How To Embrace Chaos & Stay In Your Power, Mastery & Genius: A Journey of Vulnerability and Growth
If you don't mind, I'd like to get vulnerable for the second time this week, as it's been playing on my mind. In fact, it makes me cringe as I recall the worst advice I ever gave a friend: "Sometimes you have to sit in the suck." It wasn't wrong, but it lacked context. So I apologise.
Sometime life challenges us to the core and sometime these challenges demand acceptance and the right tools to navigate them, easing our nervous system to find calm within chaos. It sucks because, sometimes, we cannot change it. However, we can change our perception and place within it.
We need to find our way to the eye of the storm by using the right tools to get us there. In the eye of the storm, we can be within the calm, our zen zone, and equanimity.
To be within the chaos, or perceived chaos, but not of it. From here, we can try to find a creative solution and find a way to, not argue with the situation, because if we do, we will eventually deplete our energy and drive ourselves mad.
Instead, the invitation is to be within it. To navigate to the calm eye of the storm and be the calm until the storm blows over.
So what makes us anxious and drives us to helplessness or anger, away from our calm centre?
Our nervous system is the all-sensing fire alarm, sensing danger and putting us on hyper-alert, reacting and feeling anxious and stopping us from solving the problem or showing up to our full potential. As we master ourselves and our nervous system, we can create safety within ourselves, and then we get curious enough to realise that ‘Obstacle is the way’ (Ryan Holiday). We can grow from here while we become more bulletproof. I had to give myself that advice a few times this week.
The first time I needed my own advice and tools was Wednesday: I.E, I needed to take my own medicine, to overcome my own perceived chaos in my head and get vulnerable.
But let me ask you first:
Have you ever had imposter syndrome?
Have you ever felt that you couldn’t make a difference with whatever you had to say or
That you would have nothing in common with a room full of strangers you were supposed to present to?
Asked yourselves whether it was safe to speak.
Then you vulnerably start to speak and tell them your story about how and why you got there. What you learnt and witnessed. Why it matters that you get your message out in the world -
If only to give active hope to one person so they don’t give up on themselves like I nearly did.
At that moment, you bravely look up, feeling like you will be judged and consoling yourself that at least you got a free cup of tea and a rice cake, but then something amazing happens. You look up into their eyes, and it is quite the opposite; they are all leaning in (well, nearly all) and have a knowing - yes, I resonate and hear you, look about them.
That was what it was like on Wednesday night (28th February) as I talked at an author night about my story, why I wrote in Conscious Revolution about Creativity, the neuroscience secrets of creative genius, and why they are 34% happier.
This I linked to the Egyptian Hermetic laws and how it’s linked to our healing journey, energy, power, purpose and self-mastery, but also why I firmly believe we need a new approach to how we create and innovate at work to break through, not burnout. (I know that link sounds weird, but welcome to my brain and its strange, innovative connections).
Why we need a new paradigm:
We need a new approach to how we create and innovate at work, to break through not burnout - according to to Future Forum Report, we have a 40% burnout rate & 20% of executives Executives now report 20% worse work-life balance and 40% more work-related stress and anxiety.
We need a new definition and relationship with Creativity and Chaos, as creativity is the source of all human evolution and innovation to solve problems and help us thrive or survive.
Still, many plays are at the shallow end of creativity, repeating old patterns that don’t work, and stress holds us back from ever exploiting our ability to open our genius brain networks to come up with great ideas.
I shared my journey of how I used the secrets of the neuroscience of creativity to heal me and activate the brainwave states to help solve problems and make meaning of the chaos in my life after it left me feeling completely burnt out and ‘done’.
The obstacles in my life meant I turned myself into a human lab, but only after I gave myself permission to get creative to look for answers over ten years despite nearly giving up several times. And, of course, the tools to help me calm my nerves and, from there, create a new narrative.
What happened on the night?
The reception was incredible - they said it was inspiring, moving and leaning in, asking questions and wanting to hear more about the tools to help them get creative and stay grounded within themselves when they met stress and Chaos, which inevitably comes to us all at some point.
We talked about Chaos a lot. The obstacle in front of us, and what happens when we find ourselves in the suck, despite all our efforts. How can we change our relationship to Chaos and befriend fear?
So, I invite you to reflect on how you will meet chaos, stress, and anxiety when they visit.
I reflected afterwards, wondering what would have happened if the reception had been bad.
What if they hadn’t liked my message?
If they hadn’t felt comfortable hearing it or leant in (in fact, two women kept looking at me strangely)?
The truth is, rejection is no stranger, and recently, I painfully experienced that. But I was so proud of myself and my resilience - I learned the lessons and still honoured myself completely. I even said - “Go You”, - deciding that I was not going to sit in the suck after all but try a different way, as this particular situation had choices if I could get curious and creative to find a way.
Ultimately, my experience reinforced the value of showing up authentically and mastering oneself to unlock the genius within.
As I continue to share my story and tools for navigating chaos, I hope to empower others to embrace their journeys of self-acceptance, power, and purpose. So, come to my Zen Zone class if you require more resilience and flow. It's the foundation to all my other work, whether you want to open to your genius circuits, intuition, or get Zen. It starts here.
Date: Thursday 29th Feb
Time: 7-9 pm UK; 2-4 pm ET
Investment: £59
Recording available: For those who can't make it live - a recording is available & a free 15 minute consultation if required to answer deeper questions that may come up for you.
Finally, Honesty Journal Prompts
This is February's end-of-month review prompts. What have you changed or shifted & what steps do you need to take to align with your dreams?
Take care, dear friends, and take time creating your joy, life and legacy, & if chaos shows up, ask what he wants you to know to up level!
With Moonbeams
Nila
P.S. A little extra tip to help our evolution.