First Month on the Journey of Self Discovery
I began by curating a list of curriculum materials from various sources and compiled lists of reviews. There are quite a lot of self-help books out there, but not all of them are actually helpful. The hardest part is the reality of what works for some people does not always end up working so well for me. In order to avoid reading a lot of unhelpful material- I then narrowed my list by inputting questions like "what keeps me from making changes on my own?" or "what am I really after with this research?" These helped me narrow down my list.
Once I had a list to work from, the next question was availability. I wanted to start with easily accessible resources to make sure I was heading down the right track before I invested loads of money into purchasing unhelpful material. I am by nature a reader, so I am signed up for Kindle Unlimited Books which is where I started. Here are the following resources I started my curriculum with:
"Find Your Passion: 25 Questions You Must Ask Yourself" by Henri Juntila
"Follow Your Heart: 21 Days to a Happier, More Fulfilling Life"also by Herni Juntila
So the author used to be a professional poker player and wasn't fulfilled- so he changed things up and started writing these books. Seemed like someone I could relate to, as that is often how my big change life choices begin... everything is fine, but I don't feel fulfilled.
I also added Brene Brown online TED Talks and Presentations (She has several books- wanted to get a feel before buying). I watched these while on the treadmill- they had some really great elements I could get behind.
So, I was on a pretty good roll. Reading, watching, journaling, taking notes, looking up additional information- basically being a typical student studying a curriculum. THEN
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Suddenly the world was in a tail spin and my regular, boring, everyday life suddenly felt like a luxury I would not get to enjoy for much longer. It took about two weeks from when I realized that things were going to get bad in a way that was unprecedented to working at home and basically being isolated by myself. I am pretty sure that there are many people out there who ended up in the same type of whirlwind situation. The hardest part, was how fast life changed.
It felt like everyday I was standing on a sandy beach and if I shifted my weight even just a fraction, the sand would move and throw me off balance. I went through a vast range of emotions. It was hard. Hard for everyone.
So now, I am working from home. I have developed a schedule that allows me to complete my working hours and continue my "Self Discovery Curriculum." The positives of the pandemic situation is that many online educational materials have opened up for people to use. So I was able to add "The Science of Well-Being" which is a highly popular course offered at Yale on the science and practice of happiness. This course is being offered through Coursera for free, so I signed up.
The journey of self-discovery most definitely took an unexpected sojourn, it is offering me an opportunity to truly isolate myself and reflect on what it is that makes me happy. I will take that silver lining in this impossibly unpredictable situation we find ourselves in. This can surely be called an adventure- but sure not the one I was expecting.
