Category Archives: Inspiration

Waiting for Me

11 Wednesday Jul 2018

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As I sit here, eyes heavy, tired — with a plan to be in dreamland about 30 minutes ago, I am instead honoring a different commitment to myself, and that is to write about things that move me in that moment.

As an entrepreneur (which in-and-of-itself is not so easy of a definition for me to write), I am constantly figuring out how to build my business. How to ‘scale’. What is the right product or service offering. Which price point makes sense, for my clients but also for me.  How do I market myself (without a marketing team). How I promote my brand (without a media agency). Who do I align myself with when I have limited time and endless amazing opportunities.

It’s exhausting and exhilarating.  Scary and exciting.  Crazy good and full of obvious mistakes.

And all of this happens while, at the same time, I’m trying to just be ‘me’. And that might sound silly to some, but I think to many of my colleagues and friends going through a similar journey but with a different objective, it truly will resonate. Because sometimes the version that we have of ourselves and our capabilities are clouded with fear and doubt, contradiction and denial, impatience and lack of self confidence.

Yet. We truly only have two options:

1.  Give up. Accept the unknown and never get to the end because we fear the worst.

or

2.  Forge on. Up the hill. Across the chasm. Through the potential shame, embarrassment and fear of ridicule should we fail … Should we not meet our expectation. Should we accomplish less than what we set out to achieve.

And if we choose the latter .. then we must accept our flaws.  Embrace our individual ‘features’.  Live in permanent Beta.  Trust that all roads lead us to a better place if we’re determined to get there.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I am tired of waiting for me.  Especially when I am right here, and am the.only.thing standing in my own way.

thomas-tucker-149020-unsplash.jpg

Photo by Thomas Tucker on Unsplash

Author’s personal note:

To my friend whom I adore and have all the patience in the world for — I don’t know what the future holds but I know that you are holding it in your hands.  I can’t wait until you release and see yourself as I see you and as I know the world is waiting to embrace.  

Perspective

01 Sunday Apr 2018

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Once a month I leave my apartment for a weekend to gain perspective. I find myself a cute getaway within 100 or so miles that brings me joy and a new landscape.

hmb march 31 beach.png

The ultimate goal is to escape into a world complete only with reading, writing and relaxing — but to be honest, these first few months have been more about just finding the ground beneath me. Maybe towards the end of 2018 I’ll achieve the intention that I set when I put this into my yearly resolutions. But maybe not. And that will be okay too.

hmb march 31 sign.png

This weekend, I found myself thinking about perspective. How our thoughts unfold the world before us. How sometimes we’re so envious of other people’s lives, only to learn that it’s just as hard as ours — and just as good as ours — just different. And how a simple comment, message or check in with a friend or mentor can reframe everything.

Over the last few weeks the world has reminded me of Albert Einstein’s Theory of Happiness that he wrote in 1922.

“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness”.

I believe this with every fabric of my being …. Yet I still relentlessly pursue.

I relentlessly pursue the art of giving back. I find so much joy in helping make connections between two people. And the joy only builds when I learn that both received something beneficial from the simple act of an introduction.

I relentlessly pursue feeling connected. My road ahead is shorter every day and I feel an urgent desire to make each day count with people that are good for my soul.

I relentlessly pursue being full. Because being still is really, really hard. And busy makes me happy.

What I don’t relentless pursue is money, which is odd because I need that to live.

But last week my coach (whom I recommend to everyone interested in growing as a leader) gave me some perfectly placed advice. She said that I can make money AND make connections and give back. It’s not an “or” — it’s an “and”. And I just loved that.

We don’t have to leave our normal day to day to gain perspective. But we do need to pursue it.

If you’re reading this, send someone a random text or place an out-of-the-blue phone call. Make someone’s day because it’s good for everyone’s soul.

joanne hmb by asa

Photo courtesy of my friend Asa, who is always good for my soul.

 

with special thanks to those that recently brought me perspective on my journey — and are just good for my soul — Karen, Jen, Rebecca, Sarah, Kas, Asa, FF and always my family.  

Co-Create with the Universe

08 Monday Jan 2018

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Many years ago (decades actually), I found myself immersed with self help books. I was looking for answers but funny enough, I didn’t even know what problem I was trying to solve. It wasn’t until years later that the two came together. And now – more than 20 years later – the lessons that I learned have resurfaced, even more powerful than before. And I’m really excited about how I can use those beliefs to co-create my life with the Universe.

the universe reveals its secrets

Here is how and why.

