Finding yourself

When I think of self-development, I can’t help but puff out my chest. Self-development has played a major role in my life over the last few years. It’s about finding out who you are as a person or sculpting an image of who you want to be.

For me, I started looking at myself – a broken, emotional, non-confident, unsure, scared and lonely single mum. However, in rebuilding, I knew what I wanted to be. I wanted to be a role model to my children. I wanted to show them what resilience looks like. I want to show them how you can achieve anything you put your mind to. I wanted to show them that it is ok to have emotions and cry - we are human. If you feel something, it is ok to explore those emotions.

My psychologist pointed out to me that our lives are similar to that of a tree. We have lots of branches and aspects (leaves) to our physical and mental wellbeing. In a storm, the wind can cause us to not only sway but lose our leaves and branches, but one thing remains – our roots. It is our roots that we default back to. This was the biggest lightbulb moment for me. The relief I felt knowing that I was a person before the relationship and knowing that I could default and re-build was such comfort.

This goes for you too. As humans, we are all connected. To each other, nature and the universe. What happens when a tree is ravaged by bush fire? Over time, there are signs of life. You will get through this. Look at yourself in the mirror and say ‘I am beautiful, I am worthy and I deserve to be herd’.

Now – either write down or draw a picture of how you want to present yourself to the world. Go nuts! Who is ………(insert name here)? What does she like? What makes her happy? What makes her tick? These questions can be daunting, however it is the first step in becoming the new you.

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