Two years ago I was living a life full of fear and worry. The most interesting thing when I look back now is that I didn’t even realise the stress I was under on a daily basis and how much it was affecting me. Now knowing what I know I realise that it is a state of being that we are conditioned to expect and create. It is a self fulfilling prophecy that starts at school when we are told that we need to fail to succeed and make mistakes to learn. Both of which are not true by the way.
I believe that we are on this planet to learn, our human evolution depends on it. However, I have been shown that this learning can be fearless, effortless and experienced with joy and curiosity rather than self doubt and criticism. What I thought were ‘mistakes’ I now see with the benefit of hindsight that they are a ‘blessing in disguise’. When things don’t go to plan they are providing a learning that benefits us in some way.
We spend so much of our time focused on what we don’t want that we unwittingly create it. Our imaginations and beliefs are powerful tools that paint the landscapes we exist in. If we believe that life is hard, this is what we will experience. We broadcast our thoughts like pheromones, attracting in the very things that we think we don’t want. How often do we spend time imagining and creating what we do want? Do you even know what that looks and feels like?
I do now. What I want is a life full of adventure and learning, a life that allows me to explore and take care of the beautiful eco-system that we co-exist in and freely give my time to as many people as possible while I am doing it. When I gave myself permission to imagine this, I began what has been an exciting and awe inspiring journey to create it.
The thing with dreams, I have realised, is to have huge ambitious ones but to not be attached to what the final outcome looks like. Attachment to the end goal can limit the journey. I have declared my dreams and am now enjoying the journey that is unfolding to take me towards them, an experience that is beyond my wildest expectations and has already exceeded my goals.
Let me tell you a bit about my story and how I stepped into possible.
My transformation began when I designed a leadership programme which was a 6-month experiential journey created to develop empowered female leaders that could authentically bring their whole self to everything that they do. I was working as Global Head of Innovation for an international management consultancy and felt strongly that learning and development needed a shake up. I felt that we were regurgitating the same theories and thinking, rubber moulding future leaders to act and think in a similar way rather than exploring the possibility of collaborative individuality and leadership action that could also be inaction.
The shake up I proposed was to bring an energy practitioner and thought leader (imagination), a 3-D kinetic artist (creativity) and a movement specialist (play) into the programme and it was while delivering the first module of the programme to 11 women in a temple in Tokyo that my catalyst to change happened.
Co-delivering along side my creative and inspiring colleagues, I had the humbling realisation that their innate talents had the ability to transcend training qualifications because they actually loved what they were doing. They were completely consumed with passion about their philosophies and methodologies and the participants were not only mesmerised by the experience it also drew out a longing to do something for themselves that would feel the same.
That is what happened to me. I was struck by the realisation that my definition of success was masculine and quantitative. Everything I was doing was driven by the fear of failure which served a purpose but which was exhausting. My colleagues were driven by the desire to impart their knowledge, share their ideas and learn from their experiences. Working with them felt effortless.
It is easy for me to articulate this now, considerably helped by the understanding, encouragement and wisdom given to me by the energy practitioner, Denis Murphy who taught me my new philosophies and who is now also my business and life partner. The reconditioning of my mindset and beliefs however, took time, courage and frequent bouts of uncontrollable emotion. To question everything we have been taught and reach the realisation that life is meant to be effortless and that fear only exists in our imaginations took some serious soul searching, absolute immersion and a lot of guidance from Denis.
The journey for me required walking away from everything that was safe in my life and leaping feet first into the unknown. I resigned from my job, moved to London and with absolutely no financial support I worked with my co-founders to create a new kind of organisation. An organisation without fear or limitations that would enable us all to do what we love doing and unlock the potential in others to do the same.
Out of this catalyst we launched RoundTable Global. An organisation completely based on a commitment to deliver our Three Global Goals of Educational Reform, Empowerment for All and Environmental Rejuvenation. We wanted to create an organisation where creatives, corporations and communities can collaborate and to create a new paradigm of fearless and effortless business where nothing is patented or copyrighted and our contributors have the freedom to work with who ever else they want.
To do this we have built a successful commercial side of the business delivering leadership, innovation and change programmes around the world. Every programme has been designed to deliver on one or more of the Global Goals. This funds our philanthropic side of the business through which we have created our Global Change Ambassadors, 65 influential and inspiring individuals from three generations, passionate about making change happen.
This year we will work with our Ambassadors to deliver global gatherings and specific projects in USA, UK, MENA and Asia starting with 1-day Call To Action events in LA, Dubai, London and Tokyo in February and March. We will also upscale our Positive for Youth Awards, and launch Legacy Learning which is an ambitious online and face to face alternative to traditional education free for any user anywhere in the world.
We are completely self sustaining and open to partnering and sharing our knowledge, ideas and resources wherever possible. We fundamentally believe that combining thought leadership and action will enable us to make greater change faster.
Going back to my dream of travel, adventure and giving back, I am writing this from Las Vegas as the sun rises having spent the last 6-weeks on a road trip around America, working and playing. I can truly say that I love what I am doing, that we are making a difference and that everyday I authentically bring my whole self to everything that I do.
Originally published at medium.com