Not Easy but Not Hard

My word for this year was EASY – after a tumultuous year of setting up a third retail store, selling our farm, purchasing an investment property to live in while we decide our next move and feeling the unrelenting yearn to start an online business, I decided I needed a year where things just flowed. No more hustle, no more grind.

But we all know how 2020 has turned out so far. It’s been a year of unprecedented events. Events that have gone global and affected us all no matter where we are or what position we hold in life. The coronavirus pandemic, the black lives matter movement, and the climate change that has led to environmental disasters on scales we haven’t seen before. These have not been easy times. But for me, they haven’t been hard either. They’ve been complex, they’ve been uncertain, and they’ve been unsettling many times – but not hard.

And while I don’t discount the fortunate position I find myself in, living in Australia, running “essential service” businesses and being in good health, I also know that the choices I make have a direct influence on how I experience my life, no matter what is thrown my way. What this time has taught me more than ever is that when I am clear on HOW I want to live my life and WHO I am becoming in the process then I know how to handle the most difficult and fearful things. Following are some of the choices I have made and what they mean to me:

1. Working towards being debt-free has given me more financial security than when I owned a large property portfolio and carried multiple mortgages. I live with the certainty that no matter what happens I have a roof over my head.

2. Doing work that is aligned with my values and how I see myself energises me and I can work harder, longer and be more solutions focussed especially in these difficult times.

3. Speaking my truth and being honest means that I can say and do hard things when I need to. Being congruent with what I believe, what I say and what I do is more important to me than the fear of other people's opinions.  

4. Being present for others has created more meaningful relationships and removed the judgement and frustration that come from expecting others to behave in a certain way.

5. Being open to learning and growing has given me permission to explore and experiment. I’m more motivated by the fear of regret than I am by the fear of failure. 

It has taken me a while to get to the point where I have created a lifestyle that not only aligns with my values but allows me to like who I am. This is the secret to life being ‘not hard” (or insert your word). I now know with certainty that no matter what, everything will be ok. That I have within me all the resources I need to be able to face the challenges, the craziness, the disappointments, the hurt, the sadness and the unexpectedness that life will throw my way. And while this didn’t just happen – it’s been years in the making I also know with certainty that you can too. The way we live our life is a choice and we can either be intentional and “do the work” to make it so or we can be a passive observer and wait and see what comes our way. 

Which one are you going to be?