When I was reading authors like Deepak Chopra, Don Miguel Ruiz, Julia Cameron, Sarah Ban Breathnach and Tony Robbins, for whatever reason believing in the Universe resonated with me.  Just like how people believe in God or other higher powers, I believed in the power of the Universe — and even more so, my own ability to manifest my life with the help of the Universe.

I wasn’t sure why except that ever since I was young, I believed that life would work out — and that I had a say in how things would unfold. Over the years, even when there were terrible things happening, I felt rest assured that things would be okay. Sort of like that old adage “everything happens for a reason”.

I knew that our thoughts and beliefs would manifest their way into our reality — and if we focused on the positive – then good things would happen — and if we focused on the negative, then that is what would come our way.

the universe has a way

Over that past year a good friend of mine has shared some podcasts and audiobooks that he’s been listening to — and to my surprise, some of them have been self help books whose messages sounded really familiar. When he would share more about the subject, it brought me back to all the books that I had read and it made me reflect on what I did with all those valuable lessons and the wonderful foundation that I had built for myself.

I realized that even though I started my adult life with an amazing core belief in myself, over the last 10 years in-particular, I forgot about my trust in the Universe and I’ve let problems and situations overcome me. I wouldn’t say I completely abandoned my belief, but I didn’t lead with it.  Two years ago was one of the low points. While I knew in my head that things would work out for the best, my heart wasn’t in sync. And while it might not have looked bad on the outside, it was a really big struggle for me on the inside to find my way.

So something urged me to dive back in. On Boxing Day this past year, my sister and I went shopping and I specifically wanted to visit a book store. I love walking around books stores and I hope that they never, ever go away with technology.

I visited the business section first and picked up a couple titles and then I went to the self help section in search of something but I wasn’t sure what. One book caught my attention – The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein. The title fit my old belief system exactly, even if it wasn’t being used in my every day life. So I bought it and I started to read it with a childish-like feeling of excitement.

Very quickly, I couldn’t believe the words I was reading and the feelings that I had. All of the messages she was writing about made perfect sense. It was perfectly aligned with my inner voice that knows that at the beginning and end of the day, I have the power to create the life I want and the ability to set fear aside and replace it with joy, abundance and happiness.

So I decided that it’s time to up my game and realize the life that I want to live. And this time, I’m going to co-create it with the one thing that has never let me down – my belief in the Universe. I know that together, we make a great team — and together, we can accomplish a lot of really amazing things.

thank you universe

 

Thanks FF for the inspiration.

Being Here, Now.

23 Saturday Sep 2017

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I am faced with a huge dilemma on a weekly basis … To work or not to work.  Or more simply put, when and HOW to take time away from work and be OK with where I am [and more importantly where I am not].

I know I’m not alone when say that I feel down because “I’m not there yet”. But I really want to turn that around into a positive instead of a negative.

It sounds ridiculous — who doesn’t know how to NOT work? To relax? How to forget about the 9-5 job that tires us out?  How many people long for the end of the work day or work week?   ….  Well, as much as I sometimes have those feelings, the reality is, I love my job. I love the business I’m building. And sometimes I think I could literally work 24/7. Some people accuse me of working too much but they are simply unaware of all the breaks I take to drink wine, run and spend time with cool friends and family. [one might be shocked but I do find time to relax]

But that said, I do also love taking moments away from work; away from building; away from networking and simply reflecting on where I am right now. Yet — I find it hard to do, and I’m not sure why.

I think it’s an illness of some kind, yet I’m OK with it. So that’s weird, right?

So today I’m forcing myself to not only not work, but to reflect and be perfectly OK with where I am right now — and celebrate the fact that I’m not ‘there yet’.

I’m going to reflect back on all my wins.  The big ones.  The little ones.  The ‘hard lesson’ ones.  And those easy ones too, because nothing is really easy when you’re building a business – it truly is because of hard work and grit that things become ‘easy’.

I’ve spent a lot of hours in meetings. Having coffees. Hearing stories. Absorbing. Listening. And I’ve happily prioritized advising founders and connecting them into a network that has taken me years to build, simply because it fills me up to be helpful … and it is the business I’m building, even if there aren’t economics with every interaction.

Along the way, as I’ve added value to people and companies, I have built a business model that is on the cusp of growing into something big, but more importantly — people love it, and that brings me a great sense of calm knowing that I’m on the right path.

