Have you ever experienced a moment when you sort of get that feeling that you could do things differently or that there’s a big leap there or that something has to change.
Or you want to change or there’s something exciting out there but you’re not quite sure what it is but it’s there. It’s a feeling inside of you, almost like you’re on a precipice and about to jump and not quite knowing where you’re jumping but knowing you want to. You might have a range of emotions or even feel a bit scared.
For me, I can give you an example of when that happened, and it was when I went to a book launch of all things. I’m sitting in the audience and I’m listening to Louise Minchin when she’s launching her fabulous book called Fearless (which if you’ve not read, I highly recommend it). And I’m listening to Louise and all the incredible women featured in the book. I suddenly got that feeling. I felt I could do something exciting, exhilarating, scary. I have that feeling deep inside.
I didn’t know what it was, didn’t know what to do with it, in fact I didn’t do anything with it right there and then, but that feeling stayed with me long after the book launch. I thought about it afterwards and wondered what it was about a book launch that created that sense of needing to change, wanting to do something else, wanting to step off and make that big leap.
And I’ve come to the conclusion that it wasn’t just the book launch or the speeches or even indeed the book although it is full of inspirational stories. It was the energy. It was in that room at the time, the energy that lay behind the stories and the reason for sharing them, the energy hearing other women take on board challenges and having to dig deep, having to develop strategies that took them to a higher place that enabled them to explore their potential in that exciting way.
It excited me personally but also professionally, because that’s what I help people do. I help people who are stuck, and they may have that feeling inside that they want something different. But they don’t know why or how.
So back to my story, I left that book launch feeling inspired because I wanted to do something but what interests me the most is that you never really know when you are going to get that call to do something. Sometimes we come across something or someone and we need to hear what they’ve got to say.
And I needed to hear what those women at the book launch had to say. And then, bizarrely, this is what happened, once that need had been ignited inside of me, I listen and became curious. It wasn’t going to quieten down; it wasn’t going to go away.
And a couple of weeks later, when I got the opportunity to talk to one of those inspiring ladies and record a podcast episode, she mentioned she was doing the Yorkshire three peaks challenge with a group. That was it. That was what I needed to do. I found myself signing up for the challenge, with people who had done some incredible things – we had Caroline Bramwell, a triathlete who had a stoma and Lucy Gossage, 14 times iron woman champion, as well as Louise Minchin herself.
And there was I, part of their gang. When we recognise that there’s a flame, a glimmer, a spark of something inside of us, trusting, and allowing it to take a hold, can be transformative. Now don’t get me wrong, climbing the three peaks hasn’t completely transformed my life, But oh my goodness, what it has added to it.
Watch out for another blog where I will share what I learned and experienced on the walk itself.
