I took myself from embarrassment to getting her Instagram

Hey,

Today I took a risk.

You know how that feel don’t you?

It’s the feeling that what you’re about to do will yield great rewards, but are aware of the consequences of it not going the way you want to.

It all ended with me getting the Instagram of a cute South American girl who was with her mother, but first - let me tell you about the embarrassment and overcoming it:

I was at the end of a friend date with a Russian girl that I met two days ago
(friend date, meaning we met for the first time to hangout as friends) - first time we saw each other was two days ago when I cold approached her, and then figured though she is in a relationship, we could hangout as friends because the vibe was good and we both practiced our Spanish.

So, we had a cool time hanging out, and now it’s time to part ways.

My turn is right while she needs to cross the road.

I extend my arm and go for a goodbye-hug.

She looks at it like it’s something bad, and seems confused.

Instantly I feel embarrassed.

Man, this activated some deep shame within myself and for the next 5 seconds I struggled to be present.

Do you know the feeling when you’re so embarrassed you don’t know what to do?

I start to ask her about how to say a word in Spanish, but this is just me tip-toeing around the discomfort.

I become aware of what I’m doing and decide to just wave good-bye and go.

My mind goes crazy

“This was so embarrassing”

“I wonder what she thinks of me”

“I messed up”

(I was giving her a hug, I know, but still, my mind is just crazy)

Then, probably because of all the inner work I’ve been doing, my awareness is present enough to catch the thought and guide my attention down to the emotions instead.

(This is key, because your emotions are more grounded than thoughts and guide you towards the trauma)

It doesn’t feel so bad.

My mind tells me it’s afraid to die, but inside my body it’s not that bad at all.

(This can be a sign that an old pattern is dying, kinda like a small ego-death)

I become aware of how my mind wants to escape the situation by checking the phone or even cold approaching another girl (yeah, I’ve done it so much it’s like a drug for me).

But, this time man, I’m ready for it.

I'm about to cross the road when I stop.

“I won’t distract myself, rather I will face this myself”

In that moment, something happens.

A glimpse of inner peace.

I tell myself that when I see a girl that is aligned for me, I will approach her.

Ask, and you shall receive…

Literally, in the next moment, while passing a cafe, I lock eyes with a cute brunette with curly hair.

I continue walking, look back and again we lock eyes.

I feel excited, but then hesitation kicks in…

I think to myself that I don’t have to do it (this is key because it softens the internal pressure so I don’t force it).

Then, I think that if I don’t go up to her, it will be egoistic, because imagine how good her day could become.

I look around me for signs and only see green colors (that’s me asking the Universe for guidance, and green for me means GO)

I turn around and though there is no cinematic music, it feels like a movie moment.

Looking up, she is now outside the cafe, joined by a woman (which I later find out is her mother)

I go up, say “Hola” - and the rest is history.

My wish is for this story to help you see that we’ve all having these ups and downs during the day, and that your Hero’s journey is not about them happening or not, but rather how you respond to them.

Have a good weekend man,

Edin

PS: If you wonder what I did in the interaction, then let me tell you I only spoke Spanish (which is still very limited), so I basically asked her name, then if the woman was her friend (turned out it’s her mother hehe), and then stayed as calm as I could while trying to enjoy the interaction. Asked simple questions back and forth, shared about my journey here in Barcelona.

PS2: Oh yeah, before leaving I said “Estas hermosa” which means you’re beautiful, and then asked if she had Instagram.