When Life Asks You to Begin Again: A Mentor’s Truth

Few experiences in life are as transformative as learning to follow your purpose and the deepest calling of your heart – that quiet, unwavering inner voice. Of course, easier said than done. When I realized I was ready to leave my job and my country, I faced enormous challenges: How would I earn money? Where and how should I live? I only knew that I wanted to build my life around Yoga, Philosophy, and Music. In my old circles, I was met mainly with concerned looks, or dismissal. But something inside me knew I had to take the leap – for real, this time.

Years later, my partner and I have organized and led over 30 week-long and month-long successful events in Colombia and Portugal. Over 300 participants have traveled from around the world to join us, and many remain part of our community. We started with zero capital, yet made our vision a reality. It wasn’t easy – I wish I had had a mentor back then to help me avoid beginner’s mistakes and to know what to watch out for when pursuing self-actualization. It likely would have been smoother and faster.

Assume you already know you want change and seek a fresh start. But how to begin? Before the economic, logistical, and organizational factors even come into play, several deeply existential questions and typical problems arise:

Life-Challenge No. 1: Fear of the Unknown

Every major life transition – changing careers or ending a long relationship, brings one thing above all: fear and uncertainty. Not knowing what comes next, fearing failure, or worrying about what others think can paralyze us or stop us in our tracks, keeping us from realizing our vision and pursuing our true mission in life. Lacking trust in ourselves and life builds mental blocks that prevent us from daring something new and discovering the wonders of the world. Sometimes we must climb a rough, thorny slope before arriving at the top where the view unfolds. Even if it seems like others are holding us back with their doubts, the real resistance lies within us. It’s not others who want to stop us. Usually, friends and family want only what they think is best – based on who we’ve been. The moment we reveal and live a new side of ourselves, redefine and transform, we will naturally face resistance, both internally and externally. But there are ways to dissolve these blockages and turn them into great opportunities.

The doubts live within us. The critical voice may seem like a protector, trying to avoid danger. But there are different voices in us: the doubting mind or the intuition speaking. When we’re in transformation, our intuition already knows where to go. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have felt the urge to set out in the first place – that was the voice of inner truth speaking. The challenge is learning to trust, listening and follow this truth in the long run.

The mistake I made back then was overthinking the possible consequences of failure. I didn’t trust completely my inner voice and own ability to hold space for others. My learning: Trust the process, keep going and stop doubting.

Logical analysis based on pros and cons is a useful tool of the mind—but it cannot access our personal truth or interpret the voice of the heart. Quiet self-reflection reveals our thought patterns. We step beyond our usual perspective and begin to witness the projection of our life from a place of greater awareness. Targeted breathing and meditation techniques help clarify our goals and intentions. We learn to listen to our inner voices and understand them. Using the mind as a tool, guided by intuition – that is truly powerful.

Life-Challenge No. 2: Lack of Self-Confidence

We can’t simply tell ourselves we have self-confidence overnight or buy it somewhere. However, we can build trust day by day through deliberate practice. Ultimately, it’s built on experiences of self-efficacy: when I notice that my efforts bear fruit and lead to progress, my trust in myself grows. Crucial here is not just affirming ourselves but actually testing our capacities.

The mistake I made back then was tying my self-worth and confidence to external validation—only counting big achievements as success and overlooking the small steps along the way. May learning: Realizing that I am enough – and choosing to show gratitude for myself and for others.

What matters are the small experiences. Through many small instances of self-efficacy, we build a rich portfolio of insights, knowledge, and skills. We turn experiences into wisdom. With small risks and exercises, confidence grows and suddenly a whole new realm of possibilities opens up. Whoever fears failure less gives themselves permission to try more – small mistakes or setbacks are like detours leading to unforeseen viewpoints, places, and beautiful encounters. Keywords: Self-Love and Courage.

Life-Challenge No. 3: Too Many Ideas

A sense of possibility energizes us, makes us enthusiastic: we want to start immediately and often have tons of great ideas. But at a crossroads, you must choose a path. You can’t walk all paths at once. Pursuing several things simultaneously takes much longer and increases the chance of quitting, or turning back. Big dreams are good—and we should keep the big picture in mind. But small milestone successes help us get there.

Story of my life – The mistake I kept making: wanting too many things at once, with no patience and not enough focus.