So I need to take this moment and just be.  Be ‘not there yet’ and be OK with it.  Be ‘on my way’ to greatness, but still on the roller coaster journey.  Be on the path to bigger and better yet sometimes feel small and insignificant.  Be okay with ‘not right now’ responses or ‘thanks, but no thanks’ … because every No is one step closer to a Yes.

Because if I was there — and I mean really there — then all I would do was set my sights onto something else. Something higher. Something bigger. Or something with a different meaning or purpose. But the point is that I would still be striving for something other than what I had.  That is human nature. And it’s what makes us achieve great and unimaginable things!  So we need to be OK with that, as we also need to be OK with the great journey that leads us where we’re going.

So if I were a golfer and I went out on a beautiful day with the sun shinning … and I shot an 89 …. I should celebrate that 89 and embrace the talent and technique that it took to get that score, because that is not an easy score to reach.  The avid golfers reading this get it.   Now … if I think that I should be hitting an 82 and I get down because I didn’t score lower, then I’ve missed the opportunity to feel joy because I’m thinking about the 7 shot differential.  But the truth is – I could have hit a 92. Or even 100! Or more!  …. So 89 doesn’t look so bad from that perspective.  And it’s on the path to an 82 … so one should celebrate that.   Just like I’m going to celebrate exactly where I am today, which is ‘not there yet, but on my way!‘.

golf swing

 

And no. I didn’t shoot an 89 today …. nor did I go golfing … LOL …. but a friend did and he reminded me that I need to celebrate where I am today. And he should too. 

But …. when I do go out and shoot an 89 (because anything is possible especially with my buddy Scott beside me) you can bet I’m going to celebrate it like crazy! 

 

The Dirt Road Home

11 Sunday Jun 2017

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I’m at home and winding down with my glass of red wine after a Canadian going away party that gave me a gift I wasn’t expecting.

You always think … “I hope I meet someone fun … or, I hope it’s a good group of peeps” … or maybe I’m the only one that thinks that and if so, then maybe be careful if you invite me to your party in the future for fear of my expectations .. LOL.

But alas, my honest self is here to reveal that those expectations are always on my mind … That I meet someone or I learn something that I can apply in my life and become a better person because of.

So tonight …. I’m happy to say that the evening exceeded my expectations. And sometimes my expectations are high (which don’t judge, isn’t a bad thing) … but sometimes they truly are as grass roots as the farm that I grew up on.

high level 2017

This is today’s view from the road to my “home” where I grew up and where I learnt so many lessons that I’m still applying to my life today.

Why?

Well tonight I met someone who grew up similar to me … on a farm … who made it from nowhere to somewhere … and who now looks at life from the same viewpoint as me.   Yes, one side is capitalism …. no shame there, but also from a perspective of purpose, planet and people.  And, my God, it was refreshing.  Just the whole conversation and perspective blew my mind and inspired my thinking.

And yet I can’t help but find it fascinating that you can meet someone at a party for people that you know (relatively) very little, and you can connect with a random stranger in a profound way, even though you’re from completely (and I mean completely) different subsets of the world.  But (and here’s the good part) with a glass of wine (or two) and LOADS of curiosity … you can uncover that your simplistic upbringing has created a similar mindset and belief system that, unbeknownst to you, is probably a reason why you’re sitting across from each other talking about a subject that would bore the rest of the guests in attendance.

But for me … what I loved, is that I could talk for hours and feel so grateful for the random encounter that somehow, now, seemed perfectly curated.

Because no matter if you’re 33 … or 46 … married with two kids … or twice married and no kids … from East Germany or Northern Alberta … Communist or Capitalist …. it is really amazing how much we can feel and learn and appreciate in a short period of time, and with absolutely no reason whatsoever, feel an amazing bond of energy that lifts your soul and makes you take a pause in life … if only for a moment.

And the icing on the cake is when you can share a story about the long road “home” … that only had two left turns after 5,6, 8 hours of driving …. before you reached a vast farmland that seemed to offer so little, but in the end gave you everything you needed in life …. then I’ll call that a hell of a win for a Saturday night.

Beyond grateful … for where I grew up … and for where I am today.

Standing Beside Integrity

01 Thursday Dec 2016

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integrity or ethics concept

I am sure that I am not alone when I say that I’ve experienced my share of heartbreak, both personally and professionally.

