You Get To Decide Where To Go

View my blog post on the Compass Personal Development Network.

Too Many Roles to Play

This week I've been looking at the many roles I play in life. I'm a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a business owner, a Trekkie (and proud of it), and many others as well. That's a lot of hats to wear and I was trying to wear them all at once. Thankfully, I've stopped trying to play all of these roles, as if I ever could.

These days I'm focused on doing what I can do and playing only one role. Being me, and it's a pretty big role. I'm the CEO of my life and I manage several departments, some days better than others but never by myself. I manage the home department, with the help of my family team, and my career department is running quite smoothly with the help of some pretty amazing team leaders and friends. It's always tempting to neglect my self-care department but I've learned that this is the most important one of all. If this department isn't running smoothly the others suffer. There are other departments too, and each one is important to my overall sense of balance and peace.

There was a time in my life when I felt like I was constantly rushing to catch up with life. As soon as the alarm went off in the morning I'd begin to feel overwhelmed as my mind rushed ahead to try to figure out what needed to be done first. Years ago someone asked me how I defined success and I said that I would feel successful when I woke up every morning with enthusiasm and joy. I've been successful for many years now and am grateful I only have one hat to wear, and it fits me perfectly.

Procrastination Working Overtime

I have a big project I've been putting off for three years. It sits there on the corner of my desk 24 hours a day 7 days a week and literally drains me, even when I think I'm ignoring it. It's to the point where I am embarrassed to bring it up with my family or my coach because I don't want to watch their eyes roll. Well, they are more gracious than that, they don't actually roll their eyes. At least I don’t think they do. But I'm rolling mine. I've tried motivation, inspiration and threats. Nothing seems to be working. So today I'm just going to tell the truth and see if that helps. The truth is I don't know if or when I will complete it and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. So there it sits, on the corner of my desk, laughing at me. Now I am free to laugh too!

My Children and I are Growing Up

I remember feeling a strong sense of certainty and contentment when my children were born. I was a mother and I had a purpose and a place to focus my heart. Someone told me at the time that being a mother was like having a little shadow that would follow me everywhere all the time. Well, that isn't exactly the way I remember it. I did most of the following, protecting my young like a mother goose, and although I didn't feel shadowed by my children, I knew they were paying attention to what I did even when they pretended not to hear me.

When I think back to my own childhood, many of my most vivid memories are around what my parents did rather than what they said. I remember my father driving an extra 15 miles on a cold night to return $20 that was overpaid to him by an order taker in a drive-through window. I remember my mother driving to the store in the middle of a blizzard to prepare for my birthday party one year, despite the fact that she was eight months pregnant.

I have other memories but these two were on my mind today as I watched both of my children go off to work this morning. My son will be returning to college in the fall and my daughter will graduate from high school next year. For now I continue to enjoy my front-row view into my children's lives but I know this will change soon. Twenty years from now when they look back on their own childhood, I can only hope that they will have memories as rich as mine. My parents left me a legacy of love, honesty and compassion. I wonder what my children will remember.

You Get To Decide Where To Go

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
~Dr. Seuss

Where do you want to go? That is a very simple question that requires some big thinking! Where do you want to go? Not, where should you go? Or where could you go? You could spend a lifetime pondering these questions. The possibilities are endless. At some point you must make a choice and take that first step. Where will you go? Who will you become along the way? Your journey has begun and you are on your way. Somewhere among the sacred and the silliness you will get where you are going. Enjoy the magic.

It's Summer Time!

It is hard to believe that June is here! I LOVE summer. Of course I always get excited about the new season. It provides the variety and fresh perspective I need to be my best. I love the four seasons and couldn't imagine life without them.

When I look around me I see the fresh cut Roses on the table next to me. I smell the strong scent of Honeysuckle drifting through the window. These are all part of a support system I've designed to nourish and strengthen me.

What can you do today to strengthen your support system? Think about it and then follow-up!