On the day of my “Forever 39 Birthday”, I am bringing to you a new series named:

LIFE IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC

This is the first blog post of the series. At the same time, it is the very first blog post I’ve ever published on my website. And I am proud of myself for finally pressing that publish button. It took me a while..

Why now? 

Well, for a number of reasons. They all relate, in one way or another, to that “Forever 39 Birthday” of mine I’ve mentioned above and the permissions I’ve given to myself as a result of that birthday.

So what is the “Forever 39 Birthday”? It’s a special birthday I am having today. Because today, since the Corona pandemic has prevented me from celebrating my 40th birthday properly (as in, with other people who would also be acknowledging that fact), I’ve decided to turn this into an opportunity to remain 39 years old forever!!! 

Brilliant, right?

And since I am staying 39 forever (or for the foreseeable future = until this pandemic is over), this has put me into some sort of limbo. A space in which I have an opportunity to shape what my world will be like. A space that somehow, despite being full of uncertainty, is also freeing me up from expectations I, or the society, or both, have been pressuring me with. 

Now that I am functioning in isolation from that society, somehow, I can finally be who I am. Free from the expectations related to my age, my nationality, my background, my gender and whatever else has helped to create my limiting beliefs.

I’m finally giving myself permission to be who I am. Unapologetic permission to be me. 

Permission to be vulnerable. 

Permission to be strong. 

Permission to be encouraging. 

Permission to be funny. 

Permission to be sad. 

Permission to be feminine. 

Permission to be sharing my gifts with whoever needs to receive them. 

Permission to be judged by those who don’t get me. 

Permission to be ok with that. 

Permission to feel hurt by that. 

Permission to be me despite that.

Because right now, we are all living the unprecedented times of opportunity to reinvent ourselves. And I am taking this opportunity to free myself from the patterns I’ve been living in before everything has changed. And hopefully, as part of that process, encouraging you to do the same.

So whilst I am still #forever39, I’ll be:

• Sharing with you glimpses of how I am living my life in these strange times of a lockdown,
• Sharing the love and giving you resources you might need right now,
• Staying connected with myself and the world.

Happy to have you with me on this journey 🙂

Love,

Jana

This is the first blog post of a brand new blockbuster series named Life in The Time of Pandemic. Sign up to my newsletter below if you’d like to be notified when the next post goes up!