Change is inevitable
Change is inevitable (and growth is optional - says the quote) and I tend to mostly agree, however I could also argue that when you inevitably change some growth must come with that, and so, the gist of the matter is,
accept change and there will be growth in the process
This hasn't been untrue in my own journey. Every time I have succumbed to the discomfort of change - and I have accepted it as a result - perhaps not so visible in the moment, but more in hindsight, it has never been a bad thing. To the contrary, if I look at my biggest spurs of growth it's always been the product of some shift that occurred, either small or big.
This moment in time is not much different.
Change is yet again knocking on my door. It is the moment you realise what it is, that change wants to happen, that usually the angst of all the confusion and I-have-no-idea-what's-going-on turmoil inside your head, can finally give way to a feeling of more spaciousness, a sudden sense of openness to opportunity, even though it may not be clear yet what that could be.
When I realise that change is coming, I don't let it terrorise me anymore with thoughts such as 'what on earth is going to happen now'. Instead, I’m more and more able to relax and open myself up to what wants to happen. This approach springs from a deep knowing that life works for me, never against me. And so how could it possibly be something to be freaking out about?
The relaxation and opening is driven by a sense of curiosity...mmm what could possibly want to emerge from this moment of opportunity into a new chapter.
And after this long introduction to the process of change...I'm glad to share with you that I'm changing.
If you've been following my journey for a while you may have noticed the many different iterations of my online presence and later business. It started with a sound healing brand, it became a conscious lifestyle blog which morphed into a personal development, intuition and spirituality character, and eventually became a one-person brand offering women's leadership and business mentorships.
I can vulnerably share with you that every corner of this journey has come with so much angst and terror. Am I doing the right thing? Is this a decision that is going to drive people away? Questions that can never be answered unless you try out the damn thing, and see where it takes you.
Now I see there was agst and terror because I thought back then, that change means failure of some sort. Because if 'it didn't work out' then you have to change.
The reasons why something 'didn't work out' can be so vast and diverse, and mostly certainly, nothing to do with your inherent worth and value. They may have to do with skill, or lack of, or circumstances, or timing, or frankly, the universe simply wanting you to take another route, because that other route is more likely going to help you to unravel your potential and develop the qualities that you are here to bring to the world.
Besides, what if giving it the horrendous title of 'it didn't work out' was simply wrong. In fact, it totally is if you ask me.
Because looking back at all the things I've done I can clearly see that one thing after another was helping me to build what I have now. Even if it may have looked totally unrelated, every part of the journey was adding to the body of my work, my character, my knowledge, my experience.
For this exact reason, for the first time in my 'career' as a business owner I'm actually very excited for my upcoming change.
The time has come for me to really embrace all those seemingly unrelated parts into a new 'identity' or stream of service, if you like.
I let go of the all-too-common advice from the marketing world that says 'you need to pick one thing so that people know what you do' sort of stuff, which may be very true, and yes, to achieve faster growth in business, I agree it makes sense to be super clear about what you do - but what if we just didn't put speed over everything else?
The online world is reeling with stories of often-sounding-completely-unrealistic growth ('I made my first 6-figure month after six months in business' kinda stories) which frankly, I just don't believe those stories depict the full truth. The amount of work that must have happened in the background, or the conditions that could have made something like this a possibility like previous experience, favourable connections etc. could be very much behind these stories, and so to compare or to even take that as a model for what you should be aspiring to can be tremendously harming to anyone's starting entrepreneurial journey.
It is easy to be swayed by the flashing lights of possibility that these messages throw at you. I admit, I've fallen for this sort of thing myself, only to realise that there is more than super fast growth in money and fanbase.
What is more important?
AUTHENTICITY
This is not to say that those people who experience this super fast growth are not authentic.
It is to say that everyone's journey is unique according to what they are here to learn and cultivate towards their highest potential.
There is no billboard anywhere stacking everybody according to how much they have achieved or how many IG followers they got in how many months. All these things are human constructs, not the truth of who you are and what you are here for. This is only for you to define, or explore the truth of it.
And so, back to me and my new iteration, which feels oh-so-exciting.
The truth is, and you may know this about me - I'm truly a multi passionate, multi faceted, multi spirited being - like many of you I'm sure.
I've lived in 5 different countries
I have 2 nationalities
I speak 3 languages, and a 4th is on the way
I have an engineering degree
I have a corporate business career background
I'm a yoga teacher
I'm sound healing practitioner
I'm an embodiment teacher
I'm a women's circle facilitator
I'm a blogger
I'm a retreat facilitator
I'm a meditation teacher
I'm a life coach
I'm a leadership and business mentor
I live between the city and countryside, in two different countries
I love beauty, quality and luxury, and at the same time I love simplicity, quiet and earthiness
I love going to the gym and lift weights, and I also love a good sweaty bendy yoga class
I love techno and dark underground clubs (though I don’t frequent them so much anymore…), and I also love spiritual and ethnic music to intuitively dance to
I'm an amazing cook and master in creating and holding space at home and beyond
I have a dog, two cats and at one time, eight chicken
I own a forest property with my partner in Sweden
I love home renovations and I’m currently dipping my toes in property investing
I invest in the stock market and I’m obsessed with all things financial planning
.....
and the list could go on and on and on.
And I want to share about it ALL!!!! I no longer want to be boxed into one thing, because that is the advice towards fast business growth. I honestly don't care about that anymore.
I care about what I want. I care about following my joy and passion for the things that light up my soul.
And so with that, I want to share with you that
THE BLOG IS BACK!
Later down the line, there will also be a podcast.
Both are not going to be about business and leadership only, they're going to be about
LIVING ON SOURCE
which has been the name of my blog from day one and is now coming back.
It will also be the name of my podcast.
The themes? Same as before.
Inner work
Nourish
Practices
Business & money
Lifestyle
So stay tuned my lovely friends, I'm so grateful to be able to share this journey with you.
All my love
Elena xx
Ps. continue reading my updates and get a pretty good peek into my life in the Mallorcan countryside here
Ps2. Join me next week on the 21st December for a 60min ceremony to celebrate the winter solstice. I will guide a meditation and an intuitive movement practice to set some intentions for the coming time as we welcome the light together.