In a world where we are constantly compared, competing, confronted and connected... is it any wonder so many of us are suffering from burnout? It can be tough out there; made all the more challenging by the fact we know so much about what everyone else is doing.
You would have to live in a cave (and even then you could probably still access a Wi-Fi signal), to not concern yourself with the lives of everyone you know, and everyone they know, and everyone Facebook says you may know.
We have become so skilled in the business of everyone else, we know very little about ourselves. By this, I don't mean simply forgetting to think about ourselves, but actually ignoring who we are and being unaware of our true needs and desires. If we are lucky, we have a few decades to figure ourselves out, and that is not long.
In the immortal words of the late American mythologist, Joseph Campbell, we need to follow our bliss. With multiple choices, personalised options, added extras and always something better around the corner, finding our bliss, let alone knowing what it is, is the holy grail.
Long before I started my business, I blended my first beauty oil to treat my own problem skin. I found a solution to my problem that I wanted to share with others and thus my Pure Bliss beauty oils were born. I chose that name because at the time it was 'pure bliss' for me to have clear skin after years of being embarrassed by my complexion. As I have developed my brand, I want to keep exploring this idea of bliss, as I think it's the one thing that remains elusive in our search for fulfilment.
Often we are in the midst of doing things and being people others want us to be, or at least we believe that's the case. When we really review our 'whys' for living, we can be surprised by how little of what we are doing is even remotely close to what we want out of life. When we speak to our loved ones, they may express surprise by just how unhappy we are in our job or current circumstances, as they thought, we "loved" it.
The moral of the story being: we need to get to know ourselves better.
But surely, no one knows us better than ourselves right? Right?.. Wrong.
If you are unable to list five quality reasons for why you are where you are currently in your life, and why that is the right place for you, then you are lost without a map. Not everything needs to be planned; we can discover ourselves somewhere unexpected in our lives but be delighted with where we have found ourselves.
I always ask myself the following questions every few months to see if I am in the right place:
How much joy am I experiencing right now in my life? 1-10
If I answer between 1-5:
Is this limited joy necessary to experience future joy?
If I answer between 5-10:
What can I do to enjoy it?
Is there anything I am doing to hinder my current experience of joy?
Can I enjoy this moment without needing to change it?
If I had to stop where I am right now, can I be happy here?
The key is to see our bliss clearly, and follow it confidently.
