6 Ways to Let Go & Escape an Unfulfilling Life

Note from Caleb: Today’s guest post is by Aiste Lei. I am truly inspired by the feedback I received from my recent posts here on Pocket Changed about my road to freedom and putting one dream aside to follow an even bigger dream. I am even more inspired by the huge changes in my life that came after these two articles.

When I wrote Road to Freedom and I invited others to live in our power and to live our dreams as conscious creators, I had no idea that within a few months I would quit my job that I had been in for three years and become a business owner. Today is the last day at my office job, and guess what, I am happily spending it writing this message to every one of you.

Similarly, I had no idea that it wouldn’t be my photography business that I have been working on for the last 5+ years. Instead it was a completely new venture: a wonderful eatery in the heart of Covent Garden, London, UK.

This time I am writing to tell you about my journey of self-empowerment, freedom, conscious creation, going beyond norms, and where it has led me so far.

People might think I am just a happy-go-lucky girl that suddenly found herself in the right place at the right time. I am both amazingly lucky and grateful to be able to start a new business venture in the heart of London.

But there was a lot of behind the scenes work that led to this. The work and choices that took me on the fastest, scariest, and most challenging (yet rewarding) rollercoaster ride of my life.

What Should You Let Go Of?

During this ride I have made the choice to let go of a lot of things and make fundamental changes to the way I live my everyday life.

I let go of the need for a comfortable and stable home. I put my stuff in storage and pretty much have spent last year living a totally nomadic lifestyle in London; moving from one place to another to keep my financial obligations to an absolute minimum.

I let go of the need to have most of my things that I own (because they are in storage) and decided to live with very little belongings. (We actually don’t need all that stuff!)

I let go of the need to buy stuff that girls normally buy. Clothes, shoes, make-up, and hairdressers!

I let go of a need for stable income. I instead decided to focus on my business and quit my old job all together. In this way I am taking full responsibility for my income streams.

I let go of having my personal time. Time for ‘spiritual’ practice or free time is gone and I am aiming to have all of my time be spent focused on showing myself to the world as I truly am.

I decided to support my partner’s vision unconditionally: financially, emotionally, and mentally. Although I haven’t always handled it perfectly and it was very stressful at some points, I just went for it: with all my positivity, strength, and love. For the first time in my life I put ‘us’ and a vision I believed in before ‘I’. I trusted in something bigger than myself instead of my personal discomfort and doubts.

Always Come Back to Reality

Sometimes it felt like the whole world was crashing down in front of me and that there was hardly any way out. My mind could not comprehend how my reality would change and which doors would open next. I just had to trust.

There were times when I saw no doors and times I would nearly give up. The way I dealt with these moments was to focus on other aspects of my work – photography. No matter how much I used this medicine to make myself feel better, however, I couldn’t ignore the reality in which I had already made a choice to take this project all the way.

Then, one day, it happened. Our project in Covent Garden, London – Wild Food Café – came to fruition. Just like that. No fireworks or anything. Just plenty of warmth and sunshine. I felt the whole reality change. Everything. No kidding. It felt like ‘the tipping point’ happened and from that moment the course of my life was fundamentally changed.

And then it started.

Enthusiasm, hard work, moments of clarity and confusion, tears and conversations, anger and total exhaustion, laughter and hugs, smiles and more laughter, the feeling of total fulfillment and happiness. It is a thrill ride and it sure is real! ;)

Keep Yourself From Feeling Overwhelmed

It feels like you are looking to a vast blue sea in front of you just before you set off for the horizon. There’s so much to learn and so much to do; so much to improve on and so much room to grow. It can be extremely overwhelming.

It is also so fun and rewarding though. Like a very close friend of mine once said:

“It wouldn’t be much fun just sitting on the mountain top all the time.”

The fun part is in the journey, in the learning, in the grinding, and in the pruning. So let it be.

Where do I stand now? I am responsible for running a successful venture. It is not just about business and entrepreneurship, it is about inspiring and empowering people to feel good. I contribute to creating a space where not just us, but the whole team that works there, can empower and express themselves.

I feel truly humbled and inspired to do better and be better everyday. How exciting is that?

***

This is Caleb again.

I gladly feature Aiste’s journey on Pocket Changed because she knows her life is meant for more. She knows that what matters most in life is not a large bank account, expensive possessions, or countless nights spent partying.

What matters most is that you follow your heart, live a life filled with passion, and make a positive difference in this world. 

What is holding you back from what you truly want to be doing? What do you need to let go of to take your dreams to the next level?

Aiste Lei co-runs Wild Food Café, 14 Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden in London, England. You can find out more about her and her photography (like the one above) at AisteLei.com.