Written by: Natalie Rotin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Did you know the term “level up” actually comes from the gaming community? You’d think I know that living with two gamers!
It means “to gain enough points in a game to enable a player to go up to a higher level; gaining more skills or strength.” The phrase has now become akin to having a growth mindset; always working towards achieving a higher level of self-development. This was me only a few years back. Dropping the word ‘hustle’ in every conversation. Feeling like I needed to continuously push myself out of my comfort zone; financially, emotionally, physically. And because I’m naturally an ambitious over-achiever, I figured this was the only way to grow. But was I happy? Looking back, I thought I was. Honestly, it was hard for me to stop and smell the roses, to be in the present moment.I would often find myself caught up in working towards my future. I found it difficult to be truly thankful for what I was experiencing in the ‘now’. Not to mention I was constantly stressed about money, emotionally exhausted and trying to overcome physical injuries. I wasn’t unhappy, but I definitely wasn’t living with joy. Fast forward to last year when s**t hits the fan and the whole world had no choice but to slow down. All of a sudden, I’m forced off the hustle train and well… I got happy. Go figure. How was it that I could live a simple life AND feel better, without the constant pressure to move up or climb the ladder so to speak? Life got easier and even though I was no longer pushing myself, I was still growing and improving each day.
Here’s why I choose not to “level up” 1. I'm genuinely thankful for the present moment
I stopped looking to the future with an expectation that my achievements would make me happy.
“Once I get this, once I do this, once I feel like this, then I can be happy.”
That’s actually BS. The only way to be truly happy is to reckon with and get happy with where you’re at right now.
When we focus on what we love about TODAY, happiness becomes part of the process, not just the end goal.
2. Decluttering my life allows me to focus on what matters
Getting rid of all the stuff I thought I should be doing, cleared the way for me to focus on the stuff I actually enjoy doing. A lot of the ‘levelling up’ became ‘levelling down’ I had to get real about what success means to me.
Success doesn’t have to be some far away in the future achievement. Our priorities, values and intentions are what make us successful. And these are all things we can focus on today.
3. Growth and success are not always an upward direction
Having ambition and a desire to do/be better isn’t a bad thing. But moving up is not always the best course of action.
Sometimes it’s choosing something that sits more to the side. Sometimes it’s moving a few steps back and recalibrating. Sometimes it’s a teardown of everything you knew so that you can rebuild based on what you now know is better.
I’m definitely still an ambitious goal-setting determined to be the best I can be kinda girl. I continue to strive to do better and be better to those around me. I’m still learning and growing and evolving.
But I’m also living my ideal life now. I can sit in the moment and feel all the feels, whether its deep sadness or wild love.
I choose not to level up, but to level in and all around. It’s not always about how high we climb. Sometimes, it’s simply turning around to take in the view no matter the direction you’re moving.
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Natalie Rotin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Natalie is a leading speaker, writer and goal-setting extraordinaire. Her degree in Health Science and experience as a Behaviour Change Coach led to her current role as a mental health and continuous improvement expert in the Emergency Service sector. While by day she supports the wellbeing of frontline workers, by night she is a budding entrepreneur inspiring change and wholehearted living.
After many years of people pleasing and struggling with her identity as a single parent, Nat established Made for Greatness; a business that fosters community and connection while helping ambitious women to build resilience, set healthy boundaries and live an adventurous yet simple life.
Nat continues to inspire and empower others through her unique storytelling abilities and the creation of personal development tools and resources. She believes our circumstances don’t define us and that what we tend to see as failures have the potential to drive our success. Her mission: If we dare to be vulnerable, accepting that we are a work in progress, happiness and freedom can be found in the process of living, not just enjoyed as an end goal.
