Lessons: What 2022 Taught Me
Dec 31, 2022By Kristina Todorova, Founder of The Co-created Hub
A few weeks ago, I created a poll on social media and asked the community to vote for a topic for our final blog article, for this year. Although most of our articles include self-coaching tools or are centred around interviewing people whose expertise and thoughts expand horizons and offer valuable insights, this one will be dedicated to sharing the main lessons that I learnt in the last twelve months. In January 2022, I shared a similar article where I spoke about how I bounced back from rock bottom (you can read it here); it seems that writing about Lessons is now becoming a yearly tradition so here's what 2022 taught me.
1. Your passions are your soul’s breadcrumbs (leading you to what you’re meant to be doing in the world!)
I know this may sound very spiritual, but if there is one thing I have learnt by meditating and tapping into heightened levels of consciousness, it is this: what we perceive through our physical senses is not all that we are or all that exists out there. Through fully quieting the mind, we can experience and connect with our energetic side - you can call it the Higher Self or Soul (frankly speaking, I can only describe my experience with it, and it is likely that I am not labelling it correctly). When we establish this connection, we feel pure love, joy and peace, and once we start to access this state of being regularly, we become much more in tune with our passions, talents and what we chose, as souls, to share with the world. There is a reason why you are talented in certain areas. There is also a reason why you are so passionate about specific things. Very often, what you are passionate about, you are also naturally good at. When talent meets passion, a valuable skill is born - a skill that can be monetised and used to enhance people's lives.
I can give you an example of a talent that is also a huge passion of mine – writing. When I first created the Inspiration Blog Series, my intention was to share educational, self-help content and interview experts whose stories and skills could inspire and support the community I was building. The blog grew organically and became a revenue stream. Nowadays, I not only run our blog but support start-ups with their blog initiatives too.
What is it that you are naturally good at and passionate about? How can you use it to add value to a person, the environment or the community? It's your turn to reflect!
2. Challenges are stepping stones (if you choose to see them this way!)
In March 2022, I lost the income streams I had created upon relocating to London in November 2022 to events that were beyond my control. Then, within a matter of days, I caught Covid. I remember lying in bed, applying for jobs and praying to the Universe and every entity I could possibly think of for help. On those days when I was not feeling so resentful and sorry for myself (when victimhood hits me, it hits me hard!), I would say: “Ok, you support the belief that you can monetise your passions and skills, and you could be doing what you love, what you’re good at and turning it into income streams; now is the time to show yourself that you can do this; make a list of what you are good at and start putting yourself out there.” I knocked on so many doors. None of them opened - talk to me about dealing with rejection. However, something interesting happened - the very same skills and services I wanted to offer did get monetised through people and opportunities that came into my life randomly (or, better said – in synchronistical ways). I also attracted people that played a big role in helping me heal some of the subconscious blocks and beliefs that were getting in my way.
If you find yourself in a challenging situation, do not suppress your emotions and let yourself feel whatever is showing up for you. Once you feel better, look for the opportunity that this situation has brought you. If you cannot find it, create it. Your actions may not bring you the results you are looking for, but the act of taking action shifts your vibration and helps you attract what you need at that moment to handle the challenge and rise above it.
3. Seeds take time to turn into fruits (lessons for impatient founders!)
This was a huge lesson for me and I am still learning it. I launched Coaching for Transformers as a digital platform in September 2021 and, within a month and a half of the launch, I relocated to London, with the intention of popularizing the platform and building the business. If you ask me whether I am where I wanted to be a year and one month later (laughing as I write this), the honest answer is No. There were moments of celebration and milestones I feel proud of. There were also a lot of flopped launches and failures (more than I would like to admit).
What I am continuously learning is that it takes time to clarify a business concept and devise a clear vision upon which you can build a company that will withstand the winds of change. It takes time to build a solid business foundation. It takes time to build the right team. It takes growth and the willingness to not give up a dream that lights your heart up in order to fully materialise it. There have been moments in the past twelve moments where I have wanted to give up – such moments are part of every entrepreneur’s journey.
If you’re building something of your own and have been facing setbacks, give yourself grace and nourish the gift of patience. Seeds take time to turn into fruits. Our resources section gives you access to tools that I use and have created to help you learn how to work with your intuition and mind much more consciously (so that you can make progress without sacrificing your well-being and by using your untapped potential). You can check them out here. Also, you can sign up to receive our blog articles and interviews via email below. We run a bi-weekly email series where I share behind-the-scene updates, exclusive offers and some of the things I myself am learning as an entrepreneur and spiritually.
Now, let's make a virtual toast to a happy and prosperous 2023!