Out with the old....

“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.” ― Michelle Obama, Becoming

Today is a big day for me.  It is my final day of employment with an organization I have been with for the past three years.  I have enjoyed my role there and I am sad to leave. I accomplished a lot in my work as a fundraiser and enjoyed spending time with my colleagues supporting their work in providing care to foster and adopted children.

Last August, I started telecommuting for the agency since I moved to Rhode Island from Oregon.  My heart is heavy and I am scared but I am also excited about what could be next for me, professionally.  Yesterday was August 1, my one year anniversary of leaving Portland to drive cross country with my dear friend, Liam. I recall that day of excitement, free pie from Village Inn (we went there for breakfast and they had leftovers from pie day - score!), and the open road. It was one heck of an adventure and an experience I will treasure for rest of my days.

      

Now I am facing another journey, another change - a welcome one but not without some anxiety.  I have some plans that I am not quite ready to reveal at this point, but stay tuned!  Right now I want to be present for the process, for this transition, of letting go.  

We live in a world that changes in a heartbeat and it is a challenge to just slow down and enjoy it.  We are bombarded by loss, struggle, fear, anxiety - just to name a few.  We bear witness to the struggles and heartbreak of others. Sometimes, it is just plain hard to be happy among the realities of the world.  I find it way easier to 'check out' with a few hours of binge watching Netflix or Hulu, but I have to admit, I don't feel a whole lot better afterwards.  

I decided to mark this transition as a significant one that I will honor.  Have you ever intentionally done something to honor a celebration or a loss?  Years ago, I purchased a book called The Women's Retreat Book: A Guide to Restoring, Rediscovering, and Reawakening Your True Self - in a Moment, an Hour, a Day, or a Weekend.  I highly recommend it to those of you who like to pause and reflect.  The activities I have used from the book have helped me with some major life changes.

I am blessed with people, near and far, who believe in me, like my daughter and my closest of friends. My heart swells with gratitude when someone shares kind regards with me. Thank you. This knowledge will help me move forward.

When I finish this final day for this particular experience, I am going to take care of myself and inhale the beauty that is my life. I encourage you to welcome opportunities to pause and just be.  It can make a world of difference, believe me, and get you just a little bit closer to happy. Aw, heck.  Go out an hug someone you love, too. It wouldn't hurt.

Making the Leap #2

I've come to discover that life is often like a roller-coaster, or in a more accurate case, like the unpredictable spring weather in Rhode Island circa 2019. A couple of days ago, I almost turned on the heat because it was so cold and today, I may need to turn on my air conditioner because it is hitting about 80 degrees with what feels like 80% humidity.

I've settled in nicely in my new home in New England, and now the next big thing that demands my attention: what will be my next professional adventure? Earlier this month, I shared some of my insights as far as my thoughts on the matter, and today, I share another big decision with you:. I've decided to pursue growing my own small business of providing support on content creation.

First and foremost, I thank my dear friend, Shari Getz,  for inspiring me and urging me to take this leap. Shari has been an entrepreneur/business owner for many many years now. I often envied her courage to pursue that professional adventure, and of late, we have been talking about my doing the same. There is nothing more powerful and motivating than having a cheerleader like Shari.

I got to say, this was no easy decision!  I've been doing all kinds of side hustles over the years but never considered focusing my energy on growing a business from those efforts. For the past, I don't know, two decades I've always toyed with the idea of stepping out on my own, but lacked resources and confidence to pursue it. But now I'm at a place in my life where I do recognize the resources I do have access to in order to go for it.

I also want to thank Sally Handlon for our conversation today that helped me make this final decision to pursue this long-simmering dream to be a business owner.

I've been busy making new friends and building a new professional network here in Providence, and in the last few weeks, have submitted job applications for a variety of fundraising positions with some fantastic nonprofits in the area. But a variety of things have come up for me that caused me to pause and really look at all my options. I have come to the determination that I can better serve this important sector of community work by providing my guidance and support using my plethora of knowledge and expertise in pretty much all areas of the nonprofit world.

So, there you have it, my friends. If you have words of encouragement and ideas to access helpful resources, please send them my way by posting a comment below.  It will help me, tremendously.

Let the adventure begin!



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