For the first time \u2013 ever \u2013 I\u2019ve learned to fully surrender and relinquish all control of my usual overly ambitious, determined nature. There has been no juggling of work demands or pressure to meet writing deadlines. Nor the constant mind noise of the handful of other side projects and ideas I normally have on the go. I consciously took the decision to press the \u2018pause\u2019 button on my life. And what a refreshing experience it\u2019s been.<\/p>\n
I read somewhere a while ago that slowing down is the key to shooting forward and I barely gave it a second thought. After all, when you\u2019re self-employed and have to look after yourself \u2013 there isn\u2019t time to slow down. No-one else is going to put a roof over your head or food in your stomach \u2013 so it\u2019s not like you have a choice in the matter. Or do you?<\/p>\n
By stepping out of \u2018control\u2019 mode I\u2019ve found that I\u2019ve inadvertently opened myself up to other opportunities that I wouldn\u2019t have otherwise had. One of those things has been having fun<\/em> \u2013 and lots of it. It\u2019s been a whirlwind of non-stop entertainment and happy times for the entire trip.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been the odd moment of feeling guilty that I\u2019m here lavishing myself in sunshine whilst I could be doing one hundred other things\u2026 but that little voice inside me keeps saying \u2018relax\u2019. It reminds me to value all that I am and that which I deserve – for there is no price on our inner happiness. It reminds me that I\u2019m not the sole master of my life, there is something far greater that rises up to meet me when I relinquish control \u2013 as I\u2019ve had proven to me time and again throughout my travels. And as I take stock on an amazing three months spent in Bermuda, I realise it\u2019s reminded me of one very invaluable lesson; to be balanced.<\/p>\n Too often we are so focused on earning money, or pushing forward with the next stage of our career or even relationship, that we forget to have fun<\/em>. We forget the present moment<\/em> and mostly importantly we forget that everything will happen as it\u2019s supposed to<\/em>. There is only so much we can control and as with any form of control \u2013 it can only be used moderately. Otherwise resistance occurs and plans go askew.<\/p>\n When we intentionally slow down and allow the universe to take the reins, we allow ourselves a nurturing incubation period. Our body and mind can re-energise and re-calibrate. It allows us the chance to not only be mindful but have the conscious clarity of where we are truly hoping to head on our path\u2026. When we are constantly busy and in control mode, our ego begins to influence our true<\/em> heart-felt desires with the things it feels we should<\/em> do. Slowing down gives these desires the chance to filter through again. To set us on the correct path and remind us of who we truly are.<\/p>\n This is my message to you – yes you, the one reading this that is trying to push forward but constantly meeting barriers – this is your message to\u00a0slow down<\/em>. Allow yourself\u00a0to yield to the invisible force that guides us all. And trust implicitly that all will be well – for you’ll soon shoot forward when you least expect.<\/p>\n As I finally prepare to leave Bermuda, I\u2019m so thankful for this utterly enjoyable experience. I\u2019ve made wonderful new friendships, connections, been inspired with new ideas and rested my very weary self. It\u2019s been a much needed reflection time and allowed me to heal in so many ways.<\/p>\n And now, I\u2019m ready for the next stage with a balanced mind and heart. And so many irreplaceable, happy memories. What a lucky woman I am!<\/p>\n I\u2019m typing this from Bermuda, where the endless turquoise crystal clear waters lap against sand so fine, powdery and pink speckled that you feel like you\u2019re in a dreamy oasis. Or a very exclusive holiday brochure. This beautiful island oasis in the Atlantic ocean has been my home for the past 11 weeks. And what an unexpectedly, exciting, fun-filled eleven weeks it\u2019s been. However, it wasn\u2019t supposed to be this relaxing or therapeutic. In fact, it wasn\u2019t supposed to be this lengthy. I\u2019d intended to be here for a few weeks maximum. Yet, here I am still, swinging from a hammock on a porch as the sun beats down onto … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.carriebattley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Screen-Shot-2015-08-28-at-23.49.57.png?fit=1578%2C1038&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4JYMD-92","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=560"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":573,"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560\/revisions\/573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carriebattley.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"http___signatures.mylivesignature.com_54492_206_3BCC1633431C16BE10319EF3DED9B04D\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.carriebattley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/http___signatures.mylivesignature.com_54492_206_3BCC1633431C16BE10319EF3DED9B04D.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"