Redefining success
In March 2020 my world was turned upside down …
pandemic arrived
I found out my parents were separating
I was promoted into an executive role for the first time in my career
I didn’t know it at the time but this was the beginning of a big shift for me. Each of these events provided a gift that would help me transition into a new version of myself.
The pandemic gave me time
The separation taught me the importance of boundaries
The promotion forced me to reevaluate my definition of success
I did not consider these to be “gifts” at the time. I was lost, frustrated and felt uncertain about the future. I sat in these feeling of discomfort for months, trying to understand why I was feeling the way I was feeling.
I remember being at a cottage that summer and trying to take time to sit and think my way out of the discomfort. It didn’t work.
It wasn’t until I attended a weekend meditation retreat that I found the clarity I was searching for. We did a workshop that I have since called “heart to mind”. We were asked to partner; one person was the participant and the other was the witness. The participant was asked to lay on the floor with their eyes closed and visualize two tiny versions of themselves – one was sitting on their head and the other was sitting on their chest. We were asked to introduce our heart to our mind and our mind to our heart, as if it was the very first time the two were meeting.
Instantly, tears poured down my face. That was it, this conversation was the key that unlocked so much and propelled me forward.
It became clear to me in that moment that my heart was longing to play a bigger role in my life. She had so much to say and I didn't even have the capacity to listen. I found out the discomfort I was experiencing for months was exactly this. That is, my heart had something to say and she was tired of not having a voice.
For my entire life, I led from my head – my mind was the main character. It left no space for anyone else to play a role. When I was 15, I downloaded the recipe for “how to be successful”and started checking things off one-by-one:
Receive good grades
Be well behaved and don’t ruffle feathers
Go to university or college
Start your career early
Marry the guy
Buy a house
Make six figures
Climb the corporate ladder
On paper my life looked picture perfect. And I had no regrets. It brought me to exactly where I needed to be. My life was amazing but I was ready to do things a bit differently. My heart knew exactly what that looked like and I had to give her space. So in that moment I vowed to allow my heart to take up more space and play a bigger role in my life.
Two weeks later I started BEE WELLNESS. It started as a passion project but I knew I was about to embark on a journey.
Exactly two years later I am launching my BEE WELLNESS website and I could not be more proud!
chat soon!
Sylvana
