What Triggers a Paradigm Shift in Life?

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 02:32 AM PST

By Mary Jaksch

A fellow blogger who is putting together a collaborative post asked me a searching questions today:
What triggered a paradigm shift in your life?
It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Try and answer it for yourself and see what appears.
I came up with a moment of truth that changed my life forever. But it
seems to me that it’s the catalyst – the moment that triggers change –
is like the tip of an iceberg. Below, in the subconscious realm of our
mind, the decision to change is already in place. All it needs is a
trigger-moment to activate the decision. Here was my catalyst for
change:
When I started karate training 25 years ago, I was working as a
professional flautist. After I had trained for some months. I became a
volunteer at the karate school’s half-way house. This had been set up
for young people who wanted to get off drugs and alcohol, and change
their life around. I helped set up and run a full-time program with
daily karate classes, meditation, and community work.
One day, Marion, a young woman who had been working on the streets as
a prostitute said to me, “You’ve helped me change my life. I’ve decided
to go back to school, and get a life that’s worth living.” That was a
turning point for me. I decided to change careers, and started to study
psychotherapy. I realized that listening to me playing the flute on
stage wasn’t going to be the thing that turns a life around.
Once I understood that my life should really be about helping people
to live meaningful lives, it was time for a radical change. It was hard
because my divorce happened at the same time, and I turned from
high-profile professional into a solo mum and student.

Start over

I’m in the process of re-writing the Ebook that was originally called
‘Overcome Anything’. When I first wrote it, I was in the middle of a
sudden life change, brought about by a financial misfortune. Now, two
years on, I’ve learned a lot about the next stage of starting over,
which is the re-emergence into the light. When we start over in life,
either because we choose to, or because we are forced to, we have an
amazing opportunity to start something new. Like I did when I started
blogging and created Goodlife ZEN.
I hope to have the Ebook completed by March. If you have a story of how your life changed dramatically, please email me. I would love to include your story either in this Ebook, or in the sequel.
There is an interesting TED video by Tony Robbins on ‘Why we do what we do’.
Watch it below, or click here to see it.
So, what triggered a paradigm shift in your life?
Please share in the comments.