4 Steps To Finding Your Aliveness
“Don’t die with the music still in you.”
~ Dr. Wayne Dyer
Not too long ago, I made a stark realization (in a breathwork session) that my biggest fear in this world isn't dying, it's actually not LIVING, not feeling ALIVE. I am terrified that I'll get to my last breath and feel like I never took the opportunity to live, or worse, that I live the life someone else wanted.
You see, this journey of inner work which, for me, began with yoga and went deep was a search for my own aliveness. Something that made the blood course through my veins and the excitement written across my face. For many years, I believed I was searching for my purpose, my passion but really my purpose here is to LIVE LIFE. Spoiler Alert: That’s your purpose too.
So, what does it mean to be alive, aside from the obvious pulse, heartbeat, and oxygen filling your lungs? Well, that’s up to you to decide. But I’m finding that to come alive at a soul level take doing some deep inner work to disentangle from the beliefs and crumbling foundation of expectations.
Here are 4 steps to finding your ALIVENESS (warning: this will require peeling back layers and that can sometimes get uncomfortable, but I PROMISE it will be worth it). Breathe.
1// A CURIOSITY.
True fulfillment and change begin with a willingness to start looking under the hood - a curiosity. Zen Buddhists often call this approaching life with a beginner's mind. It’s seeing what you’ve been looking at in the mirror and living with an open mind, fresh eyes, and a willingness to question everything. I encourage you to start getting curious about EVERYTHING. If everything feels too broad for you, start here:
What does aliveness feel like for you? What does it feel like in your body?
What are the things in your life that drain you? What about the one’s that do the opposite - that light you up and get you excited.
Who’s version of ‘alive’ have you been living by that isn’t yours?
2// AN UNDOING.
Really revving your engines and living a life worth living requires a willingness to disentangle from what you know (and what you’ve been taught). It’s exploring the belief systems that have been ingrained in you and untangling what you believe is true and important (your core values and beliefs) from that of anyone else's. While this might seem daunting to some, I see it as an opportunity. The fun part of being an adult is that we can choose something different. Recent events in the world have PROVEN that the foundations on which we’ve built our society are shaky and rotting. How cool is it that you GET to choose something new to believe. The opportunity is to build your own foundation from which to work through life .
3// A BRAVE STEP.
So you’ve gotten curious and starting undoing beliefs that aren’t serving you any longer, now what? This step requires big bold action, it requires a willingness to bravely step into something new. Often times, the first steps are the hardest. This is the most challenging step for me as it’s where I’ve found myself stuck time and time again. It requires us to take steps in the direction in which we fear the most, yet it's with that step we come closer to our own aliveness. It's bound to ruffle feathers and draw criticism, it's uncomfortable. But it's OHH SOOO Worth it.
4// A LITTLE FUN.
Adulting is serious. Pandemics are serious. Life is serious. Doing the inner work can often be serious. Where along our way through life did we forget to have fun? We lose touch with the part of our selves that would laugh, move, and play from a place of pure joy. Being ALIVE will require a remembering of who we are at our core when we are most inspired and most alive! And, if we’re going to keep walking through this serious life of adulthood, we might as well have as much fun as we can, right?!
So there you have it, four very important steps to take to find your own aliveness.
Interested in going a little deeper and exploring what your soul’s purpose is? Check out my free digital workshop called Uncover your soul’s purpose.