It’s been a big move. A major transition. Now, I am figuring out what needs to happen in this next chapter of my life. How to successfully navigate a major change when life is challenging?
My Story
As I sit in our new apartment in Cambridge I glance towards the window, and the strange lion face of my ‘limited edition’ soft toy stares back at me – Simba, a gift from dear friends Marie (RIP) and Danny Collins who shared with us the ‘Lion King’ performance in Dublin a few years ago. This isn’t the first time my lion has taken pride of place in moving, (pardon the pun). Several years back Simba travelled in the front passenger seat of my very loaded car as I relocated from Dublin to Cork. I ponder what makes him my chosen travel companion?
There are the evident strands for my affection – the connection to my dear friends, my love of African wildlife, my enjoyment of the exquisite puppetry in Lion King, the rich ethnic designs on his clothing and the patterned braiding of his mane. Yet most of all it is his eyes that draw me in. The unseeing eyes with no pupils that somehow seem to see inwardly and see everything. I hear in my imagination the strange heralding cry of Rafiki, the sangoma, and the deep resonating voice of Simba’s father, the lion king Mufasa – “Remember who you are.”
How to Move Forward When Life Is Challenging
What does this message mean to me as I face yet another major disruption in my life? What does it mean for all of us as COVID-19 has created what may prove to be the most major disruption of the century? “Remember who you are.”
I think how young Simba started with big dreams of how he would one day rule his territory. But his psychologically scarred and egotistical uncle deals him a cruel blow, that destroys his self-belief. In his deep pain, Simba opts out from all life has called him to be and chooses the care-free life, chasing after tiny multi-legged morsels to survive. Until life takes an unexpected turn. And then he remembers who he truly is – and the role that he is called to fulfil.
And this is the essence of it. Simba‘s inward gaze evokes my spirit to remember who I truly am. He journeys with me because he symbolises the calling on my life – the drawing together of all I am: my origins, my family and deep connections, my life experiences, my dreams, and even my deepest wounds. Simba helps me to remember who I am and who I am called to be.
When life is challenging for you, I invite you to look in the mirror and remember WHO You Are. This matters because there is a purpose you, and you only, are uniquely called to fulfil.
Val Mullally is an Author and Transformational Coach. If you are looking for a safe, and inspiring, reflective space to help you “remember who you are” and clarify how to turn your passion into a productive venture that makes a difference in the world, then contact [email protected]
See https://valmullally.com/coaching for more detail.
https://www.facebook.com/BusinessSuccessFromAncientWisdom
@ValMullally