I want to share a quote with you today that saved my life, and has continued to be a powerful guide in times of adversity or feeling lost.
I love quotes! I have found them to be so transformational, I dedicate parts of my writing and social media to them.
Quotes are a power tool, because they cause you to stop and turn within. They can be a quick doorway to your heart, to your humanity, and ultimately to you reclaiming your confidence.
So, I want to share this with you and then break down how it can transform your life.
“When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”
While the quote has been credited to both the Buddha and Lao Tzu, it has been repeated countless times through the ages and many cultures.
The quote speaks to the moment of “readiness” or awareness that you are willing to become a student. You are asking for help. You are asking for guidance, mostly because you feel lost and are not sure where to turn or how to move forward.
You are acknowledging you have lost your confidence.
This is what I call a 13, or divine storm. It is one of the most auspicious moments we have to create real change in our lives. Why? Because we have released control that we have to do it on our own, and are finally willing to ask for the right support.
By becoming the student, you tap into a deep desire to learn, that now burns like a fire, fueling your actions. You want to know HOW to move forward at all costs, and are willing to set aside how you did things in the past.
You recognize the way you’ve done things isn’t working anymore.
And it is when we fully step into student mode, that our teacher appears. There is grace and humility, and a magical alchemy occurs when we allow for the guiding hand or light to then be our mentor.
And it is what you learn through this teacher, what they help you DISCOVER within you, that allows you to reclaim your confidence.
You wake up from your long sleep, now taking action from the wisdom you have gathered, It is what you LEARN that puts you back into your power.
Let me give you two examples.
When my whole life fell apart in the face of a devastating divorce, I found myself on my knees crying out for help.
I had spent four years prior keeping up an act that I had it all together, when the truth was I desperately wanted to speak to a therapist. I was caught up in very destructive behaviors, including hiding an affair that I would end, and then go running back to. I was convinced if I spoke to someone, everyone would find out and stop loving me. So, I kept the secret inside, and it grew like a cancer, literally requiring me to have a LEEP procedure on my cervix.
When I saw that nothing I did was working to make my husband stay, I finally became the student. I asked for help, because I had NO idea how to move forward. And I desperately wanted to. I wanted to live. I wanted to have a life I could love.
And from this place of grace, so many teachers came forward. I found a therapist who helped me put the pieces back together, and walk me through healing my heart. I found two spiritual teachers who gave me tools to work with my mind, and help me see I was not all my destructive thoughts. I met new friends, and divorced women, who shared their stories and helped me see I was not alone.
And it was what I learned from them that allowed me to reclaim my confidence. I learned HOW to heal my heart, HOW to quiet my racing mind, and HOW I shared so much more with people around me than I knew. These lessons transformed me, my limiting beliefs and paved a path to the miraculous marriage I now experience daily.
Becoming the student changed the course of my life, and continues to be my practice, because when I don’t know how to move forward, I now trust the right support will appear when I finally release control and open my palms, willing to receive.
It’s a point of great power when you can say, “I may not know the answer now, but I can learn. I can learn.”
One of my private clients came to me from his crossroads. He desperately wanted to know how to move forward and recognized the way he was living his life wasn’t working. He heard a testimonial from another client of mine on social media who said, “I now have a life well lived. Call Nikol.”
He was ready to be a student, and said to me just two weeks ago, “I don’t even recognize my life anymore, it’s changed so much.” He’s now writing his album with ease after months of feeling stuck, has transformed his living space into one he actually wants to be in, he’s sleeping and feeling much better, and has reclaimed his confidence in his voice. He’s discovering joy in his creative process and quieting his inner critic that used to haunt him day and night.
He was willing to receive, trusted the right support when he saw it, and dived in.
You have so much wisdom within you.
You know when things are not working.
You reclaim your power the minute you ask for help, because what you will learn by becoming a student will transform your ego and any toxic messaging that told you you are weak and broken.
So many walk around asleep in their lives, just letting their conditioning and subconscious rule every decision, but you are waking up.
So trust that fire burning within that KNOWS the right support is waiting for you. Trust the crossroads is here as a divine opportunity.
If you are feeling lost, become the student. Open your palms, and make clear what you need help to LEARN. Write it down, journal, and let the words burst from your mouth.
They will be heard and your teacher will appear.
This is the flow of a life you love.
We never stop learning, and it is creating a path of discovery that will always keep you connected to your unstoppable confidence.