Feeling the Burn?
This is NOT how I thought my life would turn out.
Sound familiar?
It’s not just you. We’re lead to believe that if we follow a few simple rules, we’ll achieve success and happiness. Most go something like this:
Nail the career.
Snag a mate.
Build a cozy nest.
Maintain a youthful body… for life.
Add a dash of “self care”, and you’re all set. Right?
Wrong.
Even if you shake your tail feathers, work your ass off and manage to attain those goals… it doesn’t guarantee satisfaction. Not by a long shot.
Recognize any of these symptoms of The Big Burn?
Fatigue.
Burnout.
Overwhelm.
Depression.
Anxiety.
Career dissatisfaction.
Divorce.
Disconnection.
Loss of vitality.
Maybe you’re inside those roaring flames right now. The searing fire of lost dreams. Or perhaps things are “OK” on paper, but you feel a simmering restlessness. A yearning.
Either way, you may be telling yourself you have it pretty good, that you should just be grateful. That you have no “real” reason to be discontent. (Not true, by the way.)
Whether you’re in a slow burn or the inferno, it’s time to get your bearings.
Each of us were born for flight.
Inevitably, we’re going to encounter hardship along the way. Our wings get singed. We tumble and we fall.
Spoiler Alert: nobody gets out of this life unscathed. It’s not so much about what happens, but how we respond to our experiences that ultimately defines us.
Yep. Got it. So what’s with the bird metaphors?
Mythology resonates deeply across time because it speaks to certain unchanging truths of the human experience. Stories are told and retold, and we each discover their meaning in our own time.
The Phoenix teaches us that we all must burn, but that the story doesn’t have to end there. There’s redemption in those ashes. Rebirth, and the eventual return of flight.
“Death is the stripping away of all that is not you.
The secret of life is to ‘die before you die’ –
and find that there is no death.”
So how does that work exactly?
The Phoenix myth is an elegant metaphor, illustrating a fundamental concept you’re likely to encounter under many other names. Buddhism speaks of this in terms of suffering and detachment. Gestalt theory describes it as formation and destruction. And in life coaching school, we understand it as the Theory of Change.
It goes something like this:
We live in an age that places a mighty heavy emphasis on the brain. We trust what we can measure, diagram, quantify, and record. But reality has always been a blend of Art and Science. Head and Heart.
It’s time to bring back more of the magic and mystery. Time to practice living inside your own myth. One where you are the hero. And why the hell not? It’s your story after all. Make it one for the ages.
Are you on the blazing cusp of transformation? If so, let’s find your wings together so you can remember how to fly.
It’s time to rise.
If you’d like a soul companion to walk beside you on your path, consider a complimentary call to see if working with me might be a fit. I’d love to make some magic together!