While we might call it by another name in business, the impact and result is very similar – hurt, anger, maybe even shame, or the feeling of being treated unfairly and not having a voice to stand up for you. Pretty hard stuff to get through when it happens.

What’s even more difficult is hearing “well, maybe it was the best thing to happen to you”.  Ugh. really? Who wants to hear that?  Or, is it a belief that we should embrace and believe to move on unscathed?

I’ve recently heard from friends, colleagues and people that I’ve met for the first time, of their experiences of being severely let down; “creative differences”; and heartbreak that left them standing alone to figure out what’s next. My heart goes out to them, but more importantly I want to pass along my strength. I have all the time in the world to listen to the pain — or shock — or anger, and be there as they get through it the only way they know how. And I hope they will apply the Pay it Forward model when their time comes to listen. After all, chances are we’re going to experience something similar in our lifetime, and probably more than once.

One of the best things that we can all do during this time is live with integrity. I believe we need to do this regardless if we end up swimming in the same swimming pool, share DNA, or have to encounter the situation on a regular basis. We also have to remember to not let it take all the goodness out of us.

We can’t stop trusting. We can’t stop ourselves from falling in love. We shouldn’t ever stop dreaming.

We just have to do it with a little more wisdom and maybe a little more cautious optimism.

Years back I let someone else’s lack of integrity disrupt my world. Interrupt my passion. Stop my path to success.  And it really sucked. For a long time.  It took years of unhappiness, relentless pursuit of something that I couldn’t quite define (and therefore attract), and I built a running commentary in my brain that “I wasn’t good enough or I didn’t deserve to find and live my passion again”.

And then I did find it! And I lived it!

And then it happened again.

Wait, what? Again?  Hum … Like I said before .. we’ll probably all suffer pain way more than once in our lifetime.

The difference is that I learnt the only way to get back on my feet was through the pain. Through the shame. Through the disappointment. Through the running commentary in my head that I wasn’t good enough — until I arrived at the point that I believed I was good enough. Because we ALL are good enough … and MORE.

Everyone close to me – and even those not – told me that giving up was not an option. Moving forward was the only path. And I had to go through all of the messiness in order to find a clear path. And I had to do it with my integrity in tact. I had to trust that it was the only way for me to move past it and continue on my own path to greatness.

The other day I heard ‘there are three sides to every story’. And I guess that is the truth. But deep down, we know what’s right and what isn’t. If it’s not obvious on the onset, then it becomes clear and sometimes it’s that moment that can really define who you are as a human being.

And just the other day a friend told me that she received an apology from a girl that bullied when she was a kid. And you know … 30 years later, it helps. It heals.

So whatever side you’re on when it comes to hurt, disappointment, failure … Live with integrity. While the ‘best thing to happen to you’ is sometimes a long game … there is truth to it.

integrity-002

in·teg·ri·ty 

inˈteɡrədē/

noun

the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

 

Authenticity

04 Thursday Aug 2016

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I recently read that authenticity is “the choice to let our true selves be seen”.

Hum ….

Good thing? Bad thing?

I read in a blog post that authenticity essentially equates to brutal honesty .. like the total unfiltered kind. Like, “hey, I saw your new baby and he isn’t so cute” kind of “authenticity“.  That is NOT what I’m writing about today.

be-fearlessly-authentic-quote-1

I’m writing about being the best version of yourself, authentic. Being the kind of person that people aspire to be like.  The way you wish you were after you say something stupid and realize that it hurt someone in a way you didn’t intend.

Authenticity that encompasses caring and concern … and when that happens without it benefiting yourself. Just being human. Being kind. Giving for the sake of giving. Knowing that, of course, sometimes you’ll get rewarded for your kindness, but not doing it BECAUSE of the reward.

It’s a lofty ask.  I meet very few people that probably fit the bill. And honestly, I’m not sure I’m always that person myself. But I think about it all.of.the.time. Because it’s sort of my north star I believe. And my stomach turns upside down when I meet someone who shows me they are just in it for themselves. Yuck.

True story. A few years back I was at an event and there were some pretty “important” people.  I was a “nobody” and I felt it, but I held my head high and worked the room – being myself – showing interest in others — because I’m genuinely curious about other people and who they are – but no doubt, I didn’t “fit in”.

