Six years ago, January 1st marked a very different chapter in my life, and it changed me forever.
As we’re kicking off another year, it made me pause and wonder...have you had your wakeup call?
Your AHA moment yet?
The moment where you REALLY think about where you are right now, where you’re going, and what your priorities are going forward.
On January 1, 2017, I had just wrapped up another really nice holiday with my family and flew back home the night before on New Year’s Eve, when I went walking with a close friend. Normally, we’d go out running or hiking but she stated she hadn’t been feeling good over the holiday and we need to take it at a chill pace.
She didn’t want to burden anyone.
Long story short, several hours later, I was sitting with her in the hospital, listening to an ER doc tell her they’d discovered a very large mass and she was going to be admitted to the hospital and scheduled to see an oncologist immediately.
The diagnosis and the moment was horrible.
Everything changed for my friend.
Everything changed for me.
I did all I could to help my friend but it wasn’t enough.
It shook me to my core.
For the first time I started asking “what if….”
What if I never get to see the Northern Lights?
What if I never get to ride my bike again?
What if I never get to do SOOOOOO many things or get to see SOOOOO many places?
That was it. It changed something in me forever and it helped me reprioritize what I wanted in life and what I wanted to get out of my time in this world. I decided I would not wait until I retire to travel and do all the fun things on my bucket list.
I would not keep putting myself last and I would not keep defining myself by my professional title or accomplishments.
I wanted MORE.
I had always been active and somewhat adventurous, but something had shifted in me and, if you’re a GenXer like me, I wondered if this is what Curly was talking about in City Slickers….the “one thing.” It was a concept Billy Crystal was having a hard time grasping and as a younger gal, I admit is was a fleeting line or thought from a funny movie.
I think though, after going through this experience, I finally get it.
I decided it was time to change my focus. That it was time, MY time, and that going forward I would chart a whole new course toward a more intentional and joy-filled life.
That I’d stop waiting until later post-working years to travel and take on my bucket list NOW.
What about YOU?!
Have YOU had your AHA moment? What’s shifted for you? What’s shifted IN you?
Maybe you haven’t had that big seismic shift but instead are starting to question the path you’re on. Maybe instead you have a nagging feeling deep down inside that there must be something more to this life.
I totally get it and I totally get YOU.
I hope if you’ve read this far, it means you can identify with my experience. That you’ve either had your AHA moment and are in the midst of your own personal shift or wonder about how to have more.
That is why I chartered my own new course and life path and created DestinationU.
I hope the stories I share inspire you to continue creating and living your best life NOW and I hope the recommendations I share help you get there more quickly.
I hope you’ll decide to dip your toes a bit deeper in the water by checking out our community, gear and some incredible health and wellness products, or fully jump in with both feet and join us on an upcoming bucket list trip (like my photo below at Diamond Beach in Iceland)!
Happy New Year and Happy New NEXT for YOU!!!
