Rebirth can mean a lot of different things to different people.  A rebirth is loosely defined as a second birth, a renaissance, a revival, or an awakening.  Characteristics of rebirth include a heightened sense of awareness of one’s current situation followed by a distinct decision to take action and thrust oneself into the world in a new and rejuvenated way.  Its as though one chooses to be delivered again and to see the world with fresh eyes. 

I’ve been inspired to write on the topic of rebirth in light of the recent ‘first birth’ of my son, just 9 days ago.  I see how he opens his eyes up wide to the world, how he takes it all in.  How he’s learning how this world works with every breath he takes.  There are no preconceptions, all is new.

What are some examples of rebirth in adulthood?

Throughout our lives its likely that we’ll have a dozen or more times when we are faced with a potential rebirth.  What you do when faced with this opportunity is up to you.  A rebirth is when we have such a significant shift in our actions, routines, mentality, or environment that from this point forward our lives will be significantly different.  In my adult life, I can think of several occasions in which my life was completely changed.  Here’s a list of the most compelling I’ve encountered:

  1. Deciding to go to school at the University of California Santa Barbara
  2. Taking a job with a software company in the Silicon Valley
  3. Entering an evening MBA program
  4. Being diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
  5. Moving to the greater Sacramento region and buying a home with my wife
  6. Starting a wellness coaching business
  7. Having our first child

Each one of these events drastically changed the way that I approached and lived my life. 

Why is this important?

Rebirth signifies change.  It represents drastic, life altering shifts of monumental proportion.  Once you’ve been birthed (or re-birthed), there’s really no going back.  Its a leap of faith.  As you might see by reading the examples I’ve provided above, most of my rebirth’s were consciously intended.  In fact all were with the exception of #4 above which is arguably the largest rebirth that I’ve had as so many of my decisions following that date were significantly impacted by this diagnosis. 

Rebirth is big.  Its important because it raises awareness to the opportunities that are present to you at any point in life, and can provide a mentality towards life’s challenges that breeds optimism and potential.  If my house is foreclosed on, when I choose to frame it as a rebirth, it allows me focus on the possibilities that life could afford me with a fresh start.  If I have a health event, rebirth signifies the potential for me to become an expert in the area of my health and fitness.  If I feel ‘stuck’ in life, being reborn provides a new world of opportunity.  Withering away or figuratively speaking ‘a slow death’ would be the alternative approach that many people choose to embrace when faced with difficult situations.

A coaching exercise for you:  Determine if you are prepared for a rebirth

If you are stuck, looking to make a change, uncertain of what to do next, frustrated or uncomfortable with where you currently are in any aspect of life, use this as a chance to shift your perspective from slow death to rebirth.  Here’s an exercise you can do right now.

  1. As I have done above, write out all of the events in your life that have drastically changed either your perception of yourself and how you act, or the way you live your life.
  2. Identify which of these events were consciously intended and which were brought about by no action of your own
  3. Answer the following questions:
    • What observations do you have as you list these on paper?
    • What aspects of previous rebirths would you like to avoid in the future?
    • What elements of previous rebirths would you like to leverage in the future?
    • What am I struggling with now and what am I considering as a potential path forward? 
    • What am I not considering because it seems silly, unrealistic or I am unwilling to do for other reasons?
    • How would your perspective shift  if you consciously considered the possibilities you’ve listed as a rebirth knowing that this means leaving all of the baggage of the past behind?
    • What actions could you take today that would represent an actual rebirth (remember the definition of rebirth), rather than simply trying out something new?
    • What’s the worst thing that could happen as a result of what you are considering?  Is that worse than your current situation?  Are you willing to move forward?  Can you accept and celebrate in whatever consequence arises based on your decision?   

Because of the monumental significance of a rebirth, its always a good idea to learn and be conscious of the choices you are making.  Your reaction to the questions posed above will be a good indicator as to whether or not a rebirth may be right for you. 

A rebirth in every day

In closing, I’d like to share some brief comments on perceptions, security and stability.  In the natural cycle of the world, everything is in a continual process of birth, death, and rebirth.  The sun rises every day, it sets every night.  The flowers bloom each May and rescind in Fall.  Humans are born, they reproduce, and pass.  We fall asleep and wake each morning to a brand new day. 

Rebirth is part of life.  Naturally, we fight to hold on to what we’ve earned, what we’ve built and the past we’ve chosen that makes us who we are today.  Another perspective is that each morning as we wake to a new day, we consciously choose to live the life that we’ve come to identify with.  It would be just as easy for me to declare to my wife that we are moving tomorrow to Canada to be with her family, and from this point forward my life would look nothing like it did for the past 5 years.   

When I read through the list of rebirth’s I’ve created above, I am startled by how many big things have happened in my life in what seems to be such a short time.  I make a big deal of conscious rebirth, but as human beings we are constantly evolving, constantly changing, and continually faced with life altering events.  I recognize that the less attached I am with my past, my possessions and my ego, the more excited I become.  The more willing one is to open themselves up to the potential for rebirth, the more they will notice the ease with which change can be initiated, and the more it will be welcomed.    

We’ve all got choices, some small, and some big and if you are looking to make a change, choose to embrace your changes with the open eyes of a newborn baby and wash away the preconceptions that you’ve decided to hold onto.  Whether or not you see it now, an infinite set of possibilities will arise when you embrace this approach. 

 

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Be Well


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Written by Doug Nau, The Wellness Coach, i-grow.net

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