Eye-openers

I’ve been sorting out this blog and ran into posts that are eye-openers. I’ve read them again and to be honest I’m kinda shocked to see that back then while I was trying to find my way in life I was having the same struggle as I have nowadays. I’m wondering what is still keeping me from doing what I’m supposed to do. Why it is that I still seem to make the same mistake(s) over and over again. Why didn’t I learn from the past?

Or perhaps I did learn and situations were just replaced by others, new ones that keep me from what I’m supposed to do. The previous sentence itself is actually telling me that my thoughts and perceptions are not quite accurate and I should rephrase this because the moment I wrote that, I was thinking to myself ‘No that is not the case, that is not the issue’. If I take full responsibility for my actions, the phrase should be different.

So the question rises: do I take full responsibility for my actions? I guess not otherwise it would not bother me what I just wrote down. Of course I did learn from the past. Of course I have changed things by being focused on the change but the things/situations I did change were just the circumstances and not what is lying deep within. These days I might say that I’m quite successful at doing my job but it doesn’t change my inner thoughts.

I’ve built the circumstances and I’m successful in doing so and thriving at what I do best, even learning and developing new skills and knowledge along the way. My career is blooming and I never thought I could end up where I am today all thru focus. At times I surprise myself when I look back (better: read back) and see where I was some time ago and where I am now. But still… the core is missing either that or the core is still the same…

What it boils down to is the fact that I don’t take time to do the things that my heart tells me to do. In fact, I do all those things that I am supposed to do, that I make myself do because it’s how I learnt to survive. It’s what others expect me to do instead of following my heart. It starts with the daily chores and negative thoughts I often have about myself, others, situations, life. I really should stop this since it’s not getting me anywhere.

I should stop judging myself and others but most of all stop judging myself. I’m basically back to square one in a way… and it’s shocking to realise this. But I guess that at the same time this realisation could be turned into positive action. I know I can make this work if I start focusing again on what needs to be done to start loving myself. I have taken action in 2009 by taking a course to teach myself what to do about it.

So yes, it is kinda shocking to see and realise that I’ve forgotten once again how to do this, how to turn negative into positive and be proud of who I am. Be proud of the core me again. A job does not define me, my action towards myself and others does. Writing down this thought does and therefore admitting to myself that I would like to make the necessary changes in order to get there. I wrote this in about ten minutes…

But I guess it might take a lifetime to make these changes. And while I’m thinking this and writing it down, I should not be too hard on myself by seeing it as a failure… I wish to see it as a new start. After all each day is a new beginning and if I truly love myself first, I should see this post as a new beginning. I’m going to try my best so that next year I will see progress when I read posts from the past again!

The difference is that this time I’m aware and this time my focus will be on what needs to be done in order to make that change. I know I can do it, I make that promise to myself today and will make sure to keep it :D

Where to start?

I guess… where I left off…

Much has changed since and much still continues to change. I’ve had a one-year contract offered after I’ve had a second interview and after I had to successfully complete an extremely difficult (IQ) test. But then the financial crisis hit this country again and I had to wait for a year until I got hired. I now have an indefinite contract and I’ve been with this company for over a year already. I have different roles for different projects at different companies. My last project started at the beginning of this year and will finish by the end of this month. They might extend the project so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

I’ve been doing serious soul searching for a long time and found out that whenever I focus on something that I really want, I will get it. Life has been another rough ride in the meantime but I guess everyone has their ups and downs. I’m living in the city again that I once had left to move countries. I feel I have a love-hate relationship with it since I can’t get used to the crowded streets, the noise, the aggression and the egocentric attitude of most. At times I do not feel at home here at all but I guess that has to do with the fact that I had moved countries. I feel I don’t belong here and it’s a restless feeling.

Life made a 360 for me and I guess that had all to do with being focused on getting things back, start allover again from scratch and write a new chapter in a new book. But some chapters probably will remain the same even in a new book… I’ve received a letter a few days ago from someone dear to me, someone who has been there for me whenever I needed to talk to her. Someone who helped me when I had worries or when I couldn’t see a silver lining. The letter said she had been ill for two months, ill from chemotherapy since she had been treated for malignant bone cancer.

It came as a total shock to me and I guess I still am in shock in a way. I’m going to write a letter because I haven’t spoken with her in a year. I was too preoccupied (…) She doesn’t want people to call which I can understand. So writing(!) is the best I can do for now. I just didn’t find the right paper yet because I want it to be something special. Stuff like that makes you think and I mean really think… So that’s probably why I felt the need to write a first post again in years. I’ve had the urge for a while already but I kept postponing it. Silly -I know- but each time I tried, something got in the way and I had to set other priorities.

I really really needed the break and this is hopefully the start of that new chapter. More to come soon…