{Guest Post} Finding Myself

{Hi all, Natalie here. Today’s post was graciously written by Julie from Just a Girl and a Bike. You don’t need to be a cyclist to appreciate her ruminations on meaningful living — enjoy! 🙂 }

I used to strive to reach my full potential by checking things off a mental to do list.  Despite the unexpected challenges that life presents, the unplanned paths that appear, physical situations or mental states of mind, I simply could not let go of focus on the plan.  If I did not accomplish the things that I had set out to do, then I would not be successful.

I truly believed that self-realization could only be obtained by force.

I now believe that self-realization is a very personal path.  It is different for each unique being.  For me, I will not obtain it unless I live more purposefully.  I must stop constantly looking ahead, and spend time seeking the things that have meaning for my being in the current moment.

My path has recently taken a much-needed change in direction.  I find myself much less inclined to use force, and much more open to finding the flow that my physical, mental and spiritual being is driving towards.  I have realized that if you are open to really listening, then your being will tell you what to do.  It knows what it desperately craves.  If you respond, then you can be taken on a journey to truly finding yourself and becoming all that you can be.

I love riding my bike up big mountains.  Climbing mountains has truly has been one of the most grueling, humbling, and divine experiences of my life.  It has opened up new worlds to me and changed my life path forever.  I have found the confidence and desire to venture into new types of adventures.  I have also found a refreshed confidence and drive within my work life.

The more time I have to chase mountaintops, the more I push.  I simply do not want to miss any opportunities.  With so much out there to accomplish, to achieve, I lost balance and stopped nurturing myself.  I was so focused on ascending enough meters, riding at a fast enough speed, completing a certain number of rides each week.  My physical and mental beings tired out.  I lost the love of being out there.

Seedlings began to plant themselves all around me, right at my time of need.  It is amazing how if you are open to it, the universe will give you just what you didn’t know you needed.  I started responding to these seedlings, and roots have now planted themselves within me, and begun to grow.  I have found a whole new path.  A path of nurturing myself.  A path to inner peace and love.

For me, I need more than just the next goal, the next target, the next set of numbers to achieve.  I need a more holistic approach to becoming all I can be, and striving towards being all I am meant to be.  For me, this manifests itself through deep meditation, breathing, the right type of yoga with guides that are truly kindred spirits, journaling, and self-reflection.  It requires me to be very mindful of what I put into my body.  It requires me to let go of tension, anxiety, and past beliefs that are no longer serving me.  I can feel with my whole being that I am on a path to find a true enlightenment that I have not yet discovered.

Image provided by Just a Girl and a Bike

As I found myself in my fourth consecutive full wheel after an already challenging yoga practice, my whole being felt elated.  I breathed deeply and felt ease in the moment despite the natural discomfort.  My guide later shared with me that the more I did this pose, the more my body would let go of the things it is hanging on to.  The path of forcing myself into the pose and gritting my teeth did not lead to my success.  The path of clearing my mind, finding a deep, meditative breath, and allowing the inconceivable to become reality did.

If I let my being do what it needs, just imagine how many peaks I can reach.

Have you listened to yourself lately?  Do you know what your being needs?

 

{Want to read more on self-awareness and meaningful living? Check out last week’s post on But Why?: Stressin’ Out.}