It’s not always an easy concept to believe – that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.
Naturally, if your life is going amazingly right now and everything is running smoothly and successfully, then yes, I must be where I am meant to be. But what if things are awful at the moment? What if what you are going through is hard, stressful, overwhelming, an ocean away from what you imagined? How then can I possibly be where I am supposed to be?
Journey back in time with me for a moment.
There was a time in my life, about a decade ago, when I lost all control of my life. Functioning on only 2-3 hours of sleep a night, I became addicted to sleeping pills, depleted my serotonin stores and ended up depressed, hopeless, and lost. It was a dark season, that’s for sure.
At the time, there is no way that I could possibly have believed that I was in the right place. Surely I’ve lost my way.
Looking back from the comfort and wisdom of retrospect, this darkness had an incredibly valuable role to play. The path of wellness and service that I have authentically and confidently chosen to walk needed this experience to afford me the gift of compassion and self awareness. I know what it is like to be in such a deep hole that you cannot tell which way is up. I know what it is like to not know how to function in your life, to disconnect from all that matters to you, and to believe that you are a burden.
I also know that there is light somewhere, always. I have been in the dark and I have worked my way out.
Let’s journey back again, this time a little less distant, to another dark and sad time.
I moved to the USA in 2015, leaving behind everything and everyone that I relied on, and moved to a city where I knew no one except my new husband. I applied for approximately a million jobs and never heard anything back from anyone, suffered the trauma of a miscarriage, and navigated the turbulent waters of watching a loved one struggle with addiction.
It was a dark, dark time. It was also another time where I could not have possibly believed that I was in the place I was meant to be.
Looking back again from where I stand today, my life as it is would never have existed without this period of pain and intentional healing. It was here that I discovered the true power and practice of yoga. It was here that I realized how crucial it is to develop deep self-awareness. It was here that I connected to wellness in a way that would change my life forever. Again, I also developed a deeper ability to feel compassion through my own personal experience of darkness.
Most of all, through my journey to healing and self-empowered wellness, I discovered the unwavering light that exists in all of us and in all situations, which has become the cornerstone of my being and my purpose.
I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
We often forget that we are a part of earth, nature, the universe. Just as Mother Earth goes through seasons and cycles, so do we. Some seasons are hard, wintery, cold, and dark. Others are full of growth and possibility. The season you are in may not be the easiest and the purpose behind it may not be clear, but it is where you are meant to be.
The secret however is to let the season be exactly that, a season – a period in your life that will end and that offers magic even if it’s not clear to you yet. So yes, maybe there is an element of faith in that. Don’t let your winter consume you. Don’t let it become like Narnia before Aslan arrived. Allow your winter to do what it is meant to do, full of the promise of spring, and allow it to move on.
If the place you’re at is a hard one, my heart breaks for you. It can be so tough to see the light or to believe it is even there. But take my word on it… there is light in you, always, and the season you are in will end.
In the meantime, know that you are not meant to experience these times alone. We go through hard times so that we can offer more to others when their time comes. So seek out someone that you trust and let them help you. Give purpose to their past struggles.
If you still do not have someone in mind, then contact me. That is what I am here for. Let me be the reminder of light when all you can see are the shadows.
With joy,
Tara
