Who Switched the Lights On and Why?

I believe the answer to most things lies in one simple question Why?

So, why did I write Who Switched the Lights On? 

First, and foremost, I wrote it for me. It was my way of documenting how I felt about certain things so I could make sense of them and reconcile those thoughts in my mind. My mind is just so full of stuff sometimes that it literally takes a download to unpack all of the ideas and put them into some reasonable order. 

For me, that journey started around my 40th birthday when suddenly everything I thought to be true was brought under the microscope and put into question. It was time to clean up the mess and prepare to move through the next phase a little lighter and with a higher purpose. 

This phase of gradual awakening, trials, tests and tribulations wasn’t always much fun, but in retrospect, I am grateful for the lessons I have learnt. As I look back over that time, I can clearly see how the Universe was trying to shift me to a better place.

But boy, did I put up a fight at times. I am definitely a stubborn one! I can just picture the Universe rolling her eyes every time I resisted. In the end, she proved she was indeed much stronger than me, and I had to give in and realise that I was the student and she was the teacher.

Whilst I had to repeat some of the lessons numerous times, I finally got there in the end. And sure, some are still works in progress… but I am grateful that all of the lessons to this point have been achieved without too much damage being done. I am well aware that if I don’t get the message in time, the lessons will become more testing… and I for one would rather avoid that at all costs.

As I said earlier, this book was written primarily for me. But once I shared it with some of my closest friends, I discovered that it did indeed resonate with others. I discovered that each of us, in our own unique way, does go through the same sorts of things throughout the various stages of our lives. The book then became something I could possibly share with others as a means of inspiring and motivating them to rise above all the crap and view things from a different perspective.

There have been many times in my life when I have felt that nobody wanted to listen to me. Like the language I was speaking was different to everyone else’s. I have always been the tough one; the strong one. So independent was I that nobody ever bothered to ask how I was doing, they still don’t! But the strong ones are often the ones that suffer in silence and fall under the radar because nobody expects them to be vulnerable in any way.

I just want everyone out there, who feels this way, to know that I see them and I hear them. I know what it feels like when nobody seems to understand where you are coming from. It can really be a lonely place.

I have had to learn some of my lessons the hard way. I had to learn that I have value and that I am worthy. It took me a while, but I came to realise that I am enough, just the way I am. I had to learn that to strive for perfection was the sure way to guarantee failure.

What many of us share, and it’s not our fault, it’s just the way we are conditioned to be, is the feeling that we to have to fit within a particular mould. These moulds have been created for us by society and whilst much has changed over time, the moulds have barely had a facelift. If anything, the criteria to fit them has become even more narrow.

What happens when you don’t quite fit the mould? Well…. I’ll tell you. Nobody knows exactly how to handle you. They try to fit you inside a box but it’s never really the right fit, you keep spilling out the edges. No matter how hard they try to secure the lid on top of the box, it just doesn’t seem to work. But why are they trying to make you fit in when you were clearly born to stand out?

Eventually, the time comes when you begin to question the rules and regulations imposed by society. And when you begin to ask those questions, nobody can really give you a straight answer. That’s because there isn’t one. When I came to this realisation on my own, I felt like I had been robbed of my freedom. My culture had conspired with society to keep me small, and I didn’t even realise it was happening. Until the lights came on, that is!

And slowly but surely, I went through a process of cleaning out that which no longer served a purpose in my life. From people to ideas to self-imposed limitations. A work in progress, which will inevitably last for some time to come. I had to unlearn quite a few things which I had been brought up to believe. They no longer have a place in my life, and should not have a place in future generations.

Who Switched the Lights On? is essentially a book about life; my life. More than a self-help book, it is a journey over time which highlights my growth and the things I was able to learn, or unlearn, along the way. It is my hope, that by coming along with me as I adjust to the light, clear out the cobwebs, and work through my process of ‘un-conditioning’, that you too will be inspired to shine a light on your own life and adjust the brightness until it’s just perfect for you.

It’s time to dig deep, grab your torch, put on your sunglasses. We’ve got work to do……