In the Mirror

“Find a safe place and give yourself permission to heal.” – Christine Hanson

In the Mirror

“I was there!”  Christine Hanson explained.  “When I looked in my own mirror I no longer recognized myself.”

That reflective moment was when Christine knew she had to do something different.  But, she knew she needed to do more than simply change the outward expression of her life.  She needed to rediscover who she was.  The real her.

“I needed to find that person I was on the inside again!  Not Christine the business owner.  Not Christine the boss.  Not even the version of Christine as a daughter or friend.  I needed to reconnect with myself deeply.”

So, she asked herself two questions.  First.  Do I need to do something different?  Second.  What will allow me to feel like me again?  Her answer to these two questions was really the beginning of a four-month journey outside of the mirror.

“Answering the first question was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done!  After all, I had to walk into my business, the one I created, and tell everyone there, who depended on me, that I was leaving!  I knew there were far more people who would be affected by my decision to leave the mirror behind than those directly in my employ.  They all had loved ones who depended on them.  It was important for me to move forward carefully, in a nondestructive way!”

That’s why she met privately with her personal assistant.  They talked and worked together to set up a solid plan to ensure they could keep the business operating successfully without having the founder anywhere in sight.  Not just off site, but completely absent for the coming months.

“I’ll never forget the look on my assistant’s face as I told her that I was leaving to ride a motorcycle across South America for the next four months!”

With the initial shock behind them, Christine and her assistant completed their planning phase.  Then Christine cut the cord, so to speak.  She handed her assistant her cell phone and her keys, gave her a heartfelt thank you and climbed on her motorcycle to hit the open road.

Paving the way for her journey was key.  She had to be willing to adjust her life so she could become free to explore. After that, her plan was to simply ride.  No daily schedule.  No list of things to do.  No phone.  No email.  No communication with her life back in the “mirror of the real world.”

“I had to give myself permission to disconnect!”  Christine explains.  “Disconnecting allowed me to understand that you cannot give what you don’t have!”

She was running on empty; on the inside.  The intention of her adventure was simple.

Heal.

Christine realized that she could only heal from the inside out and that in order to stay healthy after her trip she would need to change habits that hadn’t been serving her own best interest.  Here are two new important habits of healing she discovered through her journey and is now vigilant about keeping in place.

Focus on your surroundings.  

1. Make sure to surround yourself with joy.

2. Select friends who are a reflection of who you are. 

3. Stay focused on what really matters to you. 

4. Know that where you are today, this very moment, is just fine.  

5. Enjoy the ride!

Love who you are.

1. Give yourself recognition for doing the best you can do.

2. Allow for flexibility in every aspect of your life.

3. Be “life-wise” by living in the present and having a short memory.

4. Find a safe place and give yourself permission to heal.

“Before instituting these two habits of healing I was there!”  Christine Hanson said.  “When I looked in my own mirror I no longer recognized myself.”

Who’s reflection are you and I seeing in the mirror today?