Journey to Iconic Podcast

Embracing Setbacks: The Power of Embracing the Present

• Kirsten Barfoot • Season 1 • Episode 6

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Discover how life's setbacks can be transformative opportunities on this episode of the Journey to Iconic podcast with me. 

Have you ever felt like life's challenges are pulling you back rather than propelling you forward? 

Join me as I unravel the power of embracing the consolidation phase, using the metaphor of an arrow being drawn back to launch forward. 

Through a compelling client story facing financial hurdles, I highlight how these perceived regressions are critical for building strong foundations and preparing us for future success. Together, we'll explore how accepting and finding peace in the present sets the stage for growth and transformation.

Unlock your highest potential by stepping into your power and aligning with your true direction. 

In this episode, I share inspiration and actionable insights to help you embrace your unique self along the path to becoming iconic. 

By connecting with our community and accessing additional resources, you'll find the support and guidance needed for your journey. 

Subscribe, rate, and leave a review to help others discover these transformative insights. Your journey to iconic status starts here, as we redefine life's direction and unlock your full potential for the exciting path ahead.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Journey to Iconic podcast, where we unlock your highest potentials through transformation and intuition. I'm your host, kirsten Barfoot, ceo of Journey to Iconic. Each week, we dive into the realms of personal growth, intuition and authentic leadership, guiding you to become the best version of yourself. Whether you're looking to enhance your personal brand, align with your true direction or tap into your inner wisdom, you're in the right place. Let's embark on this journey together and start transforming your life today. Hello, hello and welcome to this episode, which is titled being Okay with the Phase that You're In. So let that sink in for a moment, because how satisfied are you at this present moment with the phase that you're in? So what do I mean by that? So I had a client call yesterday and this particular client has experienced a financial setback. There was a technical glitch that has been affecting them for some time and came to light, but has had some very severe financial implications for them. So they have been in the process of fixing this financial. You know I want to call it a crisis, but you know that's a fairly severe word.

Speaker 1:

But in this is that there is this sense of going backwards. Right, and I want to ask you that question as well, because how many times in life do we feel like, you know, there's that moving backwards before we actually move forwards? It's like I'm trying to move forwards but I seem to be going backwards and I don't understand what that's about. So there's a couple of things here. One is that sometimes you actually need to go back so that you can spring forward the arrow think about the arrow. The arrow has to be pulled back into the quiver so that it gives it its pull, that tension. The tension comes and it's called building up tension for a reason. And this tension can be extremely uncomfortable, it can be extremely hard, because I've tried to bring back one of those arrows before and I haven't been able to do it. Like, quite literally, it's very hard, but I'm really talking from a proverbial sense is that, you know, feeling that tension can be an uncomfortable place to be. I get it.

Speaker 1:

But you see, this is the place, this is the magical moment. These are the times that things are really happening on the underneath, in the foundations. Everything is kind of moving around. This is a highly transformational time and if we can embrace it for what it is, this is the void of pure potential. This is the place where things are really amping up. Life is expecting a little bit more from you, and this is that place where we can feel like everything is breaking down, but actually this is the place where everything is coming together.

Speaker 1:

So, if we can start to accept where we're at at this present moment because the question that I asked my client yesterday was can you be okay with being in consolidation you know we, it might not be the place of growth right now. It might be the place of consolidation, like consolidating the financial side of things, consolidating where we're going with the business, consolidating. You know the emotional impact of what has been created. Can we, can we come to a place where we're in acceptance of this phase that we're in? So I'm not trying to be in a different phase, I'm not trying to be back where I was, I'm not trying to be in a different place, I'm just actually coming back to the present moment. And can I be okay with where I'm at right now? And my invitation is to you, if you're listening to this and you're like, no, no, I cannot be in acceptance of this because this is unacceptable, I'm dissatisfied and I'm unfulfilled and this is not a place that I want to be. My invitation is to be and come to a place of acceptance of this. And you know, when I asked her this question, she was like okay, yes, I can. I can be okay with the fact that I'm in consolidation right now, rather than feeling like I need to be in growth.

Speaker 1:

And when I come back to this place of consolidation, it's really this place where you are building those strong foundations, because it's all very well to be in a place of growth, but if you're growing on shaky foundations, that growth is all going to come down. You know, it's like building something on quicksand or on sand or on a house of cards, because there's a very not secure foundation, whereas when you spend the time accepting being in the place of, okay, this is my consolidation period, this is where I'm building that strong foundation, this is where I'm building it from the core. I'm getting secure in myself, I'm getting secure with where I'm at. I'm getting secure in my emotions. I'm understanding that this is the place that I get to just come back to the present moment and be okay with what this is presenting. What's presenting? What can I learn from this? What can I spend some time refining, like what might not be working that I can look at right now and come back and say, okay, right, this isn't working for me right now. What can I do? And again, this might not be about a fixing phase either, so it doesn't mean necessarily that you're going straight into acting upon something. It's maybe just like taking the time what do I see right now, what is working for me, what's not working? And if I just get like, even if it's just a notepad and pen that is just writing out your thoughts, if it's writing out what's not working, if it's writing out the things that you'd like to do, we are getting to the end of the year. This is the time when we start thinking about the closure of this year. What do I want to close out? What are the items I want to complete by the end of the year? What would I like to see in my next year If I could?

