The Phoenix

This past week I have been surrounded by women who are going through some very deep emotional pain and doubt. It is not just the typical bad day kind of stuff, but “my heart hurts deeply and I feel lost and confused” kind of stuff.  These women are remarkable, generous, intelligent and loving women, all on the verge of transition. They are not negative, nor do they come from a space of victim. Each of them has a different type of transition, but they are all moving from one realm of consciousness to a higher level. In three months from now I am confident that each one of them will be in a new, higher realm – more confident, achieving greater things and happier deep in their soul. Each one will take a different journey to get there but their outcomes will be transformational.

In Greek mythology the Phoenix symbolizes rebirth. It is associated with the sun and obtains new life by rising from the ashes.

When we are in a space of pain and doubt and our world feels frozen with fear or when we are in that space when we cannot stop crying, we are in the ashes. Our natural tendency is to judge ourselves or beat ourselves up. “Why can’t I just pull myself together?” “I am such a failure in love.” “Look at me. I cannot even keep it together for five minutes.” Stop! Allow – allow these feelings and experience them. Fighting them or trying to push them away will only prolong your pain. Cry, journal your feelings and most importantly be kind to yourself. Understand you are “moving through this storm to move forward.” You might not know what “forward” looks like, but trust. There is something better and more meaningful on the other side of the pain and confusion.

Glow is my last Phoenix. Last year in May I was feeling chewed up and spit out. I had lost my father in January. I was travelling at least monthly for work to do restructures and lay off large groups of people. I felt sad and dead inside. I was lucky enough to go away on a mini vacation. On the last night I was sitting in a little restaurant with my love talking about how I felt and expressed my confusion around how to move forward. He suggested I start a blog. My first response was, “I can’t do that!” My mind immediately generated about eight to ten reasons why I couldn’t do that including, I am not smart enough, I am not technical enough, I don’t have time, no one will read it, etc. Fear rushed in and said no. As I processed over the coming weeks and months following that conversation, the vision became more powerful than the fear. In September I launched Glow and the rest is history – still in the making!

Glow would not have happened for me if life was going along well and I was feeling happy and content. By being brought to the ashes, something great and meaningful was born. I know that each of the women I have supported this week through the ashes has a great new place ahead. Whether it is a relationship; new or renewed, a meaningful successful career or both – they are all on a path to a better, more fulfilling chapter. So to them and anyone else that may be experiencing the same thing right now, I say – allow and embrace – you are on your way to a beautiful new you!