Where’s the ground? Tales from the trail.

Where’s the ground? Tales from the trail.

Many international education professionals are making big shifts right now. As I move through my own business and life transition, I have found myself saying, “I just need to find the ground.” I have craved a sense of who I was created to be, a reminder of my core values, and a purpose that surpasses my career.

Do you ever feel that way? We can get so busy trying to control our own destiny that we lose sight of our foundation.

I retreated to Whistler, BC, to fuel my soul and get in tune with my intuition. The language around values and purpose flows quite easily for me because I frequently take Soul-Oh retreats and practice tuning up.


But at one point on a desolate trail, I was riding my bike and couldn’t find a gear that would give me enough traction to propel forward. “Ah-ha!” Winnie the Pooh would say! This is the next step! Once you have found solid ground, you must find the gear that correlates with the terrain!


Image by A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh Illustrator E.H. Shepherd

At times of your life you need the lowest of gears to climb steep hills without tiring. At others, you need the high ones to keep propulsion and safeguard yourself from taking the easier times for granted, but high gears are also required for maintaining control in rough terrain. The bruises on my legs will attest that the trail isn’t necessarily smooth when things are flowing with gravity! The cycle path, the way, can be loaded with obstacles, sudden turns, or another traveler coming at you on a narrow path.


I’ve found some ground for the moment and will continue to practice living with purpose. The bike analogy helps me bring awareness that I need to shift gears when I feel like the wheels are spinning and I’m not getting anywhere or when things seem way too hard and the hill too steep.

Help me take this idea to the next level:

What are the ‘gears’ in your life that help you navigate through different terrains, and how do you know when it’s time to shift? How do you remain adaptive as you transition through roles, locations, and teams in your life and career?

Liz Zweigle

Chief Operating Officer ?? Education Enrollment Specialist ?? Digital Marketer for Schools ??Designing Your School’s Digital Marketing Plan for Maximum Visibility & Enrollment ??

3 个月

I have learned to see the closed doors/windows more quickly instead of pushing and pulling with all my might to open them. ????♀?And this has allowed me to RUN through the doors that are open without a second thought. If things are clunky, slow, weird, or “not in the flow” I move away as quick as possible to the next!

Kimberley Chalmers

Founder upliftedcollective.co | ?????? ???????? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? | Upcoming Book??Be Outrageously You

3 个月

Great post and question! For me, I just take the next right step. As I make small movements, the next step is revealed. I also trust the process. Or at least I aim to! I too am in transition and it feels peaceful in the ‘void’. I don’t have to have it all figured out anymore. My natural default would be to need it all planned and have set expectations. But the older I get, the more comfortable I am with the unknown.

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