Courage is the driving force of all change. With the leaves on the trees changing colour, this is our reminder to stop resisting change. To celebrate the first six months of Redefined Mind, I will be more personal then usual in my post. Read on what cold, shaky hands and an Astronaut have taught me this week and how they can help you to find the courage to change anything, today.
Today, is a milestone for Redefined Mind. We have hit the six month milestone! And thanks to each of you, we get to reach more people every day and help transform lives.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your trust and support. Thank you for every booking, every chat, every recommendation, every follower on Instagram, every subscriber on YouTube, no gesture of support is too small or goes unnoticed. Thank you!
To mark this milestone, I finally posted my career change on LinkedIn last week (you can read the full post here). An excerpt:
"At 18, it was my life dream to become an astronaut. But I lacked the courage to bet my entire future on it, unlike Claude Nicollier. Have you ever wondered who you might be today if you had the courage to go after your dreams without reservations?
Here is the short version of my story: I chose the safe path, studied law, and spent 13 years in academia and the corporate world, building the career I thought I wanted – as I was not going to be an astronaut.
That was, until I took the leap in late 2021. Two years later, I am running my own company, Redefined Mind, and have re-certified as a Rapid Transformational Therapist. I’m successfully helping clients worldwide transform their lives. Yet, for the past six months, I've hesitated to share my career change on LinkedIn. Why?
My carefully curated public self-image revolved around being a fashionable, successful young professional, aiming for the C-Suite. Then, at 33, I took a sharp turn. What would my former colleagues and network think?
So far, no one laughed, quite the opposite. They leaned in and wanted to know more how I found the courage to make the shift. More often than not, my partner in conversation disclosed that they too would love a change but lacked the courage.
There’s that word again: courage!"
Cold, shaking hands
What struck me before publishing the post, was my physical stress reaction to something as benign as pushing a button called "Publish", to make my career change public on LinkedIn. As I sat there, finishing the last touches, I became cold and sweaty, and my hands were shaking. I realised my body was reacting to a perceived threat and had turned on my full stress response. Except that there was no threat anywhere near me.
Every one of you reading has felt this physical response, even if the situation was different. From nerves right before a presentation, to talking to this one person in your life (maybe your boss, maybe your spouse), or any other moment of stress - valid or not. So why did it happen to me over a LinkedIn post?
I fell victim to perfectly natural instincts:
The fear of breaking out.
The fear of being laughed at.
The fear of being excluded.
The fear of being judged.
The fear of not being considered "good enough" anymore.
And all of this stems from the fear of "what will others think of me, if/when I do or say X?"
Lessons for You
The fear of disrupting working structures in your families, at your job, with your spouse, in your own health, etc., is what holds all of us back from going for what we really desire and need. You feel this deep desire to change something, to address the elephant in the room. Yet you let your stress response of fight, flight, freeze or fawn hold you back and retreat to complacent safety.
We let these feelings hold us back from going for what we really want, really need. We push whatever it is aside and put it on hold for later. But, later is date that the calendar does not now.
Little Steps Today, Giant Leaps Tomorrow
Today, I would like to encourage you to go for what you really want, what you really need. Not like a steamroller - that will cause trouble for sure. Start by building your courage. Speak your mind, stop censoring yourself. Try that new hobby you always wanted. Take 10 minutes for yourself, tell your spouse, kids or friends "I cannot right now" and pick up that guitar to play. Ask for the opportunity to speak at an upcoming event. Have that conversation with a person you love that you have put off for ages.
I promise you, you will feel incredible after you do!
All it takes is courage. Courage is the driving force behind all change. We admire courage in all the people around us, yet we shy away from it ourselves. This post today is your wake-up call.
Do not let your mind go to the worst thing that could happen. Your conscious mind is very good at that. If you need to think about it, fine.
Yes, your partner could leave you for speaking up about what has been bothering you for years.
-> But if they really love you, how great is the chance that you cannot find a solution that works for both of you?
Yes, you might not be able to change your job tomorrow because you have bills to pay.
-> But what if you found ways to gradually incorporate more of what your purpose calls you to do into your day to day?
This is my November Challenge for you! Question every belief you have.
Astronaut's Approval
So I sat a moment with my stress response, listening to my body and mind come up with all kinds of excuses.
And then I took a deep breath and pressed "Publish".
Within five minutes I began to feel more alive, light and free then I had all day. After that, the first positive reactions also started to flow in, supporting me. That night, I slept the best I had in days.
The next day I found the most amazing reply to my post: Claude Nicollier had replied publicly! What an incredible confidence boost for me and proof that courage is the driving force.
What courageous change will you make today?
With Love
Alexandra
P.S.: Perhaps I am closer to my childhood dream than I thought, even if I am not exploring space. I am uncovering the root cause of my clients’ struggles and giving them the tools and courage to release what is holding them back. Still an explorer, just a slightly different one from the astronaut I thought I'd become.
P.P.S.: If you need a moment of clarity, a break from the looping thoughts in your mind or a little bit of help falling asleep, why not check out the YouTube Videos I have created. Let them guide you to place of deep calm and rest. You can also send them to your friends.
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