This week I invited my friend, Irene Okoye, to share with us how she finds her magic in life. It’s very easy for us to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget that life is meant be lived and to be enjoyed! I invited Irene to write this article because she’s one of the people I know who ‘eats’ life with a big spoon! I hope you enjoy the read and feel free to check her out on LinkedIn.

Finding Your Magic

When was the last time you felt alive? No, really, indulge me. I am well aware of the fact that we live in a time when being alive means simply surviving. It almost feels like the last people we have time for after emptying our cups are ourselves. Yet I dare say we are the most important stakeholders in our lives.

If we paused for a moment and allowed ourselves the luxury of finding our sense of wonder, which can be so easily extinguished by simply looking outside our window, I still believe we have it in us to craft a life that allows us to be fully alive, present and awake.

Being alive means finding what brings you excitement, joy, inspiration and, of course, the value it adds to others. I call this sense of “aliveness” and presence - Magic; Finding Your Magic. This may sound like a cliche, but magic is really the spice of life, the thing that adds flavor to what would otherwise be a somewhat bland serving of life.

If we were to flashback to our childhood, I’m confident that there were many moments that felt magical, and if you really decipher the true value of those moments, it was in the simplicity. As kids we were always present, we embraced boredom and thrived in creativity. We existed in our magic in every little thing we did.

So how do we get back to feeling alive? How do we find our magic?

• In the stillness - Who are you, what do you value, what are you good at and what can you not be argued out of? A lot of our opinions and our ‘’knowing’’ are influenced by others. Stillness allows us to re-engage with ourselves, dig a little deeper and hopefully find the voice to articulate our magic confidently.

• Embracing the uncertain - We spend a big portion of our lives in strategy-mode and struggle to effect the plan. Magic for me is found in taking calculated risks but most times; in not knowing what’s going to happen and doing it anyway.

• Openness - Allowing feedback from others. The most beautiful thing about knowing ourselves is also recognising the need for others. We need to remain open to others reflecting those parts of ourselves that are amazing and also those that sit uncomfortably with us. This is the human experience, it’s not an isolated adventure but rather one that requires a team of fellow adventurers to navigate life.

• Curiosity - Find out, break something. Explore! As we get older we are more cautious, safe and a little less daring but again playing too safe could inhibit our sense of wonder. Suck at something because you were curious enough to try it, discover something new, make a new friend, start a business, seek something that scares you, face the impostor syndrome but don’t stop exploring the facets of everything you could be.

• Ultimately, simplicity is more than just grandiose moments. Magic is in the simple things—the small victories, the moments that bring out a sparkle in our eyes. So before we chase grandiosity (which we should), find room for simple moments of aliveness and recognize those as being enough.

Finally, I hope you find the sparkle, and you never know, you could be igniting someone else's fire to do the same.

In the words of Roy T. Bennet, “Believe in your heart's magic; you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic, and miracles."

I hope you’ll kick off this second half of the year by finding your magic!

I wish you all the best and as always, remember to:

#ChooseToThrive