The Turning Point - A Community Project to Nourish Your Soul

 “There are times in your life that stay etched in your memory like part of your soul has reformed itself around them. These times only later reveal themselves to be your catalysts and turning points – crucial signposts marking your unique journey through life. Good or bad, regretful or ecstatic, these are your important transitional moments; and ultimately they help you become who you came here to be.”

Words from the prologue of my book, The Magical Unfolding.

I’ve always loved metaphors representing life’s journey and illustrating the different paths we can take as we travel.

Growing up I adored Alice in Wonderland, my first self- development book was The Road Less Travelled and I loved the film Sliding Doors for it’s two alternative realities that resulted from one crucial turning point.

I know I’m not alone in this.

We all love stories that take us on a journey from adversity through to triumph, subconsciously seeing aspects of ourselves in the characters. If you’re like me, you’ve spent many hours of your life daydreaming about how it will feel to reach the place where you no longer get in your own way, you’ve faced your challenges and made it to a magical life on the other side of fear.

Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey has become hugely symbolic in modern society, as it offers a more tangible way to make sense of the intangible randomness of life.

Humans are inherently wired to seek understanding, which is why this structure is used in films, books and marketing messages to take you on a virtual journey that creates hope and possibility for your future.

In real life however, nothing ever looks or feels quite like it does in stories. And this creates more internal stress than almost anything else, as you constantly fail to meet to your own unrealistic expectations.

The truth is that turning points take many forms, you don’t always have to wait for them, and it doesn’t mean you’ve failed if you falter when you have one.

Turning points can feel scary, insurmountable, or so subtle you don’t even realise their significance until later. Even big epiphanies don’t always register in real time...despite what the stories say. There’s a big difference between the romantic vision of a battling hero overcoming adversity, and the gritty reality of how it actually feels when you’re on the cusp of a potentially life-changing moment.

In my book, The Magical Unfolding, I present turning points as opportunities that take you to the Precipice of Possibility. They might not look or feel great, but they give you an invitation to either step forward into a new paradigm, or step backwards into safety.

In both cases, even recognising the moment is worth celebrating - but it doesn’t feel like that when you’re scared, unsupported, or not sure how to make changes.

Many women tell me they feel like they’re going round in circles, they feel stuck, and have no idea how to move forwards to honour the inner call to change.  The gap between the life they have and the one they want can feel so insurmountable that even a small step forwards feels impossible. They wait for a sign or believe they need to be ‘more’ before they can shift, and in the meantime nothing changes and they beat themselves up for it.

Life on the other side is an unknown, which brings up all kinds of fear and resistance as your head shouts at you to stay still and lay low.

It feels messy. Scary. Paralysing. Not good enough. And like you’re a failure.

It feels like everyone who has transformed their life from one that didn’t fit, to one they love, either knows a special secret they’re not telling you, or has Super Fear-Busting Powers that you’ll never have.

And so you stay stuck in the messy middle... not knowing that the messy middle is the place where magic happens, if you can just find a way to stop struggling and resisting it.

I believe that when you face a big transitional moment in life, you have to learn how to transcend your fears and honour the process, even if it gets messy in the middle. If you don’t, you will always feel friction between the alternative reality of what might have been and the reality of what is. 

You have to find a way to get out of your head, and drop into your heart, so you can reframe your relationship to change and fear, and lean into trusting where the turning point takes you.

Your turning points and messy moments contain more richness and potential than you know, but how do you navigate them when you feel scared and like you’re the only one stuck in the messy middle?

How do you make peace with your process, no matter how long it takes, and learn to trust whatever unfolds? How do you take ownership of the messy bits of life and move towards a more fulfilling life despite them, without feeling like you’re doing it all wrong?

How do you find a way to move ahead despite your fears? Is that even possible?

And if so, is it really worth it?!

In this community project 18 inspiring, conscious souls share their honest unedited stories about how they used a turning point to move from a life that didn’t fully fit, towards living a more magical life despite the messy bits.

When we come together and share our stories, it reminds us we’re not alone and opens our heart to new possibilities. No effort required.

You’ve got this and you matter. As do we all.

HOW YOU CAN JOIN IN

There are several ways you can join the discussion and hear the real experiences of creatives and entrepreneurs who bravely share their own turning point journeys from a life that felt wrong to them, to one where they live more on their terms and feel happier in their own skin.

• The project is now finished - enter your details and email address in the form below to get the summary link so that you can listen to each episode and connect to my lovely contributors.
• You can still join the conversation over on my Instagram page, where we discussed the insights we gained from that day's guest, as well as sharing our own stories and meeting lots of magical like-minded souls.
• You are also very welcome to share screenshots, photos, words, etc, related to your turning points and insights on Instagram or any other social platform, using hashtag #turningpointproject
• If you are inspired to blog or vlog about this topic, please add your name to the comments below so that you can connect with lovely likeminded souls and find inspiring new blogs to follow.

MEET THE FABULOUS PEEPS

As well as me, you will hear from an eclectic and inspiring gathering of soulful creatives and entrepreneurs, all contributing to a brighter world, including: Amanda Jackson, Deri Llewellyn-Davies, Dr Andrea Pennington, Eli Trier, Esther Nagle, Faith Canter, Gemma Gosden, Jenny Kovacs, Kamran Bedi, Kindy Kaur, Kitty Waters, Lara Waldman, Lesley Pyne, Linda Anderson, Lisa Pascoe, Miriam Linderman, Sarah Swanton, Sharon Woodcock and me!!

 This project would not have happened without help from the wonderful Eli Trier, who first introduced me to community projects by inviting me to contribute to one of hers. She now specialises in helping others create communities in an aligned, ethical way. Find out more about Eli's magical work here.