RIDING THE WAVES OF CHANGE INTO THE NEW NORMAL

Are you longing for the safety, familiarity, and certainty of the old normal? I think it is safe to say that there is not one person on this planet whose life has not been disrupted or changed in some way by the current corona situation.

I would like to acknowledge the suffering and loss experienced by so many, and also the mammoth levels of contribution provided by so many. There are a myriad of things we can not control around this situation, and the waiting game involved is tainted with uncertainty and mystery – it is much cause for anxiety and stress.

I have been reminding our UpGrade community to step back from mainstream and social media often, to keep the mind and emotions protected and cleansed from fear and negativity to ward off the effects it can have on mental and emotional health as well as immunity.

There seems to also be a counter-movement though – which is exciting to see. I have loved seeing people of all backgrounds and expertise popping up on my social media in video or live stream format these past weeks.

The dancing, the yoga, the cooking shows, meditations, and kirtans – it’s like one big online party of healthy living, creativity, and inspiration. I do know though, that behind all of these sharings, for a large number of people, is a big backdrop of fear, lack, restriction and worry and I acknowledge the challenges involved in being ‘forced’ overnight to change the way in which one does business and generate income for their day to day expenses.

For me, nothing much has changed regarding my work. Aside from having to cancel a physical event in the UK which was scheduled for March 30th, I am happy that I can continue to support clients and students around the world in these times from a distance as per usual. It somehow feels that I have been preparing for this moment for nearly two decades.

The UpGrade system and philosophy include an honest and authentic look at all aspects of a person’s life and work, ones that are working and ones that are not going so well too, and so over the years I have supported, guided and assisted many of my clients to shift from a J O B or purely bricks and mortar business to partial or complete location independence in their life.

Even if they did not desire to become a full-time digital nomad, they have loved having access to more choices, and furthermore, the freedom to be self-governing and live their life as they feel to, rather than how they should do.

By the time I had relocated to India six years ago, I had moved the bulk of my business online- I would still run retreats, show up to give in-person presentations and speeches when invited and facilitate day or weekend UpGrade intensives, but those were fun extras and did not constitute my weekly schedule or the monthly income needed to cover basic living costs.

I had gradually phased out regular in-person sessions and classes which opened up a huge amount of time in my schedule for additional clients, content creation, time with the kids and family, and extra personal, spiritual and professional development and self-care. This was a strategic move that allowed me to operate as a full location-independent solopreneur – and I was free.

I may not have been bringing in six figures at the time, but I could work from anywhere with an internet connection and had full creative freedom in my business and my life. The potential to up level was real all be it fully in my hands, and all on me. The biggest bonus I had was the time to build and focus on my online presence and nurture my beloved global community.

This helped with a limitless reach gained to help and work with anyone from any place in the world and support myself and two children as we stepped out into our brand-new life far from what we were used to.

It was still quite a new concept back then, not many people were doing the whole online thing, it and it required a massive open mind and a huge dose of courage. Aside from some training courses and study that I dove into early doors, most of what you see and get from me in terms of online services, branding, organization, and content is the sum total of over a decade’s worth of risk-taking, trialing and yep, you guessed it – plenty of erroring!

As I look at what is going on now and see so many people with unexpected gaping gaps in their personal, work and financial lives, and as I look back at the radical self-instigated reinvention I have gone through myself, and the journey of transformation, struggle, self-discovery and actualization I walked through to get here, the words that I say a great deal to my clients come to mind “I took the long route, so you can take the shortcut”.

If nothing else, I urge you to begin to allow yourself to see, feel, and think a little differently during this time. Our outer world is a mirror image of our inner world and so if the way you process, perceive, and believe can first shift, the rest will come a little more joyfully, a tad more easily and perhaps with more momentum than you might expect.

Untether

I have always appreciated the freedom that my choice to work online has afforded me – in fact, I deem it to be one of my biggest successes to date, but the benefits are being massively highlighted to me in more ways than one during these unsettling Covid-19 times.

Aside from having been able to travel regularly with my children at a slower and more integrative pace, mingling with locals, taking in culture, nature, and really living a lifestyle that has brought us many benefits including health, wellness diversity and inner peace – I have been able to scale back and focus on the things that matter most to me.

What has come to light and has caught my attention most though in these corona times though is that I am not reliant on any external circumstances, establishment, company, or business to pay my salary – I oversee when I work and how I create my wealth. What does freedom mean to you I wonder? In my book ‘I AM UpGrading’, I outline in detail why I believe it is a misleading myth that we have bought into that we must choose out of success, freedom, and happiness and that all three cannot co-exist as the backdrop to our lives.

Moving forward, what might a successful, free, and happy life look, feel, and be like for you?

This situation may not see you upping sticks and relocating, shutting down your business, or making radical changes to your life – but it might be a great chance for you to reassess some of your past choices, habits, current goals, and future dreams.