So this is how it went … I’d meet someone – they’d look at my name tag (and my company) and quickly decide whether I was worth engaging with or not … whether I was somebody important to them — meaningful — helpful — you get the drift.  More often than not – I was not deemed high enough on their value table and they quickly found somewhere else to be. It was humiliating but I’m a big girl and recognized it’s part of the real world – part of the business world.  Sigh.

During that evening I spent, I don’t know, probably 30 minutes talking to one guy about his Burning Man experience. Others came into the conversation. There were iPhone photos shared. I asked many questions. People laughed and we had a nice chat. I had no idea who the guy was.  I showed my honest enthusiasm to learn more about him, or others that came into the conversation and nothing more.  And when the evening ended and I went back home, I reached out on LinkedIn to the people that I met (and actually met / had conversations with and where I felt comfortable that we had connected) — because that is what we do – we extend an invitation and say how great it was to connect …  And you can guess the results. …. Crickets.

Fast forward about six months and I’m applying for the job to run the organization that held the event. I know, seriously, right? Well, that story is for another blog post.  Anyway …  I’m about to meet the person that I had the 30-minute conversation with … for an interview! Do you think he remembered me?  … yeah, no.

Even better … once I got the job (and yes, I did get the job) … I spent the next few years going to events where every time I met someone, it was like my wedding .. “Oh … SO great to meet you!! How wonderful … blah blah blah”.  Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to judge or criticize (at least not opening in my blog post LOL) … because those were people trying to be nice.  And I do appreciate that they were being .. well, nice.  I know most were being authentic.  But what I never forgot is that their enthusiasm was all because of my title and not because of who I was as a person.

Maybe I’m living in a fantasy world because I want people to see me … and I don’t know, maybe I’m okay with living with that as my fantasy.  True, people disappoint me all of the time because I want to see the goodness in people first and it’s often not always there … but I don’t want to lose faith and go through life with a glass half full approach … or worse, feeling like people are self serving and nothing more. So I’ll take the hits. I’ll wear the battle scars with pride. I’ll keep on wishing and wanting and hoping and dreaming … Because when I meet someone, I know that I am curious about who they are … not what they can do for me.  And when I go to sleep at night, I’m grateful for the people in my life that know the difference.

 

 

 

 

My Tribe

27 Monday Jun 2016

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A few years ago I read an article in a running magazine about the concept of a “Tribe”.  As soon as I read the words, they resonated … and I smiled knowing that I understood.

Tribe

Like anything in life, we can take a concept and create whatever we want from it. For me .. the concept of a Tribe has always been an evolution.  A decade ago I was introduced to the mindset of a personal “Board of Directors” …which I applied for many years until I read about the concept of a Tribe, which I liked much better than Board of Directors —- because it implied people are there beside you versus there above you.

So what … who … is a Tribe? 

Sometimes … your Tribe is your group of childhood friends that remember you as the geeky, not-so-polished, perhaps a little awkward kid … who wanted to hang out with you because he/she was just as geeky, with as much room for improvement as you!

Sometimes … your Tribe is a group of people that share your passion – for the things you love and support  … be it a sports team, a political movement or a personal commitment to a cause that extends beyond your individual capacity to make a difference.

Sometimes .. your Tribe is your morning run group … the men and women that are there at “O’dark hundred hours”, who keep you company as you wake up and face your greatest fears … or celebrate your smallest of successes.

Sometimes … your Tribe is simply your friend(s) that have your back. Period. They are there for you no matter what —- and they call, and text, and they show up like no one else ever could. Now those are good people.

Sometimes …  your Tribe can be a surprise — A person that you just met, that you share an amazing connection with and have endless amounts of things in common … Or it could be a new idea that takes shape and leads you into directions you didn’t know existed.   It could simply be something that thing makes you go …  huh?! … I like that … I want to be a part of that … I want to shape that … Perhaps I want to lead it.  Or maybe following is perfect too – but I want to make sure I’m not missing it!!

I believe your TRIBE is exactly what — and who — and how you want it to be … you might have to go looking for it … or it might fall into your lap. Either way works …. beautifully.

We can do a lot on our own, but with a Tribe, we are unstoppable.

Thanks to my Tribe. The concept is a growing evolution but you are all a constant rock of stability in my life. >> You all know who you are. 

Who is your TRIBE?

behind every successful women Tribe

 

 

The Art of Giving too Much

02 Thursday Jun 2016

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It’s been awhile since I added a blog post. It hasn’t been for lack of events or excitement or disappointment … quite the opposite. It’s been because of all of those things that life has kept me busy and experiences have kept me humble.

