Are you ready to Challenge your Soul?
it all started with a simple idea…
My Soul Challenge was one of those random ideas that seem like something that would be cool, but you never actually do. What was different with this idea was timing, it arrived at a time when I needed a creative outlet to funnel stress. The idea for My Soul Challenge arrived at a time where it seemed everything was going wrong… I was feeling overwhelmed at work, single-handedly managing my naturopathic medical practice, things were difficult at home and I was burning out. It’s not like I had the energy or time to start a new project, but this one was a welcome breathe of fresh air.
I started searching for ways to make this idea come together and everything just flowed. The idea for the deck of cards and App combo came from the children’s books my husband creates, and it seemed like a fun way to use technology for the project. I spent my nights searching for quotes, diving deep into the science behind the stress response and everything proven to decrease it, and going through an inventory of the conversations I had been having with patients for the past five years to create challenges that were meaningful and scientifically proven to be beneficial.
After a few months of doing this however, I found myself even more burned out. I was working full time and working all night. I was creating something I felt proud of but I wasn’t able to continue. I broke down one night, crying over a lost pair of socks I had just bought at the store. I had to make some serious changes to my lifestyle. Being an entrepreneur, taking time off from work was not an option. I did slow down significantly, but I had to find a way to get better, fast, so I decided to start applying the challenges I had been creating: spending time in nature, meditation, disconnecting from electronics, trying new things and facing some fears, practicing gratitude. No, doing this didn’t bring me out of burnout in a couple of weeks, but it did help me find meaning in the process of healing and turned the things I knew I should be doing into a game, making it more fun. My Soul Challenge also became a family project and was an important part of working things out at home, and I’m happy to say that all is well at home now.
There were many ups and downs in the creation of My Soul Challenge, but it is one of those crazy ideas that I actually carried through. Looking back into my journal, 6 months before getting the idea for My Soul Challenge, I wrote that I wanted to create something that I felt proud, something innovative and accessible, something that would allow me to reach more people and that can bring positive change to the world. This was that dream, it actually came true.
For me, My Soul Challenge represents finding myself in the midst of chaos, letting go and having fun when everything is so serious all the time, and deep, deep healing. It is a project that allows me to give back by donating 10% of each deck to Natural Doctors International, a global health organization that provides free holistic health to underserved communities. It is also a project that I hope will help all who come in contact with it feel the weight of daily tasks slightly lighter on their shoulders.