Challenge

The teacher’s journey

We all at some point go on a journey.

It’s a time in our life where we review, change up and learn more about who we are and what we want to be. A space where we question are we being what we want to be? My journey was belifehappy and it started in 2007. It probably started much before then, but I was only consciously aware of it in 2007. That was the time I took action. Committed in words what I wanted to find, learn and be.

A journey of learning.

I’ve worked through the challenges of growth; loss, grief, the “Am I good enough?” “Can I really do this?” I invested in my own journey of learning and development.

Feeling  compelled with guidance, I wanted to keep learning and then start sharing. By 2009 belifehappy was live and we were sharing and inspiring happiness for a lifetime.

There is constant growth; we can slow it down and speed it up, but it is always there, within us.

My growth slowed down when I met my husband nearly 6 years ago. I’d grown to a place of inner self love. A truth that I believed. I was being me. I knew who I was.

Identity becomes a really key part of they journey.

Who am I? As we grow we change, our perceptions change, our values realign, our behaviour and actions change. So who am I?

Stepping into some uncomfortable shoes, I walked and talked. The overriding feeling of being me was stronger than who I was.  I am still Emma, yet this one knows why she is here and that she wants to stay for as long as possible, helping support sustainable change for our wellbeing.

We don’t stop learning on this journey. As I mentioned, is speeds up and slows down. But the learning comes through challenges that test our strength in our learning. Do we really want to be who we are? It’s just like an muscle, you train it to develop and define it. When you stop training, the muscle might ache or feel weaker; do you want to train it again? It’s your choice.

Where there is an opportunity to challenge myself I’ll take those too. I’m not going to wait to see what challenges come to me, I’d much rather choose them! (Although it doesn’t always happen like that!)

I remain a student who teaches through her journey.

I had a discussion with a consultant in another field some years ago. They said they’d left the doing behind and concentrated on teaching/ sharing what they knew. My point, that I still believe to be true for me, is I want to keep learning; to keep me up to date with the doing side of marketing and wellbeing, so when I mentor, coach or teach I have current knowledge and experiences to share too.

It was a similar path with Reiki, where I wanted to learn the full extent of the master level energy, taking seven years of professional practice, before becoming a teacher. Continuing to learn seems to empower the teaching and the journey.

Challenging growth on our journey.

The marker on this journey started to change yet again late last year. Now settled into my next decade, this one is appearing to be of a deeper level of learning. Subsequently upgrading the experiences I am gifted to share through my mentoring, coaching and teaching.

Wherever you are on your journey, remember to be the student and be ready to be a teacher and share your journey. Each of us can learn from each other at different stages of our growth.

We can be ready to do this, together, today, tomorrow and everyday.

 


Emma Lannigan is the author of belifehappy: give. play. love. learn. You can join Emma on facebook or visit one of her workshops, or request to work with Emma 1:1.