But now … it’s time to write … about giving.

to do more for the world

I’m a big fan. Like huge!! Those that know me well, know that I can give.  And I give without conditions – it’s what my mom and dad both taught me.  But giving without conditions doesn’t mean that we don’t give and feel disappointment. And giving doesn’t mean that we’re perfect or that we meet the expectations of others.  But it does mean we have the capacity to give and that we use that capacity for good.

Today though, instead of just gripping about how much I gave and how poorly I feel I was treated in return … I’m going to give some suggestions for how you (and me!!) can do the former without receiving the latter.

  1. Let’s lower our expectations people … seriously – if we just take a moment to really analyze the situation and ask ourselves what is really possible (what can the other person / entity give, why would they be so inclined, what’s in it for them) … then we will understand the more realistic feeling we’ll receive, if for example, we severely miscalculate how much we should have given.
  2. Benefit / cost analysis … well, they do it in business school, why can’t it apply to real life??   Had I done this six months ago I might have seen that the potential costs would far outweigh the benefits and maybe (and only maybe, let’s me honest) .. smarter thoughts would have prevailed. And if not – then at least I would have given myself a fighting chance to duck out before diving in.
  3. Everyone else is not you … we give because we have empathy … excitement … trust … vision. But everyone else doesn’t necessarily view it from the same lens.  So you have to get on the same page — (which has the added benefit of highlighting the disparity – but that is good because it’s best to make an informed mistake than be blindsided and lose all faith).
  4. Listen to your friends … You rely on them for a reason!!  You call and text when life is good AND when it isn’t — precisely because you trust them. So trust them to see more clearly than you and then do exactly what they say — because in that moment – they are seriously 1000x smarter than you.

you will never regret being kind

After all is said and done … I have no regrets. I can stand tall and be proud of what I gave. If people choose to not show respect or have appreciation … if they are so caught up in what is most important to them – and they lack empathy and the “doing the right thing” gene … then there isn’t anything I can do.

Now, karma might have another say in the story – and I’ll be okay with that. 🙂

 

suddenly you know

 

 

My Life Plan

09 Sunday Aug 2015

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Recently I had the pleasure of spending time with some really cool people … some really accomplished people … and some really humble people.  I felt out of my league for most of the time … confidently in charge for some of the time  … and perfectly at home for one brief moment.

That moment was when I heard about one person’s “Life Plan” …. And by Life Plan, I don’t mean this airy fairy, like I really want to be “x” or accomplish “y” … but an actual Life Plan that has been detailed out (and followed!) for 30 years. Yep. Thirty – 30 – years.

life-planning-1024x813

Now, I start a lot of things. And I mean, A.LOT! … Especially at the beginning of the year. I LOVE planning … But I have learned (and I’m not bragging about this in any way) … but I have learned that I am better at planning than at following through.

That sucks, right?!?!

Yep. It does. But then again, “realizing you have a problem is the first step” right? Well, at least that is what “they” say .. And right now, I am going to agree w/ that principle because it means I might have some hope after all.

So I started to write.

Write down the things I wanted to accomplish — To be known for — To experience — And I started thinking about the moments — and the memories — and yes, I even went so far as to think about what would be positively life altering — because I think I actually want something WAY more than what I have!

And I realized that while I initially thought that planning your life with a graph, and dot’s, and lines, year after year … month after month … and quite possibly week after week, might be a little obsessive (and yes, actually it really might be obsessive) … nonetheless, I realized that it is probably one really good way to make sure that you accomplish those goals – those dreams – those ambitions that make you smile and put in that little extra effort needed.

Oh, and I also realized that I really didn’t want to get to the end of my life and wish that I had done more with it. Because that makes me feel sad today – never mind how I will feel once my life really is over and all those years have passed by without a focus on what my heart really wants to experience.

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While I actually expect this little exercise to be quite hard … because c’mon … it’s so easy to dream and so much harder to put the effort into making it a reality … there are enough things happening in my life that tell me it’s worth every ounce of effort I can possibly find. Because I’ve always said – I want to live the length — and width — of my life.

So maybe with this new Life Plan … I will make that a reality.

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Thanks to the universe for the moment and experience that brought up this conversation. Dare I say thank goodness for girl fires, country music, wine (of course!), motor off and moonlit night … and new, but albeit, uncomfortable situations.

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#BeerWithJesus #TakeYourTime