Looking inwards, Listening to the cues and Stepping in the unknown

I often tend to relate to the current journey I am on as accidental and lucky (I’m very grateful with the path I have taken), because in a nutshell, I had the opportunity to quit my job in 2015 to follow my wife going into a new position in the US, and to reinvent myself over there. It didn’t require me to take the bold step to quit my job with no safety net, I didn’t have to overcome any big pain or obstacle and although it might appear as brave to quit a job and move to a different country with 3 kids, it didn’t feel this way to me. It felt exciting, and fulfilled my desire for newness and adventure. I feel like I “just” followed a natural, organic path.

But as I reflect on it, I can distinguish 3 main elements that contributed to having me find my current path:

• Looking inward

One day in 2012, I was wandering in a book shop and I felt like buying “Plaidoyer pour le Bonheur” a book about Happiness from Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, and “Méditer jour après jour”, a book about meditation from psychotherapeutist Christophe André. I can’t tell why I went for these book but I think I just followed an intuitive calling, an inner feeling that I needed this. We just had had our 3^rd boy and life was starting to feel a little bit hectic, and I was in an unconscious search of some inner peace. That was the first time I started to look inward, explore my inner world and, in a way, my first steps into personal development. That’s what led me to take an in person meditation course in 2015 before moving to the US. And, as a synchronicity, that’s what led me to my current career because my meditation teacher sent a video a year later that had me choose my new path.

• The willingness to step into the unknown without having the answers, open to possibilities

In his book “Transitions”, William Bridges identifies 3 parts in any transition: the ending of something, then a neutral, empty phase that can be uncomfortable, and the beginning of something new. I believe that accepting to quit my job and step into this new adventure without knowing where it would lead me, not rushing for an answer right away but allowing time and space for exploration, created the conditions for my new chapter to unfold.

• Listening to the cues and trusting my inner knowing
  • I did listen to the cues of my inner feelings and trusted my intuition when I purchased these books on meditation and happiness.
  • When I quit my job, I did listen to the cue of this opportunity to take a leap, trusting my inner knowing that, although I had a great life, there was more to it, that on the other side of status quo was something more exciting even though I couldn’t put my finger on it.
  • I did trust my inner knowing when one day, as I was exploring different options for my next chapter, I watched a video that my meditation teacher had sent to his email list, and something clicked inside me. In that moment, I knew I wanted to switch from product development to people development. I engaged into this journey and never looked back. Even during the first challenging years, I never considered quitting and always had faith that I would make it, when a lot of new coaches fall into resignation and quit.

Since then, it’s been a journey of Expansion, Creation and Inspiration. It feels as though my path that was narrow and one dimension ahead, opened up to 180°, and with that came the awareness that there is so much more that’s possible outside of what I currently see.

And that’s what I wish for you. Not to take the same path, we all have a different path to take. But to listen to the cues that life may be sending you and to be willing to move forward without necessarily knowing how this will unfold in the end. No matter where you are in life, there is more to it than you can see. More meaning, more fulfillment, more freedom, more inspiration, more fun, are available if you dare to pause, be quiet and look inward, listen to what life whispers to you, trust your inner knowing, and dare take the risk to step into the unknown. Because from there new possibilities arise, that you couldn’t imagine before. And from there, Life is lived.

If this resonates with you, if you feel that something different and inspiring may be waiting for you, that there is more to life, here are some ways you can explore this with me:

• 1 on 1 coaching (this starts with a complimentary connection call to explore what you might be looking for)
• High and Deep: this experiential and transformational journey (hiking and coaching for 4 days in the beautiful mountains) is a great opportunity to take some time to slow down, reflect, and plant the seeds for what’s next. Next session is from June 22^nd to June 25^th.

Take care,