How it took a Pandemic to Force (Some) People out of their Comfort Zone....

In light of the recent pandemic, mass hysteria, social fear and overall break down of the lifestyle, system, economy and way of working as we have known it, as I look to society, people in the news, on social media and in my day to day life in fact, it scares me to think that it has taken a global pandemic to force people out of their comfort zone, and into a situation where they have had no choice but to reflect on who they are, how they live, how they want to live, what they want to do/be/have and accomplish in their lives.

You might think this is a harsh thing to say because frankly, many of us have been moved from one dark shadow to the other as we have been forced out of what is normal in our jobs, others have lost jobs, businesses, been kept away from family, friends, situations and even places that once brought a familiar comfort and normalcy, into social isolation, economic crisis, health fears, family stresses, domestic abuse and a rise in all kinds of abuse while people have been stuck at home facing themselves and the dark corners of who they are as they watch their life and all they have come to know of it crumble in front of their eyes.

This might sound like a dastardly story, but to be honest, with the awareness of universal law, how creation expands itself and how we as individuals and collectively as a consciousness are forced to expansion it makes perfect sense to me, for it is in the tragedy, the fear, pain, disaster and struggle that the deepest most spiritual, creative part of us is moved into growth, evolution and expansion. It is in the nature of our expansive eternal soul to grow and evolve, and quite frankly it cannot do that while we sit comfortable in the discomfort of a life that does not inspire any of that.

One of the great pains of the world that I see is people settling for a life that is half-assed in comparison to what they could live if they went after what they truly desire. It pains me to see people just waiting to live when they finally save enough to retire, then they think they will live with freedom and choice. It pains me to see how people settle for 'what is comfortable' rather than to what makes their heart sing and soul come alive in the revel of adventure, opportunity and the newness of a desire that could be realised if only they would believe in it, and actually allow themselves to move toward it.

It pains me to see how people cut themselves short of their potential in all kinds of ways because they have bought into this crappy idea that they can only have one career, one type of body, study only one subject, do one thing, live in one place blah blah blah, and that is it for the rest of their lives. So why is it that people cut themselves off from living fully and in alignment with their desires? Here is a list of my best examples of things I have lived, watched others lived and others that are just downright obvious.

This is why I think people stay in situations they hate. The list is harsh, but I am saying it with utmost compassion because it makes me so sad to see?

• It is a habit and a comfortable familiar in their life

• They are comfortable in their discomfort

• They love playing the victim card and telling the sob story to win others sympathy as it offers a false sense of power.

• At least if they are in a situation they can complain about, they will have an excuse for being the victim of their life circumstances, with an excuse to continue to complain and blame life instead of taking action and responsibility themselves.

• They do not feel they are capable of anything else.

• They believe they cannot accomplish anything else.

• They think they are too old.

• They think it will be too hard.

• Fear of the unknown is greater than fear of staying stuck in discomfort.

• Waiting for life/someone else to hand them the opportunity.

• They do not think they have a choice

• They are just plain scared.

Even in our relationships, many of us seek the security and familiarity of having approval and basing our happiness upon what the other person is doing, and if it is suitable for us, and how it works to please us, and considering what it is we are getting out of it , for example "how is this person supporting me, doing this and that for me, providing for me, bringing money to me, satisfying me?" not realising how much we shift gears on our power handing it right over to the other person waiting for them to make our life kind of okay, kind of safe, kind of secure and kind of happy......only just though, until the other person steps put of line and does something else that pisses us off then we are haywire with all kinds of inner instability that could have been avoiding if only we had just made ourselves responsible for us first, and then let that flow into the relationship expanding it from a place of trust, flow and mutuality instead of neediness, insecurity and bondage...been there, done it and got the T shirt, this is why I feel qualified to speak on this subject in this way.

I have seen, lived, breathed and have suffocated in the crappy side of it all, but it has also inspired me to the other which is a much better feeling situation that waiting for someone else to take action on making me feel ok, realising all along that my insecurity was never about any of them, it was always about me cos I literally handed it over to them on a silver plate and gave them the cutlery too!

The same applies to the workplace, our jobs, our careers, our bosses, and our pay cheques. many of us sell our time to the job just in exchange for a pay cheque while waiting for the weekend, never really questioning if what we are doing there lines up with who we are, what we want, the values we represent, the people wish to associate with, the type of business we believe in and if it is something that will make you come alive each day as you make your way to trade your time, your freedom, ultimately your life in exchange for the dollar? Ask yourself how much do you value your life and time? How much is your freedom worth?

I am writing all of this because I have seen so many people freed from situations that have forced them to evaluate all of this, and more in light of the global pandemic. I have witnessed people close to me, very close to me in fact, and watch them transform into a new version of who they are because they were released from a situation that they spent most of their time at each day, doing something that is not in alignment with who they are, without giving any time to consider what they really want to do. The shift has been miraculous.

I am wondering though why do we keep needing the chaos to bring the order? Why can't we simply begin to realise that we are powerful in our own right, that we are worthy of the life we desire, and that if we can desire it then it absolutely means that the universe can bring the whole shebang to us of only we believe, allow and align with it to come into physicality?

I believe that a pandemic like this one has triggered thoughts like this in many, not just me. I know this because I have shared conversation with others like this one, but who will be the one to stand up and say it? I also believe that it was all meant to be. As we move into a new consciousness and a fifth dimensional state of being we are being called to not only recognise, but to actually harness and start aligning with the creative potential that we were all born with. Your creative potential begins with you knowing that you have the power and the ability to choose the life of your dreams, and the only one standing in your way is you. We need not the struggle anymore, we can do it with ease and flow.

I invite you right now to stop for a moment and consider all the ways you are settling for a life half lived, yourself, right now today. Look at where you are, where your discontent is and in light of that consider what it is you would truly like in place of that. See how when you focus there with belief and knowing that you have a choice, and that it is ok to let go of what doesn't serve you. Know and trust that life can deliver more, and see how it actually starts to shift when you let yourself line up with new feelings of inspiration, new ideas, new hunches and creative sparks to help set you off in the direction of your dreams.

Many would call these sort of inspirations synchronicity, random events that correlate to your own thoughts and feelings, but I say, no. These are just the direct flow of your creative power beginning to take form in the physical realm. It is not random, not coincidence and it is not a miracle. It is your creative power coming to life. It is time to awaken it. It is time to become deliberate with it, and it is time to wake up from the crappy mindset that you cannot have more, because yes you actually can.

With respect to those who have suffered because of this my heart goes out to you, but in Light of all that for others the covid situation has been a gift in disguise. It has given many of us the chance to shake up, wake us up and has inspire us to more, even if it has initially been driven be fear. So lets make light of it and do that by beginning to reach for more by realising our potential not just individually but collectively too. Life is worth living for the best, not to be sitting in fear and powerlessness. Whether you do that or not though, in the end a life well lived is a is a matter of choice, no matter what. In the end it is all up to you. Choose wisely

Until next time, don't forget to be realistic and daydream often

Ashleigh