The HomeComing: Who Will You Be in 10 Years Time?

From time to time we all make small yet monumental internal shifts. These might seem insignificant to others but are big enough for us and have the power to completely change the trajectory of our lives. This morning I had one such shift and I felt really proud of myself for moving in the direction of the person I aim to become. I felt aligned. I felt like myself. And this felt good. But I wondered, who is this person I aim to become if this feels like coming home? Am I not parts of that person already but something might be standing in my way? In the way of me coming back home to myself fully?

This got me thinking about my once most dreaded question of: 'What is your 5 year plan?', to which I always answered that I didn't have one ("We'll see what happens") and that I wanted life to surprise me. I also always felt slightly embarrassed by this question as it was almost implied that my answer should include something like: a well planned out career trajectory, plans to purchase a home, a car, get married, etc. It's not that I didn't have those and that I didn't achieve them. But I truly never believed in planning our lives like that and I never thought those things should be my life goals. I wanted fulfilment, honesty, integrity to be my guidance, and I knew other things would sort themselves out. I wanted alignment and truthfulness. Yet the world was trying to convince me otherwise. And at one point, it nearly did! I had swayed far away from myself to chase the societal standards of 'happiness'. I went far away from what truly gave meaning to MY life. And I think that many of us do...

I don't think I was ever wrong when I said I didn't have a plan and I wanted life to surprise me. This still holds true for me. Some of the best things that have ever happened to me I never could've imagined myself and some others deeply life-changing experiences stemmed from serious hardship. The first I never could've imagined and the second I never would've desired to experience. I could not have planned either. I hold a firm belief that there is an incredible life journey we're all meant to have, a unique experience, our own path that life will set us on if we listen to ourselves closely. I don't try to fool myself thinking that we can control or manage life nor that I know better than the intelligence of life itself. But I was wrong about one thing - I never truly understood what thinking about my future meant for me. And I never realised I actually feared it.

For quite some time I could not imagine the future version of myself because like many of us, I probably spent more time in my mind dedicated to dissecting my past than I did thinking about my future. Now I also know why this was the case. When we're stuck in trauma we tend to spend more time ruminating on our past as our patterns and unresolved pains keep us stuck in this a never-ending cycle. This also keeps us disconnected from our true selves. And the planning of our future doesn't seem real when we aren't aligned to ourselves. This is also how people make many wrong choices, take action just for the sake of it, end up living with Imposter Syndrome, end up depressed, etc. We make decisions about our future without being in touch with our true/core selves. And usually those decisions then are based in fear and living in survival mode. This is a long diverted road to our destination. I still don't have a very clear 5 year plan. But through all I've been I know one thing. Through all my life experiences, life has only ever aimed to bring me back to myself. Almost all of my mental turmoil was because I was removed from myself. And none of my other goals meant much when I didn't feel connected to myself or to what I had achieved. It wasn't true to me.

I now spend much more time living in the present and thinking about my future than I do about the past. Resolving my traumas helped significantly. I couldn't imagine my future when I didn't know who I was. When over the 16+ years I had moved further away instead of closer to myself. And research, interestingly enough, shows that when we think of our future the region of our brain that lights up when we think of ourselves isn't active. It's like when we think of our future we don't feel like we're thinking of ourselves. And this may be something many of us struggle with. This might be why we make so many poor choices in the present as if the person who will suffer the consequences in the future will not be ourselves. We feel far removed from it. Our traumas may be contributing to it. So instead of facing ourselves and building our present and future from a place of being grounded within, we instead daydream of magical solutions that would somehow make all our troubles go away. This may be why we're so obsessed with manifestations of material things (as the societal norm of success and happiness), never truly reconnecting with what truly matters to us. Ever noticed how everything about manifestations usually boils down to manifesting a dream house/car, etc. Nobody wants to manifest becoming who they truly are. Yet - that is the ONLY manifestation we will ever need. Then everything else falls into alignment.

For me - my future goals are simple. They're built on one principle and that's to never stop moving closer to myself, to the truth of who I am, to my essence. So, in line with that here's a list of some principles that will guide me as I navigate life in the next 10 years:

• Become myself more and more every day
• Always strive to be as truthful as possible to myself and others
• Live and lead with integrity
• Be present in life and in my relations
• Make decisions out of a place of love, not fear
• Feel a deep connection with life
• Live in alignment with my own truth.

Even now I can connect with this future version of myself. I could never do this before. I know that in many ways she will be quite different, but I also know that in many ways I already know her intimately because the essence of me, of who I am is already within her. And I don't fear to think of this future anymore. I know that what I will have done between now and then will be okay if all my future life experiences are built on the timeless principles outlined above. This person will be different but the essence will be the same. And this thread will ensure that my life doesn't feel like years and decades lost in not being myself, but invested in becoming more and more of myself every day. The Homecoming! There is no better way to manifest the life you desire than to chase a life of what truly matters to YOU.

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In my work I focus on helping people identify what's keeping them stuck and preventing from moving forward in alignment with themselves. I help people develop the tools to remove those obstacles and empower you to re-connect with your core self, use your voice and become empowered to build the life that is true to you.

You can contact me today for 1:1 coaching or DM to be informed of one of my upcoming workshops.

If ready for this journey, then I invite you to sign up for my upcoming small group online coaching program starting this September. For more information and to sign up: https://voicefulconsulting.com/coaching-program

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