The Art of Transition: How to reframe your endings into your strongest beginnings.
We are nearly six months and one new moon into 2017 and I’m still amazed at how the pace of our days seem to accelerate. Who knew that on January 1st, 2017 we would experience such a shift in our collective consciousness. With every celebrity or prominent figures’ death, we are constantly forced to deal with our mortality and reminded that our days are few here on Earth.
With all these shifts that are happening I can’t help but wonder about my parents generation (Baby Boomers) and their peers trying to make sense of their beliefs about what it means to human. We live in an era where we are discovering the spectrums of gender, sexuality, race and cultural identities. How confusing must it be for them to realize the younger generation is constantly living an atmosphere of flux? No longer are young people subscribing to the social rules and norms of the Boomer generation, every thing is up for debate and change.
As I try to unpack the motivations behind my own fears of transition and change, I find myself questioning how long I’ve been really paying attention. We’ve all seen the quotes on social media, urging everyone to follow their passions, live their best life, and push the confines of comfort zones…yet all of our systems, institutions and people in power make it nearly impossible to stay encouraged while engaging in these life affirming quests.
It’s only when I slow down and make it a priority to meditate daily that I’m reminded to question everything I’m told about how to live. We’ve all found ourselves in a situation where there’s an opportunity to make more money or take on more work…but have we really asked ourselves what and whom does it serve?
My goal above all else, is to be a responsible citizen; holding myself accountable is always the backdrop of my decisions. But I must admit that I constantly struggle with the desire to dive into work and do as much I can within a day versus just taking a few days to relax into “being” on my own terms.
After a few consistent days of self-care and reflections, I realized I needed a new perspective on not just what to change but HOW to change. More specifically, I needed to understand that anything I wanted to change in my life needs to be rooted in a shift in thought. After reassessing my ideas about success and well-being, the one last idea I needed to re-wire was how to handle the long haul.
I’ve come to realize the shift in mindset necessary to embark on a long haul is— to see all endeavors as creative pursuits. This means that everything we do is creative choice— and those decisions impact the masterpiece that is our life. So even if you have to make a decision to make work a priority over other parts of your life…the goal is to create with the best intention of improving the quality of life…even when you’re in the middle of a difficult or long transition. The quality and mindfulness involved in how you wake up, exercise, apply for jobs, make the grocery list or even clean the house can all be experienced differently with just a shift in perspective. All of these, from critical to mundane, paint the picture of how we lead our lives. Perhaps we can begin to see the things we deem as hard as the most beautiful? Wouldn’t it make our work days more bearable, our interactions more meaningful and our nights more satisfying?
Perhaps the secret to endings and beginnings is to reframe those moments or events as high-level creating. As children of God, we are imbued with the loving will to create. We are, in fact, not empty vessels. And because of our likeness to our Creator, this means we are also inherently creative. We must see the designing and creation of our lives as our greatest pursuit by seeking out the manifestation of our purest ideals as people.
Regardless of what people subscribe to and what they tell others, everyone is on a spiritual journey. It is our fundamental true nature to constantly evolve and push the boundaries of reality. If we are all honest…it is quite a privilege to live in a time when everyone is questioning everything. Modern day life is exciting because we are constantly questioning, which means there are millions of ways to answer those questions.
While I can’t speak for others or tell them how to write their own life pursuits, I will share my own perspective. My goal is to answer my life’s questions and face my endings and new beginnings from a place eagerness and curiosity. My hope is that anyone reading this reflection will be inspired to worry less about the details of your specific destination and focus more on the creative expression of your life’s journey regardless of whether you anticipated the outcome or not. Once you’ve accomplished a deeper understanding of how everything in your journey is helping you— you can begin to explore all the ways of being that make up the masterpiece of your life here on Earth.
Author: Jennifer Ekeleme
Author Email: [email protected]
What category best describes your article: Spirituality and Self-help
Author Bio: Jennifer Ekeleme, is a freelance brand and marketing strategist, avid Bikram yoga practitioner, career strategy coach and mentor to young women in the media and advertising world. Her new found work has ignited her passion for helping women dream bigger and create the highest visions for their personal and professional lives. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Link to social media or website: Instagram @jekeleme
