CONSTANT CHANGE
“The great thing of ageing is the increased knowledge and wisdom you have access to when making decisions and reacting to situations.”
I didn't see it coming but during my trip to Paris something has changed in me. I’ve become aware that I’m ready for my next chapter in life which in my case will be marked by turning 40. I am ready for a bigger change, for my next decade to conquer and for the needed self-reinvention and re-creation. I still have some time until I turn 40 in April 2021 and though it’s already very clear to me that the preparation phase for this transformation has started. I love that phase. It’s scary, I agree but also empowering. Thinking about preparation? Maybe my German background brings me to see it that way but maybe it's the same for some of you out there as well.
As I already mentioned, emotionally it's not always easy. Nevertheless, it's one of the most exciting phases you can be in because everything is possible. Why is it emotionally not easy? Because it requires time to truly reflect, to ask yourself tough questions, to look back and acknowledge what worked and what didn’t. You should be absolutely honest with yourself. I know that in times of constant distraction this is a huge challenge and maybe in the near future, I will be teaching younger generations how to do exactly that. It’s hard, I know. Especially in a big city like London where you get easily lost in the comfortable habits this metropolitan life style creates for us. And as hard as it may be in the beginning, I know that I have to sit down and work it out, you have to sit down and work it out. There is no other way but to find out what is it that you really want. What is it that I really want?
Physically - my body changed, my hormones changed and change. I've decided it's not only time to keep my body intact (can't claim that I’m 100% fit), it's time to step up my game and make my body even stronger than before. I personally look at it like that: I have a huge responsibility to keep my body in the best possible shape. I think long-term and can see myself working until I literally face death. Of course the type of my work will change but the way my grandparents lived and retired, the option to stop working at the age of 60, this won't be my life. Also, I don't really want to stop working when I’m honest. I’ve made some decisions lately and yes, I face the challenge to stick to these decisions. It's hard to make the change, it's hard to start with it and I fail but I'm not giving up.
Mentally - I want to perform to my absolutely best as well. Now you will understand why it's so crucial to keep the body in a healthy condition. I believe that most of us working these days have to be high performer almost every single day. I was just having a conversation about multi-tasking which in my eyes is something I would not glorify. The same for being busy. Don’t glorify being busy. The best results I achieve with my work projects are the ones when I have focus time, when I block proper time and maybe even a space away from everyone. My goal is to not feel cognitively overloaded (by city noise, people noise of social media noise) but stimulated.
I’m aware that mastering these areas of my life will automatically enhance other parts. The relationships I will build and keep, the new projects I will start and the new things I will learn. Speaking of which! It's time to book my Salsa class and learn those steps! How do you approach new chapters in your life? How do you get started with making a bigger change?
