Life mapping was never on my radar. Visiting Canyon Ranch Lenox changed that. The description intrigued me. It talked about “accessing your innermost wisdom” and identifying your dreams and new possibilities. This was what I didn’t realize I needed. I was feeling lost in my career; not sure what the next step was. I had worked with a mentor, spent time discussing growth with my boss, talked to people I trusted in the travel industry, and still I was at this perplexing stand still.
The Process
When I sat down with Dr. Jan Seward, licensed psychologist, she handed me a blank piece of paper and colored pencils. Huh? Oh, you mean life mapping means we create a literal map? Not sure why I didn’t see that coming. Knowing that I wanted to focus on my career, she had me write down three goals within a circle in the center of the page. I loved my job; I was determined to get a promotion. That was one goal. The other two involved leadership and training. From there, she asked questions about logical steps I needed to take to achieve these goals. I drew more paths in a new color. Next we talked about road blocks. Unfortunately, I knew those all too well. Red was the natural choice to show those obstructions.
There was this moment of defeat when I wrote down the road blocks. How could I ever move forward? As the tears were about to start pouring, Dr. Seward had a new task. Who did I trust professionally? Were they invested in my success? What do they have to do with this? I named them, we wrote them down in a new color with stars next to their names. She then asked which of them could help with each road block. The clouds parted and the sunshine came through. This is what life mapping is about! For the first time in a while, I had hope and was ready to put this plan in action.
Bringing the Map to Life
Dr. Seward gave me a piece of advice similar to words from my mentor. “If you put this plan in place and it doesn’t work, that means you need to look elsewhere to achieve your goals.” Sure, I hear you. But it’s going to work because I’m awesome and now I have a plan. We’re good!
The very next day I took the initiative to start these conversations. Needless to say, the result was not what I had hoped. Sometimes business isn’t aligned with your needs. However, I left knowing I did everything in my power to stand up for myself, advocate for my growth, utilize my resources, and create a business plan showcasing my strengths. That was a gift.
It wasn’t in the stars for the plan to work there because I was destined to create my own dream. That morning at Canyon Ranch sitting in my life mapping session, I unknowingly outlined my future outside of corporate America. I drew a new path that fit my version of happiness. This is one of the beautiful things about wellness and healing travel. We can be cared for beyond our expectations. I will never forget this powerful session and the gratitude I have for the transformational travel experience.