Was there a milestone, accomplishment, or area of growth that you’ve experienced in this past year that you hadn’t even imagined at the beginning of 2021?
I’ve had this funny way of feeling lost but also like I’m in the exact place I’m meant to be my entire life. Sounds confusing right? It is. But I believe it’s this that keeps me motivated and trusting that what’s meant for me will fall into my lap like it always has — especially in those times where I feel incredibly lost and not sure what will fall into my lap next.
You see, every place I’ve travelled or lived, every topic that I’ve studied, at one point each of them felt like my next new exciting destination. But really they were there to lead me to the next experience I would collect on my lost little journey. And as luck will have it, they’ve all been connected to each other even when they haven’t appeared that way at a first glance. That statement might not seem so revolutionary, maybe it’s even cliche to say, but in these last few months of 2021, I truly see and feel how these connections are showing up in new ways, almost like they’ve been winding themselves together in a web this whole time. Though they hadn’t always seemed like it at the time, each and every milestone, accomplishment, or achievement has marked a monumental moment of growth in my life — another cliche statement, I know — and most of which I hadn’t even imagined experiencing when I had started working towards the milestone that came before. It’s by looking back at these experiences that I have found deeper trust within myself, I can see how my actions have challenged my previous limiting beliefs, and that I can begin to imagine all of the future possibilities even when I don’t know what they are yet.
It’s with this mindset I am excited to look back at the small and big moments I’ve experienced in 2021 that I hadn’t even imagined happening at the start of the year:
Donating blood for the first time
I had always been way too scared to do it — when I was studying Creative Communications a decade ago we hosted a blood drive and I totally chickened out from donating. The thought of the needle totally icked me out, so I thought my contribution was best suited to the radio promotions team. Although it took me another ten years to face this fear, I am happy to say I will donate today for the second time and intend to make it a regular thing!
Being sought out for my wisdom
I have often felt overlooked and unrecognized in past endeavours. And this year I really felt recognized in all new ways — not just for the skills I can offer to people, but rather for my value of the wisdom that I carry.
I had the pleasure of being invited to design new systems and ways of working for a non-profit whose mission is to create sustainability through culture. Sustainability and culture have always felt really dear to my heart and combined with my natural curiosity of problem solving to create new systems, this gig has felt like an incredible fit for finding a place where I fit within this work. I can look back at this project and really see how my gifts were recognized and offered solutions to a problem in a way that was truly aligned to me.
I also became my first client and officially launched my coaching business in 2021. I’ve always had this curiosity to ask questions and guide folks to seek the answer to said questions within themselves. So when I began guiding myself back to myself to design the life I really want to live, I knew that this is the value I can bring to guide folks to design their own lives. I’m finding so much purpose and discovery that I hadn’t imagined.
Becoming a Certified Hypnotherapist
I only experienced hypnotherapy for the first time in May of 2021 and with all of the growth I made because of it, it felt like a super natural new tool to add to my toolkit to help guide people to seek answers within their subconscious and open their minds to exploring new possibilities, just like I did. And it turns out I’m actually really good at it!
No crystal ball could have convinced me that I would end up with this certification under my belt.
Appearing as a podcast guest for the first time
I had the pleasure of being invited on a podcast to talk about finding and using my sensitive super powers. This was a huge moment for me because I really only began believing that my sensitivity is my strength as I began working with clients in my business. I had to do a lot of subconscious work to release the old stories that I have been told that being sensitive is a weakness. I can’t wait to share the podcast with you once it is published!
Moving out of my bubble
Before moving back to Canada in August 2020 I spent 3+ months entirely alone in isolation in Singapore, and although I didn’t know it at the time, this experience really set the tone for how I’ve experienced this pandemic. It took a major toll on my mental health, and I have never experienced fear, anxiety, and frustration like I have these past two years. But at the same time it gave me the space to do a lot of work on myself, connect to new soul-people, and really look at my values and how I can share my superpowers with the world.
✈️ I even made it safely on a few airplanes to celebrate some very special friends and their milestones. Doing this really felt impossible for a long, long time.
In December 2020 when I sat down to visualize how I wanted to feel, what I wanted to accomplish, and where I wanted to end up in 2021, I truly couldn’t have imagined any of these possibilities that I experienced above. In fact, not much of what I had visualized for 2021 actually came true. But instead, I can say that what I experienced, how I grew, and where I’m going is turning out to be so much more exciting and fulfilling!
I encourage you to do a little reflection and look back on where you were at the beginning of 2021. What have you experienced this past year that you hadn’t even imagined at the beginning of 2021?
I encourage you to take the outcome of this reflection as an invitation to let go of the expectations that you have for 2022 to make room for the unimaginable to happen.
💕 Reach out if you are interested to discover how you can work with me to reimagine new possibilities:
https://calendly.com/laurenbest_co/discovery-call?month=2022-01
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