I'm not a particularly superstitious person, but I do believe each of us has lessons to learn in life. How we approach each experience makes all the difference in how easily we learn from our mistakes, take on a new perspective and make changes. The tricky part of handling these experiences is that we often don't view them as growth opportunities until afterward.
The upside is that it's often easy to discern the lessons that others are confronted with. Do you have a friend who keeps dating losers? Right off the bat, you know that this problem won't simply be solved if the person simply wakes up and decides "I'm going to date guys who are good to me." Instead, she needs to learn how wonderful she is and stop putting up with the losers, right? Or, do you have a friend who likes to manage his own money, but keeps making bad investments? Likewise, it's probably clear to both of you he should let someone else handle his finances. What you may see, that he does not, is that he needs to place his trust in others.
It's not as easy to see the lessons that we need to learn for ourselves, even when we're actively looking for them. And let's be honest, we're usually busy trying to get by and not spending too much time rooting out the deeper meaning behind the details. As a result, these experiences often get more painful, since we didn't pay attention to the gentle ones.
If you've been reading along, you know that we have four kids and a growing business that's opening its second location this month. Whenever I'm not with my kids, I'm working. Amid the whirlwind of my life, I still make an effort to put aside some quiet time every week to think about where my life is going, how I'm getting there, and examine any roadblocks. Even with this effort, identifying and learning from the lessons I'm presented is a challenge.
Over the past year though, I had a glaring reminder (well, three of them) that the universe had a lesson to teach me. Recently I've woken up with ringing in my ears, decreased hearing and dizziness, and an inability to walk straight. If it weren't so distressing it'd be funny to watch me bump into the walls! While I'm very fortunate to work with amazing people who are always able fix the imbalance, it was a scary experience, and one that spurred me into some serious introspection.
Interestingly, these episodes only happened when I've been least equipped to deal with them: if I've been working hard to meet a deadline, getting too little sleep, or not exercising as much as I need to. It seems I am unable to maintain my balance when my life is out of balance! Really?
As uncomfortable as it was each time this has happened, I viewed it as a warning (a loud, ringing warning) to slow down, reset, and work the necessities -- like rejuvenation and quiet time -- back into my schedule. Thankfully, with rest and some CranioSacral work, the ringing and dizziness were gone within two days. Taking a step back and re-focusing the important things has become an important life lesson for me, but it didn't come without a little push from the universe.
This new year, I invite you to look at what your body and the world are telling you. Fatigue got you down? Post-vacation putting you in a funk? Listen to your body and try to tease out those lessons before the warning signs speak even louder!
For more by Dr. Wendie Trubow, click here.
For more on stress, click here.