THE BOOK (AND BLOG) OF REVELATIONS

Lately, I’ve been feeling very stuck in my reality. Everything just feels routine. A good routine, a happy routine, but routine nonetheless. To be fair, I have a great life. I like my job. I heart my friends. My family is awesome. And I feel the love daily. But in all goodness, I still feel restless. My mind constantly wanders, my inner being feels no peace, and the sense of complacency is constant.

In fact, the deeper I dive into these thoughts, the more apparent it becomes to me that this restlessness is something I experience every couple of months. Doesn’t matter what project I’m focused on for work, who I’m hanging out with, or even if my mom has finally (finally) stopped pestering me about shaadi.com. The restlessness is always there, despite external stimuli.

Come to find out, a lot of my friends feel the same way as well. Maybe it’s the curse of the twenty-something, career-driven woman who is never satisfied with the status quo. Maybe it’s why the quarter-life crisis is the newest phenomena. Whatever it may be, the epidemic is definitely spreading across Houston, Texas.

BUT I think I’ve found the answer. Or at least a solution that’s working me.

Enter: The Four Agreements & #besomebody blog

Since my sophomore year of college, one of my mentors (slash one of the coolest people I know) has been telling me to read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. This year, one of my friends actually made me read it; and I’m so glad that he did.

The Agreements are simple: (1) Be Impeccable with your Word (2) Don’t Take Things Personally (3) Don’t Make Assumptions (4) Always Do Your Best. But integrating them into my life has been challenging. I won’t go into too much detail because I think everyone should read the book on their own, and decide what it means to them. I will say, however, that the Four Agreements have been instrumental on this journey of personal growth, and transformational in the understanding of my “restlessness.”

The second solution that has impacted my road to growth is the #besomebody lifestyle, created and founded by good friend and global superstar Kash Shaikh. (*insert bbm thumbs up here*).

To be completely honest, I initially though the idea just sounded “cool.” I didn’t really immerse myself into the philosophy and I definitely didn’t live the lifestyle. Yet somehow, it all just snuck up on me and it’s practically impossible to ignore once you are enlightened.

Anytime I want to quit my workout early, slack on a proposal at work, or even try to get those extra ten minutes of sleep knowing it’s gonna make me late, I tell myself to #BESOMEBODY and run longer, work harder, not be lazy.

Every time the result is a new, empowered sense of self. It doesn’t matter that I feel better because I worked out harder, that my boss is happier because the proposal is damn good (which it is), or that my day is ten times more productive because I’m not late--that’s all just icing on the cake. The REAL reward is that I did something even when I thought I couldn’t or didn’t want to; and in the end I feel the most satisfied with myself.

And that sense of self-satisfaction has been the CURE to my restlessness.

I used to think self-discipline was the hardest to master; I know now it’s actually self-satisfaction that’s hard to come by. I realize that my restlessness is not about anybody but MYSELF. It’s not about a job or a significant other or even friends. Rather, it’s about my ability to make myself happy and be content WITHIN myself. And once I achieve that (which I’m obviously still working on), I feel that I won’t have much to feel restless about.

I know what you’re thinking--what is this random fung shui nirvana crap, Henna? But I really do believe in all of this, and I know it has the power to transform my life because it forces me out of my comfort zone in every single way. The journey, in fact, has been pretty challenging. This process has called for a lot of self-discovery. Asking painful questions and accepting even more painful truths. It’s realizing that it’s not always about me to truly focus on what is important. And the diving deeper, probing futher has never and will never cease.

But above all, it’s about ACTION. Question, challenge, explore, do it all. But realize the growth only happens when you DO something with what you learn.

Words to actions.
Actions to lifestyle changes.
Lifestyle changes to true personal growth.

And hopefully, restlessness cured along the way.


disclaimer: i'm definitly a work in progress, the resltess monster still pokes its head around here and there, but i'm getting there, slow and steady...rather be the turtle than the hare right? ;)