Creating New Life Directions

by Ana Palles

She never thought she would change careers and be a successful jewelry designer. But after taking leave from her high profile job to serve as a volunteer evacuating a brutally war-torn area, Kari came back with a need to create beauty. From seeing the depths of human darkness and hopelessness, to crafting inspired and delicate gemstone jewelry, the contrast of worlds is surreal.

“The funny part,” she says, “is that I never even cared whether or not my pieces sold. I simply had to make beauty.”

Kari did it by focusing on what she loved, easing into her natural sense of grace and treating the gemstones as if they, too, were participating in the design. She took the time to quiet herself focusing on what she was doing, and how it made her feel. In that quiet place of stillness, Kari’s design images came forward giving her hands direction. By doing the work she loved, Kari found such success that she never went back to her former job.

We are constantly meeting the unexpected along our life path, sometimes they are sudden turns of luck ripe with opportunities. Other times they are unforeseen difficulties, shaking up the world we know and plunging us into the deep end of the pool. What is hard to process is that both fortunate and unfortunate events bring blessings. I have seen case after case of people who were downsized use it as an opportunity to do what they’d always wanted to do in life. It gave them freedom and new direction.

Sometimes health issues that come up can also present an opportunity. A friend of ours had to go in for x-rays after tripping on a sprinkler head. The time in the emergency room was very well spent. They discovered that he had no fractures from the fall, however, he did have the beginnings of walking pneumonia which could have easily remained undiscovered for some time.

Sometimes difficult cycles take a dark turn and we face a devastating illness or the loss of a loved one. These traumatic events force a hard stop in our life. They are pivot points.

The process of rebooting our life is challenging but it can help us shut down some of the routines in our lives that burn a lot of time and energy and have outlived their usefulness. For many of us, these life changing events propel us into reexamining what is truly important in our lives and result in simplification.

When life circumstances trigger major changes in our routine, we transition into a new cycle in the wheel of our life. It results in a new way of being for us, one that can be very validating and empowering.

How exactly do we create a new life for ourselves? How do we take what we used to be and reinvent who and what we are when there is so much confusion, fear and sometimes, pain?

For me, it starts with understanding that whatever our past, it serves us, even if we don’t recognize it right away. This is a form of acceptance and reinvention. Our past is the soil and fertilizer on which we build and create our present and future. This is important.

And it is not just what we have lain down, but the soil our ancestors prepared as well. We stand on the shoulders of giants and they are always reaching down a hand to help us up.

Even in the harshest devastation, new life sprouts. These sprouts, our visions of the future, are tender possibilities of what can be. It is up to us to notice.

One of the biggest obstacles in visualizing the future is figuring out what we want. How can we create a new life direction when we don’t know what that looks like? There are many effective techniques for identifying our talents and skills. There are books, articles, counselors and coaches ready to help.

My own little shortcut is just asking myself about times in the past when I laughed, felt strong, relaxed, really enjoyed my day. What was I doing? Where was I? Who was I with? How did I feel inside my body? I remember those moments and stay present in that time and place letting myself deeply experience the sensations. Now I have a guideline for creating my new direction.

Perhaps you felt happiest snowboarding with friends on a challenging ski run. Or running a marathon, planting a garden, writing in a journal, painting, sitting by the ocean enjoying a frosty drink while the sun set, or baking luscious cupcakes.

What is it about these snapshots of life that were so enjoyable? Examining these moments give us clues as to what feeds our hearts. Maybe it is time to relocate so that we are closer to the ocean or the mountains, or our families. Maybe we need to try experimenting with packaging our little cupcakes. Maybe we can explore part time jobs with the city’s horticultural department. Or maybe we organize ski trips to exotic locations.

Our passions make us smile, center and energize us. Catch yourself smiling, feeling peaceful or excited and you’ve captured a drop or two of that passion. Don’t worry about the how or why. Opportunity has a way of showing up once we have figured out what we want more of in our lives.

Discovering our inspirations ignite our creative fires, setting that new life direction ablaze. Finally, remember that fire attracts. Be ready to say yes when new opportunities emerge.