Is what you are set on achieving still something you really want? Is the lifestyle you or your family follow truly making you happy? How could you realign things, once this is all over so you create more success, freedom, and happiness for yourself – but not necessarily of the conventional or ‘proper’ kind, the kind that is suited to you and your needs, wants, and preferences.

Choose

Perhaps you do not desire to travel or to move your business fully online, perhaps you are happy in one place, and would like maybe more time for family, hobbies or self-care, also the prospect of never being caught out in this way again and always having a way to generate an income no matter what is going on maybe appealing to you.

While it is impossible for every industry, job, and sector to move fully digital and distant, and there really is no replacement or match for some in-person services (I can’t fathom how one would massage a client from a distance, fix a toilet or cut hair via the net) many services can be conducted via the internet, as it has been proven in recent weeks.

In any case, now is a great time to remember that you actually have a choice in how you live your life, occupy your time, earn and spend your money. Do you really need all the material items you own or covet? What would happen if you did an honest inventory of your choices, goals, desires and commitments?

Often, we get so caught up in going through the motions that we end up forgetting what we like, why we do what we do, and what really makes us happy.

When we are suddenly given a blank canvas and a box of paints, we can feel overwhelmed or stuck – in the dark as to who we truly are and what we truly desire to be or do. If I was to ask you to put pen to paper and design your ideal personal and work life, could you and would you dare to let all your deepest desires, honest musings, and biggest visions come to the fore and fill the page? Well, I do ask you and I am daring you. I’d sincerely love to read in the comments one change you will make or keep in place once this is all over.

Start

Life and work, for most people, is on hold for the time being, but it needn’t be that way. From a professional standpoint, if your product, expertise, or service has been affected by the current lockdown situation, your work has been halted or you have found yourself thinking about that long-abandoned dream, vision, start-up, or idea – now is a good time to explore beneath the surface.

In truth, I believe that even when things begin to go back to ‘normal’ they will still not be as we were used to or perhaps currently crave and long for – that would be like expecting the Champagne cork to slide effortlessly back into the bottle once it has been popped. So whatever your situation, whether you are in urgency to find new ways to earn money or whether you now have extra time available and fancy pondering a change; now is a good time to start.

Firstly decide on your direction and take one step towards it. Start small, start with the equipment, resources, and expertise that you have, and gather momentum and experience from there and build gradually. Even if things do revert back, it is likely that you in yourself have changed and what once satisfied or satiated you can and will no longer do so.

Using your time for personal growth or spiritual exploration is a valuable way to remain centered and in control of your life too.

With so much of our life being dictated by others at present, tapping into processes and activities that support the expansion of your mind and attitude towards the areas of your life that have been problematic, and or parts that you would like to improve will mean that you are being purposeful and meaningful with your time, attention and intentions making the restrictions and rules we are all having to adhere to slightly more palatable.

As the old continues to fall away, it is wise to be vigilant on how that can impact your own and the emotions of those around you. While new is exciting and compelling, often also needed – all change can stir up a sense of loss and defeat. Take time to acknowledge this and with kindness and compassion towards the self, grieve and make peace with the changing situation. This will open up space for the new to enter the space the old has left.

Feel

We are indeed talking about big topics and looking at large life questions here and it can be a lot to manage without feeling overwhelmed. Listen, we are not expecting you to be this super positive, clear, and motivated person all the time, and come out of lockdown looking like a supermodel, with a brand new and established hobby, a six-pack, a new level built onto the house or a six-figure online business or two.

Please don’t allow your mind to lead you into the trap of believing that you suck if you don’t have all the answers, can’t start, don’t feel ready, or even feel like doing much of anything at all at the moment. Every idea, innovation, transformation, or UpGrade begins as a seed in the form of an inner nudge. In my book, I call it ‘Life’s invisible pull’ – life keeps bringing you the breadcrumbs, and your job is to diligently trust and follow them.

If you have no clue where to start but you know something needs to change, start by following your inner guidance which can show up in the form of new or existing interests, conversations, commercials on TV, recurring thoughts about a particular topic or even a constant feeling of dislike for something or a situation. When you realize what you don’t like and why, you can piece the revelations together to form the picture of what you might actually like to live moving forward.

Whichever way you do it; through meditation, journaling, online research, chatting with a mentor or coach, etc., segment your findings into teeny tiny pieces. Never attempt to build your house in one day. Once we have clarity, we can then take action, but there is an art and a science to creating new habits, building new systems, and forming the foundations of a brand-new life.

Do the preliminaries, start at the beginning, explore your desires, do the inner work, be honest with yourself, and then with a big dose of courage, decide. Decide how you will ride these waves of change. Are you itching to get back to normal – the old, familiar, and safe normal? Will you fight all you can to reclaim your old life and your old ways of so-called safety and security?

Or will you ride the waves of change into the next chapter with openness – with the curiosity and wonder of a young child? What will your new normal be? I’m excited to see how it unfolds, are you?

Sincerely,

Maria K