Speaker 1:

But this is more about intention, as I said, when you're in a consolidating phase, as I said, when you're in a consolidating phase, this is really taking stock. It's not about active movement necessarily. It's about that receptive energy. It's about, like, really stepping back into that, stopping, taking a moment, reflecting, reflecting, maybe, on the year, what has come to light for you? And then, what do you want to see in your future? And really coming to that place where it's like being. It's honoring. Honoring this consolidating, honoring this slowing down, honoring this present moment, being grateful that's a big word too, isn't it? So I know that sometimes there are challenging events, so I'll just keep using my clients as an example.

Speaker 1:

This has been a really rough few months for them, and quite a shock too. You know, when people are trying to do the right thing all of the time and then this sort of thing comes up and sweeps, you know it's like having the rug pulled from under your feet. You know they weren't necessarily doing anything wrong, they weren't trying to do anything that was underhanded, they were really just doing what they always do. And you know, this thing that's come up has really knocked them for a six, and so it's not always easy to come to that place of gratitude when things feel like they are against you. It's like, wow, I didn't see that coming. I felt like I was doing the right thing and now I get. You know, this is how something out of my control has kind of come to me in my life, and so it's hard.

Speaker 1:

But my invitation is when these things happen and you might not feel it in the moment it might be hard to come to a place of gratitude, but my invitation is always can you be open and willing to find gratitude for these situations? Because when you can be open and willing to find the gratitude, the gratitude will find you, and that just means that you're changing the energy, the frequency of the event. So this event it could be seen as like I'm a victim of circumstance. This wasn't my fault. How can this happen? I want to blame somebody else for it. It's their fault, this happened because of that.

Speaker 1:

But if we can just take a moment to step back and go, okay, this has happened. It just is Nobody necessarily made this happen. But what can I learn from it? What has happened, what has transpired in this process that has allowed me to grow, to shift into a different perspective? Because, if we can find a reason to be grateful, especially for things like this man, you are now shifting your energy, your frequency, into such a higher level that you are now welcoming in some experiences that you are bringing in instead of more of what you don't want, instead of resisting the change instead of, you know, wanting to make it as something different.

Speaker 1:

So, by honoring the phase that we're in like the consolidation, the consolidating, that we're in, like the consolidation, the consolidating looking at what have we learned from these experiences, how have we grown in the process, how much more are we capable Because we have gone through this? So keep in mind that our challenges in life really support us in becoming our highest potential. We don't actually become our highest potential without our challenges. So let that sink in for a moment. It is because of our challenges and because we move through them, because we learn from them, because we have that experience, because we have that wisdom, we step into a higher version of ourselves because of that. So even just acknowledging that for a moment, realizing that it is because of these challenges that we discover more of our capabilities, more of our potential, more of our highest potential, that cannot be just the fuel that fires that gratitude, that goes okay, if anything else.

Speaker 1:

I am growing through this. I am learning to be more capable. I am learning to do things a different way. I am learning to be a little bit more discerning about what is happening in my business, so that when these things come about, I'm like, okay, I'm in a position where I'm like, okay, listen, geez, I made it through that thing and that was the hardest thing that I've ever had to make it through. And when you can notice that, wow, I made it through that. Like, oh man, that was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through. Like, oh man, that was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through. When you can notice that, when you can acknowledge that you did that, like how much stronger are you for the next challenge that pops up? Because, for sure, there will be another challenge. You know, life will hand those to us, because that is just how we learn and grow. And if we can be in a prepared state for those and know that, no matter what challenge pops up for us, we can navigate it. And not only can we navigate it, we're going to smash through it because we are capable and we've been given this challenge so that we can step into more of our potential.

Speaker 1:

So I hope that has been helpful in terms of, you know, reframing or seeing shifting the perspective in any sort of challenge that you might find yourself in at the moment is can you be okay with the phase that you're in? Can you be okay with the consolidation? Can you be okay with the phase that you're in? Can you be okay with the consolidation? Can you be okay with the not growth right now, knowing that at every stage we are growing as people, as human beings. You know the bank account might not be growing or the. You know the business might not be growing or this might not be growing. Any other external event might not be growing, but know that on the inside, for you as an individual, you are growing, you are redefining, you are refining, you are becoming a better version of yourself. You are becoming a better version of yourself. So, you know, the consolidation might be a consolidation on the external, but on the internal for sure, you are growing like a superhuman. So maybe that can be fuel for the additional gratitude that you feel for yourself and knowing that you are a magnificent human being. And I'm so grateful that you have found this and I hope that it has been helpful for you, whatever phase you find yourself in, and I look forward to sharing some more with you in the future.

Speaker 1:

As always, if you do have any questions around any of this, please shoot them. Feel free to shoot them through, and also, if you have insights, I'd love to hear them too. Any insights, any golden nuggets that dropped for you throughout this, then let me know. I love that too. I love hearing how concepts have come together for others when they hear something. And also, if you have any questions or you'd love to hear some insights for future episodes, then please also feel free to share those too, and I hope that, wherever you find yourself, that you are happy and well, and I wish you the most magnificent day, afternoon or evening, and I'll see you soon.

Speaker 1:

Bye, thank you for joining me on this episode of journey to iconic podcast. I hope you found inspiration and practical insights to help you unlock your highest potential. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, rate and leave a review to help others find us For more resources and to connect with our community. Follow Kirsten Barford on LinkedIn and other socials or visit our website at wwwkirstenbarfordcom. Remember, your journey to Iconic starts with embracing your unique self and stepping into your power. Until next time, keep moving forward, trust yourself and remember I've got you.