Jambo!
Hi there. “Jambo” means hello in Swahili, and this enthusiastic greeting was one of my favourite things about spending four months in Kenya. As you may know, I was there “living my dream” of teaching and working with children to help them follow their big dreams.
This is the first in a series called “Awakenings in Africa,” focusing on some of the most powerful soul messages I received while I was there. And this first insight was a big one.
Sometimes the place that you are used to is not the place where you belong.
That’s a line from the film “Queen of Katwe,” based on a true story, about a young girl from the slums of Uganda who became an international chess champion. I watched the movie while in Kenya, surrounded by orphaned and abandoned Kenyan kids now creating new lives for themselves in a loving children’s home.
That line hit me straight in my heart… the place you are “used to” is not always the place you belong. It’s not talking about a geographical place, as much as an energetic or personal place within your own life.
Moving from what you’re used to into unknown territory—physical or emotional—takes courage, but that feeling of belonging in your heart is rewarding and exciting.
That’s how I feel when I’m in Africa, specifically in the wilds of Kenya. This past summer’s “sojourn of the soul” was my fourth trip to Africa, and the fourth country, in less than two years.
Life in Kenya is not what I am “used to.” Here many people still carry water and firewood everyday, practice ancient customs, and live (and walk!) in close proximity to wild animals that can chomp or stomp you to pieces. Kenyans also endure insane traffic, including pedestrians, over-crowded vehicles, goats and more, on bone-shaking roads, often under intense heat or torrential rains. They also immerse themselves in Technicolor fashions (men and women), pulsating music and tribal dance—anytime, anywhere.
And that’s why my soul feels at home in Kenya.
My wild heart expands.
My body breathes deeply.
It feels like I belong.
Are you in a place that feels like the place you belong? An inner or outer reality that makes you feel alive, inspired… and on fire!
Maybe you’re craving more but feeling shackled by resistance in moving from the comfort and safety of what you’re used to… to being something or somewhere extraordinary? That might include:
- Looking for purpose—but not knowing what to do, let alone how to make a living from it.
- Feeling stuck in a soul-crushing job—where the mundane tasks, untenable boss, and regular paycheque (however small) have become ‘the devil you know’ and you’ve lost the will to change.
- Trapped in self-doubt—playing small or hiding in the back row while you long to take centre stage and shine in your career, relationships, or great big life.
- Cut off from your soul—the life force, the beauty and ecstasy long gone from your experience, and unable to hear your own “call to adventure” let alone live it.
Any of these sound familiar?
Comfort and courage don’t live on the same block, as author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur Lisa Nichols says.
Finding the place where you belong usually requires will, commitment and big-time vulnerability.
It takes the willingness to open your heart, acknowledge and dissolve your fear, and, as I like to say, “let your soul drive” … without a complete map to your destination. You’ll know when you get there because it will feel like you belong there.
That was my awakening—and deep insight—from my time in the wild, free, and unpredictable place that is Kenya. Even when I was miles outside of my comfort zone (which was often), I felt peace in my heart and a sense of quiet amazement.
From that space, I could rise to every unexpected occasion without recoiling in fear; connect deeply with ‘strangers’ in a foreign land, who weren’t strangers for long; and create a reality that at times felt magical—like I was living in the Discovery Channel.
Each time I chose courage over comfort and followed my heart’s imperative, I had a deeper understanding of my own creative power — and creating my own experience. Magic happened. Paths unfolded, people showed up, messages arrived, and wild opportunities appeared that would not have seemed possible… even a year ago.
I never expected Kenya to feel like such a place of belonging for me… a place to reclaim my aliveness; an easy entry point for what my colleague Michelle Richmond calls “the wild space,” a place where my vision and my soul can simply expand… and expand… and expand.
Once you let go of what you’re used to, and move boldly toward a true expression of the authentic you—the real meaning of belonging—anything is possible.
As author Robert Fritz says: “When people make a fundamental choice to be true to what is highest in them… to fulfill a purpose in their life, they can easily accomplish many changes that seemed impossible or improbable in the past.”
How about you?
Are you ready to claim your dream … or are you settling for what you’re used to? Where do you belong in this great big world of possibilities?
If you’re ready to move from comfort to courageous but don’t know where or how to start creating your dream, I’m offering a short and simple solution that can help.
In November, I’m launching a three-part introductory course called: Creating the Impossible 101: Breaking through what’s blocking you from realizing your dream.
Details will follow in next week’s post in my “Awakenings in Africa” series.
Stay tuned.