Do Something Different!

You're only going to get something different by doing something different!  For a lot of people, those are very uncomfortable words to swallow.  I admit, they can be for me as well.

For so long I struggled with doing what I should do rather than doing what my heart said was right.  As I take the reigns on a very different avenue in my life, the whole self-awareness paradigm has been eating my inside.  It is so easy to be safe.  To live day in and day out.  To have a stable job, to make a steady income, to do the things in life that are supposed to make me happy.  Safety provides comfort, but purpose burns greater because of passion.

I believe it takes courage to take a leap of faith and to set aside other's judgements as their own insecurities.  As I slowly creep out of this box, I realize that it really isn't all too scary out here.  It's actually pretty enjoyable. 

If you're unhappy with your present situation, ask yourself, is what you're doing now going to get you to where you want to be.  You can make all the plans in the world, but unless you're willing to take action, chances are not a lot is going to change.  One thing that is certain, if you're waiting for others around you to change, it's going to a LONG wait.

I understood that my passion is fitness.  My heart races at the thought of helping someone learn the tools to become a healthier person.  In my previous career, I found the I had to be falsely authentic and could never live up to other's expectations because I wasn't fulfilling my own.  Today, my passion is natural and organic.  I'm genuinely dedicated.  I have waited so long to say these words..."I love my job!"

If you're feeling stuck or not living your life to your true potential, stop to think today of the things that make you happy and then begin my making a plan to make it happen!   Stop making excuses and placing the blame on others and get real with yourself.  You'll be happy you did!

A Transition

Remember the 'jerk' I talked about quite some time ago?  How he just wasn't fitting well into my life?  I let him go...finally.  It's time to start my new life.

I made a promise to myself a little over a year ago that is was time to let the jerk go.   It was time to follow my passion and most of all, it was time to let go of what I thought was best for me versus what I know is right for me.

On Friday, I left my safe job and an industry I'd worked in for over ten years to really start focusing on what makes me happy. I humbled myself enough to realize that I am not a career woman trying to make my way up the corporate ladder.  Never was, never want to be.  I am a woman who wants to make a difference in people's lives. I'm family and fitness first. 

Thanks to some honest advice from a friend and encouragement from my husband, I decided to pursue a job that makes me happy.  I am a runner and a mother.  I am passionate about running and fitness is what make my heart spin.  Being with my family makes me happy.   By setting some very definitive goals and following my heart, I found a place that that is a perfect match that aligns with my priorities.

So I'll be swapping my dress pants and fancy shoes for sweats and running shoes to work for the store that got me started with running and allowed me to be a coach to other runners for the past year.  How cool and how exciting! 

More time at home during the week gives me the ability to take my son to school and to have special lunches with him from time to time.  Focused quiet time at home allows me to work harder than ever with my independent Beachbody business.

Our lives have a purpose.  All of us.  There is a reason for each of us to be on this Earth.  It took a conscious introspective look at what life wants from me rather than what I want from life.  I believe I have a gift to give and how dare I not follow through on that!

Half Time!

In the book, Half Time, author Bob Buford  explains  a certain shift that occurs in one's life around the age of 35 to 45.  Some might call this shift a mid-life crisis, but Buford explains it as a shift from simply doing to serving.  We become aware of our purpose and strive to live the second half with significance.

I was obviously very intrigued by this book as soon as I heard about it because I have been feeling those strong callings of significance during the past year of my life.  It's Half Time for me and I'm not concerned with making a dash for the restroom or watching some cheesy entertainment.  I'm at the point where I'm realizing the significance of what I do and who I serve in the second half, far outweighs having a perfect career or living a lifestyle that I grew up learning I should live.

What matters to me at the end of the day now is not how much money I make or how big the house is in which I live.  To me, if I have touched someone's life in a way they had never been recognized or if I believed in someone who might not have believed in themselves, if I inspired someone to be better or motivated someone to be great, then I know the second half is where I want to be.

I don't want a tax write-off, I want to support a charity because I believe in it.  I don't want to sit at a desk all day to collect a pay check and feel guilty or grumpy.  I want to work my tail off during the day and come home feeling fulfilled. I want to receive because I want to give and not give so that I can receive.  I want my epitaph to read, I cared rather than I wish I would have cared.

At age 36, I'm entering the half way point in my life, but I'm learning that the second half for me is filled with purpose rather intent.  I'm ready to tie up my laces and get in the game and enter the second half with conviction, assuredness and a zest for making a difference.

What will YOU do at Half Time?