I’ve just come back from a trip to New Zealand that was part retreat, part detox and part hiking up a few mountains. It was also a wonderful opportunity to rest my tired and weary soul and put a few things into perspective about the next stage of my life.
Over the years, I’ve discovered that when I’m feeling rested – that’s the best place to be in the receiving mode – from information to impulses to insights. It’s my best chance to get into my soul alignment.
So I hired a car from Auckland airport and drove about 130kms south to where I needed to be, only my hire car didn’t have an in built GPS system, and the usb chord I had bought over from Sydney to charge my IPhone didn’t seem to want to connect with any NZ port.
It started to rain torrentially and I managed to connect to Google maps so I could navigate the unfamiliar terrain, only my phone battery finally relented when I was about 20 minutes away from my destination just as it was getting dark as the sun was setting..
I asked my guides to give me a sign so as to reassure me that I was on the right path, and was soon greeted by the most incredible double rainbow assuring me that there’d be a pot of gold at the end of my destination.
I’m convinced my impending hunger must have activated my inner hound dog spirit animal because I channeled the rest of the way there, and arrived just in time for dinner.
It was wonderful to be surrounded by New Zealand lush greenery and to have the opportunity to be away from my usual routine, familiar haunts and wifi comfort zone.
Most of the activities were self paced, except for the hiking, which proved to be an interesting experience for me as I’d previously always considered myself an avid walker / hiker.
And it turns out I still am. I just prefer walking and hiking at my own pace.
You know when get to that point of being significantly more physically challenged than you normally are, and all your shit comes up? Yep, that happened to me while I was heaving, clamouring and sliding through the wet and muddy foothills.
I didn’t come to fully understand the source of my frustration until another mountain hike a few days later when everyone else had opted to participate in another activity, and it was just me and 2 of the guides meandering up yet another hill after lunch.
As we had only just finished eating, it felt like I was going to bring my lunch back up, so they suggested that I set the pace, which I did. After a few minutes, I was told to pick it up again otherwise I’d be late for the mineral spa soak.
And that’s when it hit me.
I’d spent years rushing to get to the top of my own literal and figurative mountains such as amassing another qualification or trying to hit another milestone in my business.
An adrenal burnout later taught me that this behaviour was simply not sustainable and it took me years to learn to pace myself and to be mindful about how I tracked my own energy.
The first step was learning to listen to my body and to stop mentally pushing myself, and the second step was to learn to stand my ground with others so that I wouldn’t get swept up in a foreign sense of urgency that wasn’t aligned with my own vibration.
That day on the mountain I was given 2 choices. I either make haste and pick up the pace so as not to run late, or I run late and miss out on a mineral soak.
But I chose neither.
Because it wasn’t about getting to the top of the mountain at all. For me, the lookout at the three quarter point was beautiful enough, I didn’t need to get to the very top. I didn’t need to rush – I do that enough in Sydney.
I wanted to absorb the activated energy of the stunning forest in this foreign land at a pace where I could be present to my thoughts as I witnessed so many alchemical changes within and around me.
That moment was so symbolic not only of where I am in my life, but of how comfortable I now am to stroll mindfully instead of rushing listlessly. Oh and speaking of retreats – you heard it here first.. the next one I’ll be facilitating will be from 15 – 17 February next year, so save the date and I’ll give you more information about it next time I write!
I’ve come back feeling refreshed and inspired but also excited to be part of the FREE Radical Shifts Online Summit along with many people who I’ve admired for years such as Dr John Demartini, Dr Bruce Lipton, Danielle La Porte, Ben Lee and Brandon Bays.
My wonderful friend Catherine Plano who is hosting the summit is a gorgeous woman who has invited 16 powerful thought leaders and change makers to share their wisdom over 8 days.
It offers real insight into human behaviour and brain science, quantum physics and metaphysics, exploring the intricate connections between thoughts and feelings, to the way we behave and the decisions we make.
It will challenge your preconceptions and encourage you to get to know yourself better, as well as showing you how to be happier, more successful and less stressed.
The content is rich, inspirational, thought-provoking, extraordinary, life changing and cutting edge. You’ll hear about recent discoveries from the world of neuroscience, cognitive psychology, evolutionary biology, genetics, medicine, philosophy and if you want a little sneak peak of my talk.. To register for the entire FREE summit, click HERE
Til next time..