Choose your change wisely, says business mentor Sonia Friedrich

Byron Bay, where mentor and business consultant Sonia Friedrich has chosen to live, is one of the most popular sea or tree change places in Australia. She looks at the pros and cons of change, for change’s sake.

Many people in the world want a different life, and a common theme is city people moving to be close to the beach, to the hinterland, or somewhere in the bush where they imagine themselves surrounded by nature, and immersed in peace. Yet too often peace is the last thing they can handle. Making the break may have taken considerable deliberation and when the question of what they should ‘do’arises it can be confronting.

A change in geography is simply that, a change in geography. You bring you with you. Seeking life change requires more than a shift in landscape – it requires a shift from within. Yet the journey of self-discovery and healing is not for the faint hearted.

The following scenario has played out so often it’s heartbreaking: Scenario 1: A couple arrive in Byron Bay excited with their new venture and lease of life. They invest in a shop, fit it out and launch a retail enterprise for which they have no previous experience. Six to twelve months later a FOR SALE sign appears as they are forced to close. Frustrated and disappointed with their life change, their relationship has been pushed to the limit and thousands of dollars lost. Having rebounded in, now they are deciding how and where to rebound out. They are not sure what to try their hand at, something, anything, except doing nothing and being in the silence and stillness that would mirror back their life.

Scenario 2 is a healthier alternative: A couple arrive in Byron Bay. They have $50,000 – $100,000 and instead of starting any new venture, they decide to just be. They create time and space to reconnect and find what drives them, and allow the path less travelled to show her magic and mystery. First they rest. Exhausted from city life they have lost true knowledge of who they are. Space is required to find this again. They sit with nature. They walk, swim, sleep and as their disconnected life evaporates, they reconnect with themselves, their love for life and their love for each other. The financial outcome is the same. The emotional and personal journey is remarkably different.

If you are considering making the shift to a sea or tree change (or have made it) there is a key question to ask. Close your eyes and tune into your heart. Ask: “In my tree or sea change am I running to, or away from, my life?”

4 Steps to help you enjoy your change

1. Rest

Most people leave their hectic city life and career exhausted to the bone. The life of over consumption has a way of catching up. To break the cycle, start with the necessary and cost effective healing step of sleep. Cocoon in your doona. No judgment required. Sleep for as long as it takes. Until the exhaustion melts away and you feel you return.

2. Be lazy

Yes. Taking time to be lazy and let life find you is a necessary daily step. Breaking the habitual need to keep busy and fill life with distraction takes deliberate intention. For some this initially feels impossible. Know nothing new can enter in unless you make space for its arrival. Every day give yourself permission to be lazy – even if it’s only for a minute or two.

3. Quiet

To hear the call within your soul requires connected times of peace and quiet. This voice cannot be heard in an overly busy life. Stillness speaks. Be quiet and you will hear her whisper. Feel everything again.

4. Ask

While you may have a plan, when you arrive, it often flies right out of the window. The brave will listen and follow their heart. A quick way to discover if you are living ‘on purpose’ is to ask yourself some questions. Without thinking about or judging write down your answers to the following questions:

• “If I had all the time and money in the world what would I do?”
  

• “What are the beliefs I have that are stopping me from doing this?”

• “Have I landed in the right place to fulfil this dream?”

Answering all of these from the heart gives you the starting point for your next chapter. A sea or tree change isn’t what changes your life. Being true to yourself will.

Sonia Friedrich is a Mentor and Business Consultant and works with Directors wishing to align their personal and professional life. Call Sonia 0412359424

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