“The World is Shifting Beneath My Feet.”

Many moons ago, back when I was teenager, I cleaned houses. 

One of the couples I worked for were classically trained musicians from an orchestra in the city. It was the first time I'd been exposed to symphonic music, libraries of books, intellectual philosophical thinking, and it opened a new dimension of life for me. 

(I realise now I always loved music, thinking and creative expression, but I just couldn’t have articulated it at the time.)

I remember so clearly walking into their garden, feeling the space and the sun on me -- and absolutely loving the way it felt. It wasn't about their wealth, (although the way they lived  was more than my family could ever afford). It was about a certain quality of environment, the music space,the library, the architecture, the way someone had chosen to curate their world.

It was an introduction to a different way of living than the family structure I had been born into. 

Later, when I travelled to Europe, I had a similar experience. I thought, "Why wasn't I born on this continent??" 

The beauty, the gardens, the architecture, the uniqueness of each region's culture.  I could feel the history throbbing through the buildings, art and food. 

These were almost transcendental moments that were to influence the rest of my life… 

• ••

Rapid, Unparalleled Acceleration 

As I write this -- from an Airbnb in Bangalore, with a view of tropical gardens -- I'm looking out at a very different landscape than the one I fell in love with at sixteen.

(And boy, I know I'm not the only one who feels it.)

Right now, it goes without saying, we’re whipping through a moment of huge, accelerated, rapid change. In terms of cultural norms, global connections, exposure to traditions from all over the world, women's roles, education, economy… the rate of acceleration is unparalleled.

Everything that once felt fixed is rearranging: the industry you built your career in; the programs or products that used to sell without question; your expertise -- the job that got you paid. 

Just this week, Meta announced they may slash 15,000 jobs, as they accelerate a push into artificial intelligence.

With any change comes an element of uncertainty. But this? This is of a different level. And the underlying question, the one I hear from almost everyone I work with, is this:

“The world is shifting under my feet. A damn computer can take ten seconds to do what I took ten years to build! Does my expertise mean nothing??

“Am I even relevant anymore?”

Well, if this is your fear too, please, keep reading. Because you are not irrelevant. And I absolutely believe whatever industry you're in, whatever line of work you excel at, whatever expertise you have, there is a space for you in this brave new world… 

But it might just take a radical internal shift to see it.

The Danger in Placing Your Value on the External

To illustrate my point, let me rewind again to my early adulthood. 

Because of how disorganised and chaotic my home life had been, it was no surprise I’d sought refuge in other people’s beautifully curated spaces. So, when I reached adulthood, I responded by creating  beauty and order. 

I felt wise beyond my years and was drawn into a relationship with an older man. I placed my nervous system's sense of safety on building familiarity, quality,  beauty and comfort -- on the types of fabrics I had on my bed, on the way a room was arranged, on the feeling of being in a space I’d designed… just so.

(Now, there's nothing wrong with cultivating a beautiful space. Even now, it's part of who I am.)

But to place all my “okayness” on my environment?

That was a mistake -- a misdirection of what made me feel secure.  

It could burn down! Anything could happen! 

And it did. 

I divorced, broke up my home, and suddenly everything that was seemingly holding me together was shown for what it was: ephemeral, transient…

Temporary. 

It took me years to realise that all the time I’d spent cultivating external  safety, beauty, and the appearance of order, I was placing far too much importance on the appearance of these things rather than the deep cultivation of that feeling of safety, security, and order that you create within yourself.

I was trying to replicate a cultured, cultivated existence like the rooms I’d walked through when I was sixteen.

But that wasn't me. That was the dream society had sold me-- what I'd absorbed from travels abroad, from cultural ideals of what success and sophistication should look like, from the magazines and home shows. Yes, it was mixed in with how I genuinely felt in those environments-- spacious, peaceful, beautiful-- but I was too focused on the surface level, mistaking aesthetic achievement for genuine fulfillment.

It wasn't until I did the deep work-- leaning into spirituality, science, and the wisdom of the East--that I truly understood how to cultivate the feeling of beauty and spaciousness within. Only then did I come to know, deep down, what actually provides safety and security for me, so that I no longer overvalue the external.

Now I am devoted to creating the internal environment first, so that no matter where I go, I can still be okay--and the creation of beauty comes from a deeper place.

How To Disentangle Your External from What Really Matters  

Now, the tricky thing about this is that your “external” might not feel external at all.

It might be a business you’ve poured your heart and soul into, or a role you’ve come to be defined by. 

It could be a relevance you fear you’re losing, or an expertise you worry is being undermined.

That's why, in this world of rapid rearrangement--businesses rearranging, education rearranging, family structures rearranging-- we need to disentangle ourselves from external perceptions and instead get radically clear on the essence of what has always been true for us and what life is asking of us now: to grow and evolve our understanding of what success truly is.

(And when I say radically clear, I mean radically clear. I don’t mean strategic brainstorming with your team to outwit the algorithm. And I don’t mean hypotheticals that sound good when your therapist explains them, but you forget the moment you’re out the door.) 

I mean getting to know your history, how you're wired, your unique constitution. Getting to know the real you behind your desires and motivations.

And this means not being afraid to ask yourself:

• What is my story? And what is my history? 
• How am I wired? 
• What are my strengths? 
• What am I naturally good at? 
• What energises me? 
• What does my culture define as success? 
• What do I define as success?
• What are the qualities I’m looking for? What am I hoping to achieve by pursuing this path?
• What can I do that no one else can?

• What do I really care about?

These are not small questions, if you’re willing to actually sit with them, and do the deep work.

This process of radical self-clarity? The Japanese have been practicing it for centuries through the concept of Ikigai—finding your reason for being at the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what sustains you.

But Ikigai isn't found in a weekend workshop or a vision board. It's found in doing the deep work—disentangling cultural programming from your true essence, so that when the world shifts beneath your feet, you remain rooted in what has always been true.

You see, when I look back at my journals from that very young age, the story is the same, but the plot is very different.

I have the same care for people, the same desire to do good in the world, and the same need to cultivate beauty, order, and sophistication wherever I live.

But I know that won’t solve the world outside my window.

So the way I go about it has changed completely.

Now I am less concerned with the right wallpaper and planting flowers, ( although I LOVE it and will always create beautiful spaces) than I am tending to the world outside my garden.

I help my clients step away from hyperfocusing on-- or being distracted by-- external, material desires and instead  build their inner architecture. I help them shift the very foundation of who they are and what they think they want, to uncover unseen layers of themselves and move their lives in a completely new direction.

I help them understand that the essence of their values and vision is less about the lean team and the corner office, and more about the work they’re called to deliver.

Because let me tell you…

The World Will Continue to Rapidly Change. And it is 100% a Waste of Energy to Stress About What You Cannot Control. 

Instead, you can take all that energy, expertise, and experience, and pour it into something no robot can replicate.

Wouldn’t you agree? ;)

Okay, that's all for this week. As ever, so much to noodle over, and think about as the world shifts beneath our feet. I’d love to hear your thoughts.  COMMENT BELOW and let me know.  

Love and Blessings, 🙏🏻💛🪷

P.S. Life is a deeply evolutionary, never-ending adventure. It’s a process. There is no finish line: but you have to be involved for it to be a fully alive, well-lived life.

My 1:1 coaching container is where we do this work. I’ll likely open one or two new spots in late spring... Go here now and I’ll reach out when they become available.