One for the record books!
2020 has been a strange year so far. One for the record books. From wild fires to Covid-19, this has been a year that has forced us to take a long hard look at what is happening in the world. But as we move into the last act of 2020, we want to take time to acknowledge that it has also given us a sacred pause. It has enabled families to spend more time together. It has given people an opportunity to realise projects they haven’t had time for. And through all of this craziness, Vortex Strategy was born.
We began with a simple vision. A vision of a world where people create from their gifts instead of reacting to their traumas. And since January, we have worked with over 50 entrepreneurs, executives and visionaries from all over the world – Australia, Canada, the USA, the UK, Sweden, Macau, and India. It’s been a rollercoaster, to say the least, but it has been a fun ride, and an inspiration to be a part of some incredible projects.
So firstly, we want to say a massive, unreserved, outrageous thank you to YOU, the people who have made 2020 such a wild ride for us. We hope it has been as inspirational for you as it has been for us, and we are beyond excited to continue this journey with you.
What do you need to say yes to?
For 15 years, I had a knowing that I would one day live in Vancouver. I’d never been there, but a voice inside me kept asking the question – “When are you going to move to Vancouver?” Over the course of those 15 years, no matter what I tried, my life was a mess. I built a career in the Film industry, which took me to London, Qatar, The Alps, The Amazon and the Arabian Desert. I did some amazing things, but I never once felt settled or fulfilled. I was trapped in a feast and famine cycle – a big project would come in, and then I wouldn’t get another job for months, leaving me seriously concerned about how I would support myself. Over and over again, I had to be bailed out by friends and family. The topic of Vancouver came up over and over again, but I was scared of making that leap, despite having visited over 50 countries in my life and lived in 5. The voice inside me kept nagging. I was chronically depressed. I was stuck in a rut I just couldn’t get out of.
I knew I needed to get out of the film industry and do something more meaningful with my life. I took a yoga teacher training in India, and trained as an Aquatic Bodywork therapist in London, and practiced in both of these fields for a while. But I still had no idea what to do. Until one day I was halfway up a cliff face in Spain, on a climbing holiday with a friend and her partner. He told me about his job as a UX designer, which I thought sounded like a great combination of psychology, visual design, and the future-proof world of tech, so I decided to look into UX design courses. Then it hit me.
This was my opportunity to move to Vancouver.
So I signed up for a course, packed my bags and moved halfway around the world. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the start of my transformation. A key moment in my understanding of intuition and inner guidance. Suddenly I found myself in learning mode – thirsty for information and new knowledge. And with the new focus outwards, on the new world of possibility that was opening to me, I found myself no longer willing to sit in depression wishing my life was different. I took action, and one of the actions I took was to study and apply the teachings of Joe Dispenza, from his book Becoming Supernatural. I diligently practised the meditations and I found my entire outlook started to change. I found the energy to take control of my diet and gut health and suddenly I was waking up in the mornings excited about how the day would unfold.
Synchronicities started appearing in my life, with almost frightening regularity. My new thirst for learning led me to another thing I have always really known, but never been able to put my finger on, which was that I was destined to be a coach. In December of last year, I met a guy in a coffee shop in Vancouver, we got talking, and a month later Curtis and I were in business together. And we started coaching. Literally within days of this discovery I was presented with Rich Litvin, author of The Prosperous Coach. Working with him has been key in us working with so many incredible people, and our development as coaches, but the truth is it was saying yes to my intuition, saying yes to Vancouver, saying yes to my own personal growth. It was the simple act of saying YES that put me on the path to curing my depression, finding my purpose, and creating impact in the world.
So what is it that you need to say yes to? Where you have been holding back out of fear? What impact could a simple decision to take action make in your life?
The Adventure Effect
For both Curtis and I, adventure has always been a part of our lives. It’s part of the reason I knew I had to live in Vancouver. It has been a huge part of our healing, our growth, and shaping us into who we are. When we step out of our comfort zone, in the wilderness or in business, we are confronted head on with both our ego, and our limiting beliefs. What we gain by getting uncomfortable and pushing ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually in wild places is confidence, inner peace, and wisdom.
We are beyond excited to announce that starting on Monday, we will be hosting our new weekly video podcast, “The Adventure Effect”, where we will be talking to some incredible people about the lessons they have learned through their adventures, and talking about the next big dream they are working on.
If you’d like to explore the adventure effect in more detail, we still have a few spaces available on October 9-11 for something completely new. A 3 day deep dive into the importance of adventure in discovering the soul’s purpose. We’re running it as a pilot for an exciting project coming in 2021, and we would love for you to be a part of it.
If you’d like to know more about how you can get involved in the adventure effect, just shoot me an email – [email protected]
With Love,
Tom Lancaster