I spent many years not really knowing myself.
I still remember the day that I started to realise that I was not living true to myself. It caught me by surprise. At the time I had a husband, a young son, all the material things I could want. I was the only female sitting at the leadership table of a Top 200 Australian listed financial services company and had achieved all I thought I needed to achieve to be ‘happy’. Before realising that I wasn’t.
I was actually stressed, always busy, empty and dissatisfied because I was trying to please everybody and live someone else’s life. I was trying to be what and who my internal stories, culture & upbringing had told me would make me happy, would make me feel like I’m enough. I had never stopped to get to know myself. I was in avoidance of my history and those parts of me that I didn’t want to see. I had very little self-awareness. And absolutely no self-compassion. I didn’t know myself. I didn’t know how to care for myself. And I didn’t know how to be myself.
After walking away from my corporate career, with the help of a wonderful somatic psychotherapist and a group of conscious women I finally began a very deep journey of self-awareness, the journey to find myself. I gained awareness of my thoughts, feelings and behaviours. My internal assumptions, patterns and the beliefs that were driving my choices. And to what I valued, my strengths and what brings meaning and purpose to my life. A transformative, albeit at times pretty messy and painful journey! A life long journey. A journey built on the foundation of ongoing Compassionate Self-Awareness. And yes, as Aristotle knew all those years ago, with it came the gentle wisdom that has fundamentally changed my life.
With great warmth
Jo.
