The world always continues to turn.

No matter what is happening, no matter what you do, no matter how integral to a process or system, job or outcome you think you are, it will turn whether you are there or not.

That’s not easy to read, I know, but I’ve experienced it first hand.

I spent my entire life rushing from place to place, serving this person and that, juggling a million balls at once and always terrified that I would drop one and let someone down.

So I tried to be everything to everyone, to make sure they were all OK. I gave everything I had until there was nothing left to give. And then I found a way to give more.

Significant change can occur in less than 60 seconds.
One minute my life was on a certain trajectory, the next there was nothing. In less than a minute my life shattered. I went from an award-winning executive in one instant to being on the floor, unable to participate in even the basics in life and unable to stop crying.

Everything I knew disappeared, I didn’t know where to turn and I had no way of working out what was happening to me, or how I could fix the situation.

In less than 60 seconds I went from being stuck in my life to being completely lost.

Putting myself back together was easily the hardest thing I have ever done.
I learnt a lot in putting myself back together. It was an extraordinary process – sitting on the floor, picking up pieces of myself, looking at them honestly and deciding whether I wanted them moving forwards.

It was messy, it was confronting and there was so much emotion. It was also painful and invasive, and completely overwhelming.

There were two things that were the hardest for me to see.

The first was that when I looked in the mirror I had no idea who was looking back at me. I had shaped and morphed myself so much, and so often, that I had no idea who I was any more.

The second was that I had created the situation I found myself in. My life was a direct result of the choices I had made. Everything I was experiencing came from decisions I had made about what I was – and wasn’t – going to do.


It was compassion that got me through.
I am kind and compassionate. I am helpful, considerate and loving. But I had never given any of these things to myself.

When my life shattered, I dropped every ball I was juggling and I was unable to pick any of them up.

Technically, I let down every single person that was associated with those balls.

But the world continued on. It moved around me, continued to turn and left me standing still. I was so focused on all the things I had to do for other people, that I had no time to consider the impact I was having on myself.

As I recovered, I made time to give myself the things that were important to me, the things that really mattered. The more I did this, the less stress I experienced … and the less stressed I was, the more I found happiness and laughter appear every day.

Now, everything I do is aligned with the things that are important to me. I give myself the things I need to recharge my energy every day.

The more recharged I am, the more clarity I get about the next steps I need to take for me to fulfil my purpose in the world.

I understand my impact in the world, but more importantly: I understand that my impact starts with myself.

The simplest pathway always starts with understanding important information about yourself.

If you want to some help in finding new ways to start asking yourself questions that matter, you can access tips in the articles and videos in my FREE email series – it’s a great way to help you begin your journey. Simply click here to start you on your way.

Bronwen Sciortino is a Simplicity Expert, Professional Speaker and an internationally renowned author.

 

This article first appeared on Regalier Magazine in September 2020. You can read the article by clicking here.