Living A simple life - Redefining Success
In the last few months I have noticed myself feeling more stressed, filling my days with more worries about the future and the feeling of being behind in life. It is when I look underneath the pressure of trying harder to succeed or achieve something that I see what causes me to feel this way. Believing that I am not where I am meant to be, that I am not living the life I am meant to live makes me insecure and because of that I am trying to control my life.
When we don’t trust ourselves or life for that matter we compensate through working harder, protecting ourselves from being vulnerable and controling our environment.
We strive for something in the future, believing that life will happen then when our circumstances change. When we feel uncomfortable in the present moment we try to escape it by running towards something in the future we believe will make us feel better. When life is speeding up in the outside world, it is important to restore balance by slowing down and not try so hard to keep up with life.
simplicity, connection & Freedom
Now that I have a deeper understanding of where this behaviour of rushing, working harder and impatience comes from, I have glimpses of peace and lightheartedness, especially when I go for walks in nature.
I have moments where I feel free of pressure, worries and just at peace with who I am and where I am at in my life.
I believe, deep down we all long for simplicity, connection and freedom. A simple life doesn’t mean a life that is always easy, but one that is free of the unnecessary drama, stress and worries. A simple life means to not work harder to get soewhere else than we are now but to stop, look around and find beauty and peace wherever we are. In order to find connection we need to rest in the present moment instead of running towards the possibilities of the future.
A simple life for me means to truly live and find space every day to connect to the beauty in the simplicity of the small daily habits.
To feel connected with the actions we take, the things we do daily. Like being present and enjoying a good book or using all of our senses when we go for a walk to fully take in our environment.
I believe the connection to the simple things we do, the connection to our feelings and our environment make a life more simple and beautiful.
The beauty in a simple life lies in the way we do things and in the way in which we connect with daily habits, events and encounters.
A simple life means to seek beauty and love in the present while doing the things that fill our days.
What has really helped me to slow down and feel more content with where I am at in my life now, is to redefine what success means.
For many people and for me in the past it meant how much I achieved through working hard or how much I could create and share with the world. The focus in society has been on comparison, competition and status.
Redifining what success means to us and what our most important values are can change our life completely.
Now success means to me the ability to care for myself, to take care of my own needs, to take the responsibility of my well-being in my own hands. Success means for me well BEING not only well DOING. In order to be well we have to just be sometimes and distance ourselves from the business of the world.
Adopting the mindset that no one is ahead of life and no one is behind in life is so incredibly liberating.
There is no one ahead of us and no one behind.
Everyone is exactly where they need to be in order to learn what they need to learn before living their best life.
One of my deepest beliefs has been that I am behind in life, that life is running away and it has left me feeling rushed and impatient. The healing lies in realizing that life happens now and only ever now.
Success is to follow my passions every day a little bit more, to feel more and more safe in pursuing my potential in the knowing I am here to follow and step into my creativity.
I think creativity is one of the main reasons why we are here, to create beautiful things and make this world just a little bit more magical for ourselves, others and our earth.
As a child we learn that creativity is just a hobby and can’t replace a real job. Creativity doesn’t lead to success or abundance. Today I know the opposite to be true. Through creativity and self-expression we come in deeper connection with ourselves again and with that, in connection with others and life itself. It is the path to our highest potential, fulfillment and abundance.
A deeper definition of success is to have the courage to embrace new beginnings, to learn new things and to outgrow our old selves each day, to take little steps towards our dreams.
In the past I have struggled with communication and self-expression. If I was to communicate my own needs I would shut down and feel paralyzed, not able to speak what I felt or needed in the moment.
Most of the time, the things that we have struggled with in the past are some of our greatest strengths, once we have had the courage to look deeper why it didn’t come natural to us.
Today I know that communication is one of my biggest strengths and I have come a long way in healing this wound. I continue to take little steps and express myself through stories, art and music. The ability to communicate from a place of truth and authenticity heals us and makes this world a better place.
So I am starting with myself and hope that you also feel inspired to express and communicate who you really are. When we show our true selves to the world we slowly start to heal and feel safer with every expression. That is success.
Imagine a world without the pressure of having to work to make money, without the fear of falling behind and the struggle to make life work.
A world where you are free to follow your passions, filled with wonder and creativity. A world that mirrors back to you how wonderful and loved you are. You feel lighthearted and joyful, every day is a little life in and of itself.
This world already exists within you as a potential to be expressed.
The secret to living in this world is to have the courage to accept that we were never meant to fit in but to be wonderfully different in our uniqueness. The desire to rediscover who you really are with all your gifts, talents and truth opens the door to this world. Be curious enough to find out what a wonderful life awaits you.