Written By Alison Bastarache
It has been an interesting fall for me. Last fall I was so wrapped up in the birth of our first grandson in September and my daughter’s Thanksgiving wedding; it all seems like a blur now.
It was a time of pure joy, excitement and love but also a lot of stress, emotionally, mentally and financially. The New Year energy continued with an Ontario wedding for my son in February followed by a Mexican celebration in March. In June my father had a stroke, from which he has recovered. Life goes by so fast; my grandson is over a year old now and we have already celebrated my daughter and son-in-law’s first anniversary.
So having nothing in particular to do this fall; I took on the challenge of an online university course to learn Spanish. Speed Spanish, twelve lessons in 6 weeks. I have not studied anything academic for over 30 years. In fact, I have never done a university course as I went to college to become a Medical Laboratory Technologist in my 20’s.
I was always a straight A student, that did her homework and handed it in on time. I was very academically successful in high school and college. Languages were never my strength, I was a math and sciences type of gal. So, this course was a challenge to say the least and it brought up a lot of internal introspection. From my depths, came the perfectionism, the fear of failure, that inkling of self-doubt, that little voice that says “what if I am not good enough”. What have I got myself into?
I have worked a lot on these issues and it always surprises me when they show up. I did a lot of self-talk as I worked my way through the course to keep my nervous system from going into overload and my physical body balanced.
Why did I take this course? I wanted to embrace the culture of my daughter-in-law and her family: when your son marries into a Mexican family, we all become family. I also want to feel more comfortable at family gatherings and trips to Mexico. My son is fluent in Spanish and I expect our future grandchildren will be also.
Long story short, the lessons came quickly and with huge amounts of information piling up as the weeks went on with two lessons per week being posted. There were quizzes, assignments and discussion groups that were optional. My memory is not what it used to be when I was twenty but I still had that drive to do well and pass the course. How was I going to handle it all?
We have to challenge and stretch ourselves every now and then. How did I approach this goal that I had set for myself? I have strong awareness of my body, both physical and energetic. I know I can get can easily get out of balance and experience “dis-ease”.
My goal was to stretch my brain, to pick up as much information as I was ready to receive at this time and to enjoy the process. I also wanted to pass and that was my determination showing it self – I recognized it as the same determination that pushed me to heal myself. It’s funny how these aspects of ourselves show up along our journey.
I did the best I could to balance my time and make studying a priority. My husband was on board and very supportive. I knew that participating in the discussion groups was not resonating with me, I chose to do a couple assignments but didn’t stress myself as they were not part of the final mark. I continued to go back over previous lessons and do the practise quizzes. I noticed that lessons from the first and second week became easier to remember as the course progressed. I could recognize I was making progress, doing it my way and in my time and this relieved stress. The amount of information was overwhelming but I gave myself a break, trusting I would come away with what I was meant to at this time. I passed the open book exam with flying colours. I was very proud of myself and had a strong sense of accomplishment. I can do anything I put my mind too – it’s a good confidence builder to stretch yourself out of your comfort zone!
In my experience, ways to help reach your goals:
Recognize your strengths and work within your limits – recognize when your nervous system is getting overwhelmed and if necessary, re-calibrate your plan.
Trust in yourself, your higher self and your body to guide you – we have so much seen and unseen support around us always cheering us on.
Make sure you are having fun with whatever you are choosing, if you’re not enjoying the experience, you are likely out of alignment, so choose differently.
Recognize that the only person you need to please is yourself.
Alison contributes to the Wild About Wellness Community online where members passionate about holistic health and wellness come together to share information, educate and contribute for the purpose of learning and growing. You are invited to explore the site with a free 1-month membership. Get your 1-month free membership HERE.
Alison Bastarache
905 902 0975
Web: www.healingenergy.biz
Facebook: alison@bastarache.biz