Читать книгу The Every-Year Itch - Kirsten de Bouter Shillam - Страница 6

DO YOU EVER FEEL LIKE THIS?

BE TRUTHFUL

Do you ever get that feeling that something isn’t quite right? A sense that aspects of your life aren’t flowing, or that the emphasis is on all the wrong things? Do you at times feel uncomfortable, out of sync without being able to explain eloquently exactly what is the matter? When somebody asks what’s the matter, you say “oh, nothing”.

Do you wish you were in a different job/town/country, running a company, training to become the fittest you, planning for a trip, learning a new skill? Do you wish you were challenging yourself in art, in public speaking, in writing, in connecting, in learning, in slowing down, in living with more integrity?

Maybe you feel bored and uninspired. You used to get upset about it, but now you just feel resentful and bitter. You wonder what the hell is wrong with you when the rest of the world seems to have it all sewn up. Why them?! Has cynicism become your general mode of translation, or are you crippled by self-doubt?

Your body talks to you. It tells you stop, but you don’t listen. It tells you refuel, but you carry on. It tells you stretch, but you stick to what’s familiar. Faithfully your body supports your lifestyle, making small sacrifices and never complaining until it’s quite far down the line. Does it not amaze you why people relentlessly engage in the “I’m-so-busy” or the “I need to go faster” race?

Maybe you have achieved success, small or large dependent on who is measuring. Money was supposed to settle every debt and fill every hole. How come that even with all the trappings of life, you still feel unsettlement? Wasn’t there the promise of worry-free land at the end of it all?

What about the plans you had, the dreams you dreamt? The things you started and discarded? What about the things you believed one innocent day were possible for you? Do they come and tap you on the shoulder from time to time, giving you that undeterminable shiver of discomfort, that oh yes-moment? Do they knock on your door and do you open?

After all the box ticking and the following of sensible advice, you are still running on the treadmill going nowhere very fast. It’s paying the bills and keeping you so safe that you run the risk of being immobile. When the sun shines you might forget about it, but in the rare moments of solitude, you realise in fact that life is short.

It doesn't need to be this way.

These are the stories I have heard for over 24 years from people from all walks of life. The successful, the famous, the sole trader, the company owner, the new start up, the working parent, the millennial, the student. Without exception they all wanted something different, something more adventurous or settling, something self-determined, something in tune with their talents, more true, something more fun, energising and ultimately something more personally successful.

They all had an itch. An every-year itch. Maybe undiagnosed, or fully acknowledged, but an itch that made them uneasy. It turned up frequently and they tried to ignore it. They were reminded of it, they planned to address it, but without seeing it through. The itch to live differently. The itch to unleash untapped talents, personal power and potential, to only be reminded that it’s safer to play inside. The itch to think bigger, the itch to stand for something, the itch to dare to be unique and yourself.

They were awake to the fact that there could be more to their lives. That their goal or aspiration however big or small needed seeing through in order to change their world.

Some had no idea how to define their itch, some didn’t know they could have one. They simply added up the visible experiences in life and drew the conclusion that they didn’t fit or weren’t good enough. Some were aware of an itch but simply couldn’t believe that there would ever be a way to go after it, amidst the common rules they tried to adhere to. Some had a screaming itch, an urgency, but didn’t know where to begin.

In working with these people and organisations, I learned that people are so much better than their experience in life leads them to believe. Tapping into the resources that people have or encouraging them to expand their vision brings endless sustainable creativity and inspiration. It brings settlement and collaboration. If we are wasting the resources of the planet we live on, then we certainly haven’t even begun to tap into the vast resource of human capability.

There is a different way in these changing times with endless possibilities. This unease is no longer something that people sense every seven years. It’s real, it’s necessary and it’s something that you can do something about with the right support, skills and inspiration.

Welcome to the Every Year Itch.

Join the journey. After reading this, your life will not be the same.