What is the Turnaround?

No matter how evolved we think ourselves to be there are moments over the course of day and during a lifetime when we feel swamped by the circumstances of our lives. We find ourselves swept along by the currents of what came before and impacted by the actions of others.

It may be seemingly small events that trigger us. Someone cuts us off in traffic, the power goes out during our favorite show, we lose our keys or glasses or address book. Or we are impacted by larger events - our mate leaves, our health declines, our finances crash. Let's face it, there are times when life just does not go as we planned and we feel out of control and miserable. Know what I mean?

When we feel like a victim to the conditions of our lives we might not realize that we are actually manufacturing feelings of depression, anger and fear inside. Usually, we only know that we want something, or someone to change, and we want it to happen fast! And without realizing what we are doing we human beings attempt to find relief from our own "out-of-control" feelings by blaming others or shaming ourselves - not to mention the over eating, drinking, gambling, working, etc. etc. etc.

Usually we are able to find temporary comfort, or some form of numbing out. Through our behaviors, distractions and denials we soothe ourselves but over the long term we end up feeling worse! We are all familiar with this insidious dance. It is not a pretty picture and it is definitely not fun!

The irony is that, during times like these, when we feel most out-of-control and lost -we actually are close to making a real turnaround. How we reach The Turnaround is unique. Some simply know they want to make a change. Some describe a crossroads, a fork in the road, a dead end street, or the feeling of hitting an impenetrable brick wall.

Age is not a factor in reaching the Turnaround. While baby-boomers who are waking up to their own mortality make up the largest numbers entering The Turnaround they are by far not the only ones. Last week I sat with a twenty-two year old woman who could not rest at night because questions that needed answering raced through her mind. She could not ignore them and so began her turnaround.

There are big turnarounds when whole chapters of our lives end and we know, to carry on, we must learn to start new ones. And there are small turnarounds where we change our attitudes and make different choices and find we can do what we have always done in a more peaceful, creative and loving way.

By now we have all heard the phrase "You create your own reality". But what does that really mean and how do we do it? Within that five-word statement are the seeds for our freedom from a whole lot of struggle and the essence of The Turnaround. What are the skills we need to create realities that make our hearts sing instead of sink?

The Turnaround asks us this question and many more. It is a process, not a fixed destination. It is chosen by those who will not settle for a mediocre life, but instead want to experience a great one - not by someone else's standards, but by their own. The old adage "It is the journey not the destination" resounds true for the turnaround. As does this quote by Lao Tsu: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."