It has been bittersweet being back in the land of fast internet and 7-11. I missed my husband and my puppy and am very glad to see them. Now I just have new things to miss, like an open air yoga studio set in rice fields, healthy organic cafes, and a group of 26 yogis who became like family.
My month in Bali was challenging, inspiring, eye-opening, and most of all just what I needed. I learned more in a month than I have in a long time and loved being pushed to the edge and then finding there was still a little more I could give. Yoga training is more than just exercise and vacation. The bunch of us went through an emotional and physical roller coaster, from broken hearts to nearly broken bones and everything in between.
It was nice to be disconnected from the world for a bit. It gave me an opportunity to connect on a deeper level not only with the people around me, but with myself. I found a lot of that passion and inspiration that I'd been struggling to find in me for a while. I don't think us expats, or people in general for that matter, acknowledge enough how hard it can be to be so far away from everything familiar. We put on a brave face and call it an adventure, but I think it would be really nice if we could all just admit that sometimes it's hard. Really hard. It's often tough to make friends, and find work, and fight through language barriers, but I think the toughest part of it all is finding a place where you fit. A place in this new world, country, city, whatever, where you feel inspired and uplifted. It can be challenging, at least for me, to find that sense of community and a group of people who want to bring change and want to leave a positive mark on the world. So that's my challenge now that I'm back. To create my own community- one that inspires and uplifts, one that seeks to change the world just by being their creative wonderful selves, and one that cares- about each other and the people around them. I hadn't realized how much that was missing until I found it with a group of 26 strangers in foreign country.
As I continue to actively seek out inspiration and surround myself with people who build me up, I'd challenge you to do the same. In training, our teacher shared a bit of wisdom that she learned from Will Smith. That is, "You are the five people you spend to most time with." Whether that's a direct quote or not, that is the gist. You are the five people around you most often. We as humans have an ability, that is perhaps both a gift and a curse, to adapt quickly to situations presented to us, often by mirroring behaviour. The more time we spend with negative discouraging people, not only will we feel worse about ourselves, but we'll begin to treat those around us the same way. Take careful stock of those five people you see yourself with the most. Do they inspire you, do they uplift you, do they challenge you to be a better person? Do you see yourself reflecting those same behaviours- are you inspiring, uplifting, and challenging them?
So there you have it, it's time we found some more inspiring, uplifting, and
real people to surround ourselves with. Starting today.