You pour your heart into something, and you really hope people love it as much as you do
– Brooke Elliot.
When I was seven, I remember walking all around the neighborhood foraging for the most beautiful and unique flowers. (Ok… I was actually sneaking around picking my neighbors bushes. But let’s keep that between us.) I would bring the flowers back, take them to my “flower shop” and arrange them in terra cotta pots and fill them with garden rocks to hold the arrangement into place. I would decorate the entire house with these pots. My loving mother ooo’d and ahhh’d at my creations. She undoubtedly would put the rocks and pots back in my shop for the next weekend without me knowing… like a magical supplier of everything I needed to run my shop. She encouraged creativity… boy, do I miss her.
Years went by…
Somewhere along the way, I grew up.
I learned to find a stable job, a respectable job, an office job. It was safe. It was secure. It was comfortable.
I have a good job, a loving husband, two adorable kids, and a home with a white picket fence (seriously, my fence is white). But I was restless. Unsatisfied. And I didn’t know why…
So I did some yoga… which I recommend everyone try. Even you dudes.
Focus on your breath.
I guarantee you won’t be able to think of anything else when you focus on taking long deep “ujjayi” breaths. To practice your ujjayi breath, breathe in and out through your nose while constricting the back of your throat making an audible ocean sound. Basically pretend like you’re breathing like Darth Vadar with your mouth closed.
And it came to me when my mind was finally quiet…
The child in me yearned to do pretty things again… and so I started my creative journey. I love learning new things – anything! Crafting and scrap booking, calligraphy, sewing, baking… and it all contributed to party planning. First my own then friends, and little by little, people would ask me to plan and coordinate their parties… but opening a business is too risky, right?! The conservative side of my brain refused it. Who would want to put themselves under the spotlight for all to see without any guarantees you’ll succeed. Not me.
But as my mom would say, “What’s the worst that could happen?” The risk of rejection is quite worth the chance to live the life of your dreams.
It’s the best of both worlds to get paid for what I absolutely love to do. I still have my day job (hopefully not for much longer!), my husband, and my kids, but the restlessness is gone! And the growth of this new phase in my life fuels my every being to make it better, bigger, and filled with sparkle!
On the other side of your biggest fear is the life of your Dreams.
Now, I’d love to hear about how you stretched outside your comfort zone and were rewarded for your efforts! Leave a comment below and tell me all about it!