Recently I shared my choice to live for love – even when it’s hard and messy and doesn’t make sense to anyone else. The response was – honestly – overwhelming. I am continually amazed at how my words and my experiences resonate with other people. People that are my people. The best kind of people.
I wanted to write somewhat of a follow-up, or an extension to my last post on choosing to live for love. Because I think there is more to say about my choice.
I was incredibly fortunate to grow up in a family where we were strongly encouraged to chase our dreams and follow our own path, the paths that made us happy. I learned this first from my grandfather, a politician and highly successful entrepreneur himself, who would have loved to see his grandchildren follow in his footsteps, but who was always proud of us when we chose our own directions. As long as I was striving to learn and grow, he was supportive and proud. So when I went from theater, to psychology, to wellness – he was always on board. But more than that, he believed that being happy with your life choices was equally important – or at least that is how he always made me feel. At 90 years old, he accepted my choice of love with open arms and an open heart – even if he couldn’t quite understand that choice himself. He shifted and changed with the times, and he was truly the first to show me the importance of being unapologetically me. That there is never a reason to be sorry for who you are, as long as you were continually trying to be better.
When I made the decision in 2009 to put myself first, I was giving myself a chance to truly chase my dreams and find my thing – my big, bold, beautiful love. In 2009 I started to take charge of a problem that had plagued me my entire life – my weight. And while losing weight did help me gain confidence with my external self, it was the changes that happened internally that, I believe, really led me to find my great big love. How so? It can honestly be summed up with one question – if I could do the thing that had challenged me my entire life (losing weight), didn’t I deserve the thing I always wanted (a great big love)?
And when she came into my life, I realized the universe had answered me. Yes, I did. Because finally, I was being better, doing better, and living MUCH bigger. I was living out loud, unafraid, and open. I was putting my best self forward, every day. And as I recently thought more and more about my choice to live for love, I realized that my dreams have come true, I am exactly what I want to be, and I am living a life bigger and better than I ever could have imagined. My big dream was to find a big love. And now that I have it, my job is to do everything in my power to keep it…work at it, grow with it, shift and change as it moves…and pay it forward.
I know that it may not seem like a direct correlation – that maybe you don’t even think that your overall wellness has anything to do with the thing you want most in this world, but I can promise that for some of you, it does. That for some of you, your health (physical and mental) has been last on your priority list. And if you aren’t putting your best self out there, why do you deserve your thing? Now that might sound a little harsh, but I 100% believe EVERYONE does deserve their thing! So all I’m saying is that it starts with you.
I was able to find the one thing that I always wanted, the thing that makes my life so incredibly full. And while I tend to my own garden of love – all I want is for everyone to find their thing too. For some people that thing is building a life around a talent – artists, musicians, athletes, etc. For some people it’s about finding the right medium or avenue to help people be happier and have a better life experience. For others still it might be about creating a business around something they are incredibly passionate about, believe in, and trust others will benefit from. Whatever the thing, everyone should have a chance to have it.
It starts with recognizing the one thing that holds you back, and believing that you can achieve it. Even if your thing seems impossible right now, trust that your question – If I can do the thing that has challenged me my entire life, don’t I deserve the thing I’ve always wanted? – will be answered too.
So how do I pay it forward? I know that I would not be the person I am today, living the life I have today, if I had not chosen to make myself a priority. I regularly put time and effort into making my mind and body strong and healthy, and as a result I have clarity and focus like never before. I am positive, joyful, and resilient. And so are you, you might just need a little push. A push to realize that it’s ok to put yourself first. A push to realize that you can make it over your biggest hurdles. A push to realize that health and happiness are 100% intertwined. A push to realize that a healthy being is freeing.
So let me be the push that you need to be your best self so that you can find your thing. Because you absolutely deserve your thing.
Let’s talk, schedule a call with me here.