Homeward Bound : Five lessons from a Travelling Yogini

» Posted by Chantelle Baxter on Aug 3, 2011 in Blog, Globetrotter, Life Lessons | 13 comments

In exactly three days, I’ll be sitting on a plane heading back to Melbourne.

I’m a little apprehensive, but for the most part – I’m ready. One Girl is calling, I’ve got some kickass work to do.

And I can’t complain. The last seven months have blown my mind. I’ve spent time in Sierra Leone, London, China, East Timor, America AND found a new home in Bali. Thanks to inspiration from beautiful minimalists like Nina Yau, I gave away almost everything I owned and headed out into the world armed with my yoga mat and backpack. I set out to prove that I could live and work from anywhere (while running a non-profit organisation) – and It’s been the most liberating thing I’ve ever done.

Meeting One Girl scholars in Sierra Leone

Plummeting towards the earth in Portland

I’ve learnt more about myself in the last 7 months than I have in the last 4 years. I’m part of an inspirational tribe of people who live extraordinary lives. I’ve jumped out of a plane. I’ve climbed a mountain. I’ve found my voice. I’ve grown exponentially. And here’s what I’ve learnt along the way.

Lesson one: Your job is to find whatever it is that makes your eyes sparkle and your heart sing.
Never in my life have I met so many people with sparkling eyes. From America to Bali, I’m surrounded by people whose eyes sparkle as they share their story of LIVING the dream. I’ve met Yoga Teachers like the gorgeous Lucy Roberts, she travels to exotic locations and teaches us how to reconnect with our true essence. I’ve met writers like Satya Colombo, Tyler Tervooren and Dave Ursillo who inspire thousands of people with their magical words and innovative projects. I’ve met perpetual travellers like Dave Dean, Jenny Leonard and Jodi Ettenberg who wow us with their endless adventures around the globe.

All them sparkle. The sparkle of joy. The sparkle of life. Their whole being screams “I’m excited to be alive”.

Find your sparkle. Stop doing work you hate. Start being ALIVE in your life. What is it that gives you that spark? What makes your heart sing?

Celebrating my first mountain climb

A gorgeous Portland waterfall

Lesson two : Busyness is a disease. Admit you’re an addict. Get help.
Hi. I’m Chantelle. I’m a former busyness addict. Before coming to terms with my disease, I’d pack my calendar full with endless meetings, jobs and accountabilities. I’d take on more than I could handle because I was too scared to say no. I’d work 12 hour days and burnout under the weight of my own expectations. I hated my life.

Most western cities (like Melbourne) have a collective energy that pulls for busyness. If you’re not busy, you’re doing something wrong. If you’re not productive, you’re lazy. I’ll tell you one thing – I’m SO glad I figured out what a crock of shit that belief was.

Busyness causes stress. Stress causes our sympathetic nervous system to kick into overdrive and pump our bodies with adrenaline. Our sympathetic nervous system shuts down our immune system, digestive system and god knows what else. Without a functioning immune system, we get sick. Excess productivity creates illness.

Busyness is a disease. And it will kill you.

Start saying no. Clear your calendar. Create time to look after yourself. If your job requires you to work more than 8 hours a day, renegotiate or quit. Anything more than 8 hours is detrimental to your health and wellbeing. Work to live, don’t live to work.

Lesson three : Slow down. Find your balance. Nothing is as urgent as you think it is.
Life is not about meeting that next deadline. The world won’t end if you slow down and rebalance your life. In Bali, I’ve found a way to have everything. My typical day includes meditation, yoga, One Girl work, eating delicious food, a swim in the pool and time spent with loved ones. How could I live a life like that working 12 hours a day? Moving slowly means I’m more happy, healthy and amazingly alive than I’ve ever been. One Girl is flourishing even though I’ve shaved 8 hours off my average work day. The more balanced I become, the more effortless success is.

So I ask you – what areas of your life have you been neglecting? Where do you need rebalancing? Get out from behind that computer screen and into the world.

Lesson four : Luck has nothing to do with it.
In November last year, I was sitting in a cafe in Ubud, Bali with a gorgeous woman named Sheba. Sheba was telling me how she runs a successful music business – as well as spending 8 months of the year travelling and only 4 months at her office in Germany.

I was in awe. I’d read about people like Sheba, but here I was – meeting a location independent business woman at a cafe in Bali.

“Wow,” I gushed. “You’re so lucky! I wish I could do something like that.”

Sheba looked at me with a knowing eye. “Honey, luck has absolutely nothing to do with it. I’ve created my life to look like this – It’s taken hard work, determination and commitment. You want a life like this? Create it.”

So I did. Thanks to Sheba I decided to pack up everything and move to Bali.

Now it seems like I’m the lucky one. I’m not – I was terrified to leave Melbourne. I thought One Girl would crash and burn if I wasn’t at home to look after it. I pushed through some serious shit to get to this point. It’s taken hard work and commitment.

Take Sheba’s advice. You want a life like this? Create it. Stop making excuses. The only barriers in life are the ones we set for ourselves.

Lesson five : The quest for perpetual happiness will make you miserable
For the last 26 years, I’ve expected myself to be in a state of perpetual happiness. I blame Disney movies. Happily Ever After? Pffft. Please.

If I wake up sad, angry or frustrated – I instantly assume that I’m broken in someway. I’m flawed. I’m sick. After all, how could I NOT be happy? Pass the prozac please.

That is, until I discovered that 98% of what we call happiness is a lie. Most ‘happiness’ comes from stories we tell ourselves. It’s called Memory Happiness. We look to the past, dredge up a memory and bask in the glory of the good ol’ days. Alternatively, we fantasise about the future, making up scenarios about how great life will be, and we call that happiness too. Happiness is a story we tell ourselves.

Suddenly, waking up sad, angry or frustrated doesn’t seem so bad. It’s all a story anyway right? I’m learning to detach from my moods. I recognise my moods and emotions for what they are – they’re just moods and emotions. None are right or wrong. Sad is sad, happy is happy, frustrated is frustrated and so on. Right and wrong doesn’t come into the equation. Our minds are programmed to fluctuate between negative and positive stories. This won’t change. We will forever bounce between happiness and sadness. Perpetual happiness is a fairytale. Being aware of this will free you.

So what can we call real happiness? Real happiness occurs in a moment. It’s a split second of delight. Watching the sun rise over the volcano. Discovering a duck party in the rice fields. Doing your first headstand. Split second happiness is a moment without comparison and thought. Your mind is still. Clear. Present.

When was the last time you experienced happiness?

Watching the sunrise over a volcano

A Duck Party

I could go on forever. Each day brought me a new lesson. In Bali I found balance. In America I found my voice. Through Yoga immersion I discovered inner peace and spirituality. It’s been one hell of a ride. And it’s not over. It never will be.

Namaste gorgeous ones. (For those who don’t know, Namaste means : the divine in me sees the divine in you) – lovely huh?