Task No. 1: Clarify what you really want. What steps are necessary? Task No. 2: Prioritize. A roadmap showing how to move from one milestone to the next. On this path, we learn that the process itself is the goal. Task No. 3: Reality check – what can I do today and tomorrow to get there? Rather than be overwhelmed by an uncertain future and countless tasks or obstacles, move forward in short sections. Ask yourself: What can I do right now, with what I already have? Which of my skills are most alive and available? And what complementary strengths or perspectives do I need to bring in – through learning, collaboration, or mentorship?

Life-Challenge No. 4: Distraction

A widespread myth is that multitasking is valuable. Yes, I can do several things at once: eat breakfast at the computer, listen to a random Spotify playlist, and half-heartedly answer emails. But in truth, I’m not doing any of these with full awareness. And what we don’t experience consciously can never become meaningful. It’s better to focus on one thing than to do three things only half well.

The mistake I made back then was moving too fast, rewarding myself with procrastination, believing I deserved a break after just 30 minutes of focus.
My lesson: start with what you love, practice concentration every day, then fully focus on what needs to be done. Finish it. Only then, move on to the next task.

Yoga and many mindfulness techniques provide tools to live and work more focused and attentive. Ultimately, we want to guide our mind in one direction, to truly arrive, enjoy the path to the goal, and experience it fully. Our greatest enemy is an untamed mind that wanders. We call it monkey mind. Without focus, we spin like a monkey chasing its tail, losing ourselves in trivia. Better to tackle small tasks consistently, one at a time. Over the long haul, every big success builds on that. True happiness can only be found by those who learn to master their own mind and use it with concentration. Keywords: meditation and consistency.

Life-Challenge No. 5: Lack of Structure

At the beginning, we need visionary foresight – ideas and the courage to begin or build something new. But when it comes to actual implementation, what we need most is a roadmap. Without structure, even the best idea has no place to flourish. Experimentation is the first important ingredient. The second is a framework. The skeleton that holds and supports everything. Once you know where you want to go and what you want to do, the next step is to design a structure.

The mistake I made back then was not doing proper research – rushing to build something without laying a solid foundation.
My lesson: when I lack inner structure, like healthy routines, I also struggle to create structure in the outer world. Starting with yourself helps you see how valuable certain structures can be in life overall.

Every healthy transformation in life is carried by new routines. We’re creatures of habit. We’ve unconsciously acquired many habits over years, some hold us back, others overwhelm us. For example: wasting time on social media, procrastinating at work, or overburdening ourselves by believing we must always be active and productive. Both extremes are harmful. We need balance. Yoga means union—connecting, balancing forces. It’s healthy to rest, then act. Too much rest or too much work leads to fragmentation and restlessness. With new routines, a sadhana, we begin our day with intention: devotion and stillness, moving the body, singing, or meditating. If we start the day with something we love, everything else comes easier, and the rest of the day flows naturally. Ask yourself: What makes my body, mind and soul happy?

For example, in a business context, think about your business model: What is your niche? Who do you want to reach with your service? What will you offer? Best to start by talking to people, pitching ideas, gathering feedback; then find potential partners and work on a marketing strategy. These are first steps to build structure and move into conscious action—stepping into the unknown without fear, with joy and creative enthusiasm. There’s much to consider and many useful techniques.

There’s so much more to share, but that’s it for now. Stay tuned for the second part of our Mentor Series.

Looking for honest guidance?

In both private and professional realms, over the past years I’ve gained incredible experience: I’ve felt the highs and lows firsthand, made crucial decisions, learned from mistakes, implemented improvements, met countless people, and built a worldwide network of individuals with diverse experiences. I wouldn’t trade any of it – though I’d gladly skip some of the biggest fuckups; I know they were essential to learning to navigate difficulties. All of it has rewarded me a hundredfold through amazing, wonderful, valuable, and life-changing experiences.

If you’re standing at the edge of change, curious but uncertain, and are looking for real, honest guidance rooted in lived experience, I’d love to hear from you. Before becoming a mentor, I spent years as a startup journalist, closely observing how others grew their visions from the ground up. That chapter gave me deep insight into business dynamics, creative strategy, and the inner world behind bold ideas. I’m not a coach offering one-size-fits-all formulas. I’m a mentor and companion who’s walked this path myself – through doubt, reinvention, and transformation. Together, we’ll craft an approach that’s uniquely yours, grounded in who you truly are and what you’re here to do. No fixed program. Just real, personal support for your unfolding journey.