People have been predicting the end of the world forever. You would think it is a modern, futuristic prediction or affliction but it is as old as time.

Throughout our history, people prophesied the end of the world. As far back as 2800 BCE, an Assyrian tablet was written by an unknown prophet that predicted that the earth is “degenerate in these latter days. There are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end.” Many people today also believe that our world is in one of its darkest times, and on the verge of collapse. And why would the collapse of a world filled with fear, hate, anger, blame, separation and conflict not be healthy and timely? While massive attacks are playing out on the global stage and our environment, more of us are looking to expand our knowledge of what is possible and deepen our understanding of ourselves. It takes courage, energy and massive curiosity to know who to trust in today’s world, whether it is the beliefs you consume, the food you consume or the people and the products of the organizations (“brands”) you consume.
Despite all that you know or heard, we might be living in the best of times.

Your choices matter

First of all, you are here, right now. You can become aware of the impact that our fast food disposable culture has on the environment, and can examine your own habits and role. Because habits and role can change when you trust yourself to make healthy choices. You may also become aware that many smart and imaginative people are experimenting with alternative fuels that do not deplete or poison the environment or products that have natural materials that do not cause cancer. And you can make different choices as a result. But it all comes down to trust. Who can be trusted to deliver on their promise? What information is trustworthy?

Shifting to understanding what is healthy and what is toxic (un-healthy)

Secondly, it all starts with trusting yourself to live a healthy life. There is so much you can impact when you do as in today’s reality, you can move and shift with unprecedented speed and take control of your decisions and how you react. More than a millennium ago, the civilization of the Mayan people collapsed, partly because of the environmental crisis they caused. They did not know how to change and were trapped in not knowing how to get out of the situation they created. Today, we have the wisdom to know that filling our oceans with plastic or polluting our air and drinking water is unhealthy for all of us. We have the knowledge to make healthier choices and not to trust those who contribute to making poor choices for humanity and the planet in the name of profitability. There is an awakening of civilization happening as more people wake up to our need to transform. We are witnessing the breakdown of many systems, and yet we are also more connected than ever. When you look for it, you will find increasing stories of people creating sustainable products in a circular economy that offers holistic solutions to anyone ready to live consciously.

Adopting an opportunity mindset and walking the talk

And thirdly, there are many people today of all ages working on the edges, not the mainstream, to come up with alternative paths and ways of living to unleash their passion and breathe new life into our world. Their focus is on increasing our wisdom of how to live consciously and regenerate the earth. And their question, once again, is who do you trust? What products and services do you trust to consume? For example, is the body lotion or deodorant you apply on your skin healthy or toxic? Are you aware that anything you apply on your body should have ingredients that are edible as it is penetrating your pores and entering your blood stream? And, are the people whose ideas you are putting into your mind and heart trustworthy?
What is your definition of trust? How does trust show up in your life? Who do you currently trust, and why do you award them your precious trust? Do those you trust truly deserve your trust? And, why should they trust you?
Serial entrepreneur Magatte Wade, Founder of Skin is Skin believes that her company is on the road to making sure we are aware of how to take care of our skin and how important it is to our overall wellbeing. Many women in the United States spend a large percentage of their time, money, and energy on their face and hair. But a lot of women seem not to know that the skin is the largest organ of their body. And what many people are even less aware of is that whatever product you apply on your skin goes inside your body as well. What this means is that you have to be able to eat what you apply on your skin. You need to know what ingredients and chemicals you are ingesting. They are also in the education business as they help more of us open our eyes by showing them loving ways to take care of ourselves. Just like the organic food movement opened the eyes of so many people about the chemical we were ingesting, they are providing people with products that contribute to their overall wellbeing. For Magatte as an entrepreneur, the goal has always been to provide a quality and identity she believes in. It’s a labor of love. Identity for her is at two levels: the first is physically what it looks like, and the second is on a spiritual level of asking what they stand for in the world.
There is much you can re-imagine when it comes to how you choose to live your life. You can be trapped in an unhealthy state of mind where all you experience is doom and gloom or you can re-imagine what is possible.

What makes you uncomfortable tells a story

Please be specific with your intentions, get down to the nitty gritty, even when it makes you feel a bit uncomfortable. The areas of discomfort are the ones calling for your attention as they will teach you about trust. When you experience resistance, you will know there is unresolved blocks to be seen and addressed. Find forgiveness from past mistakes so you can let them go and make space for trusting that you have learned from them. Back then, you may have not trusted yourself to make the healthiest decisions for yourself; and you may have chosen relationships and positions of work that are flat out toxic for you. You can easily tap into the past as a reference point for your current lack in yourself. Once you acknowledge the areas where your trust is broken, you can start understanding them and make space for healthier things and people to show up in your life. The key is to begin to unleash your curiosity, and see it takes you. It all comes back to self-awareness; something we never learn at mainstream schools. The opportunity to learn, shift and grow only happens when you trust yourself and choose to enter the School of Life where there are no certifications or degrees; just life experiences. It is a school where mistakes help you grow and learn without getting a report card that shows mistakes as failures. You know in your gut that sometimes not getting the job you thought you wanted or being accepted to the program you sought may have been the biggest gift. In the School of Life, you learn to trust the currents.

It’s always your choice

You can follow the crowd and be trendy by freaking out about the end of the world, or you can follow your gut and intuition and create a healthier world individually and collectively. It’s all right here waiting for you to trust and truly listen to your internal navigation system. The question is, are you willing to take the road less traveled where you have no idea where it might lead you? Could there be be a healthier path for you to help create healthier systems in our world — from education to healthcare to politics to business to society? Isn’t it time to reclaim your power? No one else will do it for you.
“You can start by changing your story. Did you know that everything in this life is a story? Every book on every shelf is someone’s account, their version of what happened … go and tell your own story. It’s one the world needs to hear.” Judy Stakee, author of the award-winning The Songwriter’s Survival Guide (with a Foreword from Sheryl Crow)
Excerpts from my upcoming book, Re-Imagine This: The Journey of Reclaiming Your Life. Related: Who Controls Your Volume?