would reignite my fire at work. While helpful, nothing did the trick. But they did start me on my journey toward knowing that I could do better.

ACCEPT YOUR DESIRES

  • In Bhutan- I learned there was more to happiness than a first-world life. Traveling to the country that measures Gross National Happiness encouraged me to be more intentional in my steps and direct in actions.
  • The vision board challenged me to dream bigger and with purpose.
  • The Reiki session sparked peace and a knowing that more was just around the corner.

Have you ever dreamt of stepping away from your career? Spent your commute for 7 years designing an exit strategy?

I realized I could view my discontent as a problem that needed to be resolved or an adventure that needed to be taken.

I learned a lot along the way but, most importantly, the steps I needed to engage and reconnect so I could make a living that aligns with my values and purpose. Finally, I decided to sit still and concentrate on goals: the whats, the fixed outcomes in the future, my motivating factors.

When I was knee deep in my successful career, my list of goals looked like this:

  • Get a promotion
  • Buy a new handbag or concert tickets
  • Taking all my bucket list trips with my friends
  • Host dinner parties and cooking classes in my home

There’s nothing wrong with these goals, but they were small and had clear boundaries. It’s very likely my life would still be centered around goals like that, had I not made a change.

If you ask me what my goals are today, you would see my 5 to 10 percent shift. I now anchor my goals not in the tangible outcome (the handbag) but instead on the emotional experiences I want to have in my life. Nowadays my list looks something like this:

  • Being present and seeking moments of alignment and ease
  • Nurture relationship with self and others
  • Explore the world (I Love to travel, there is so much to learn!)
  • Eating healthier (fewer desserts)
  • Be my own inspiration for motivated living
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