Carola
Wunderlin-Díaz
By nature, I am a goal achiever and curious person. Learning is one of my hobbies. But the thirst for doing everything also took a toll on me. I have been on that path… thinking multitasking was the solution to getting everything I wanted.
It took me a burnout to understand that I was no superwoman and that multitasking was not something I wanted to believe in, nor support. I had to learn to differentiate between what I wanted, what I wished for, what I needed, and what was essential.
I thought that life was all about going up, climbing the professional ladder, and achieving the summit (or the “gipfel”, as we say here in Switzerland), but life taught me a great deal when I took a stroll around the world, traveled alone in Asia, came to Europe to study my Master in Strasbourg and finally ended up in Switzerland and married the most amazing man I could have met: Basil, but that’s another story. I’m originally from Santiago, Chile, so immigration has been a challenge itself too.
Nature, the Alps, and wildlife also taught me that nothing is flat, steady, random, or meaningless. Mountains and hiking became my new challenge. It helped me connect with my body in ways I never thought possible. Every time I set out on a hike I met my closest internal enemies. However, it reminds me that I was once a little girl Scout who watched Discovery Channel and listened to David Attenborough. It was her dream to climb mountains, wander in the woods, discover nature in the jungle, and make friends with all animals in the world.
Nature and hiking taught me that the magic lies in enjoying the trip, the journey, the ups and downs, the light, and the shadow. Lovely isn’t it?
Dealing with challenges and imbalances is part of life, and it touches everyone, across all professions, generations, genders, countries, cultures, and mindsets.
