Game Changer

Posted by Donna Evans on

 

 

I don't blog often, but for some reason I felt compelled to share this with you.  What started as an Instagram post about our blankets turned into sharing a bit of background.  So maybe there's someone out there that can benefit from hearing my story. 

5 years ago I went on a retreat in France with a group of women. None of whom I knew with the exception of my sister in law. During our time, one of the the workshops we did was Goal Setting. We wrote out our dream life in years. We started with 10, then 5, then 1 and what our life looked like. We were told to write it out as if it had already happened.

I remember thinking how difficult this was.  I had done a million goal setting activities at work over the years but those only focused on my career.  Setting goals for my life, and how I wanted to show up in the world?  I couldn't even begin to imagine things in this context.  At the time, I was 46 and the harsh realization hit me that in 10 years I would be 56, and 51 in just 5 years! It was eye opening. Not because I didn't realize how old I was or hadn't sat down to do the math (haha).  But because I realized time was truly flying by. For me, this exercise was a GAME CHANGER.

Up until that time I had felt like I had been drifting through life just taking it as it came. I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be in my career, as a person, etc. but I didn't really have my finger on the pulse of where I could be. If I kept going, in 5 years I would still be drifting through life, looking back and realizing I still wasn't where I wanted to be and not really living or showing up as the best version of myself.

The next year was a hard one for me. As I dealt with removing a toxic person from my life, I had to face dealing with things from my past, the possibility of losing my family and friends and so much more.  This was my true low.  As I started to climb out of that low period, I started to read every self help book I could get my hands on.  Subconsciously, I think I wanted those goals I had written about.  I learned about how your mindset can shift everything and I began to look at everything differently. I learned how gratitude can play a huge part in shifting your life. Instead of walking into a job I dreaded with a boss I hated, I began to realized how blessed I was to have this job and it's flexibility. That job got me through some of the hardest times of my life and I began to feel grateful to have it.  Once my mind shifted my job changed.  I was moved into a group that I loved with a boss that I adored.  I was doing work that I truly enjoyed.  

But something else was happening at this time...I was starting to like myself again.  I started to fall in love with learning new things and I began to love who I was becoming.

During this time I was approached and asked if I would be interested in taking a buyout they were offering.  This was a tough decision.  I was a single mom.  No other income.  I had bills to pay and this was a job I'd had for 20+ years!  A friend asked me. "If you had to answer right this second what would you say?". 

"I would leave.  I'd take the buyout." I told him.  

I did leave. In my dream life that I had written about 5 years ago, I had left my corporate job and started my own business. I had distanced myself from a toxic relationship and removed that person from my life. In this dream life I had a really great life where I traveled a lot and repaired relationships and enjoyed my time with family and friends.  Nearly everything I wrote about has come true for me.

I wanted to share this story with you to let you know that if you're struggling or feeling like your drifting through life and waiting for something big to happen, your mindset has to shift first.  I say it all the time, but your shift has to start with you.  Learning to be happy with who YOU are and what you DO have is where it starts.  But realizing you need to make changes and seeing the life you want in 1, 5 or 10 years....that's how to become the best version of yourself.  

I still struggle from time to time and I'm not all the way there. But wow...where I am today is so much better than 5 years ago.  I now have new dreams and new things I want to accomplish.  But I don't think it's something you ever can perfect.  Like yoga or anything else you want to do well in, it's a practice.  Becoming your best version is something you have tow practice and work at every single day.

If you've followed me for any amount of time, you've probably seen me mention JMB Living and her journals/planners.  Julie is that person who invited me on that trip 5 years ago and that person that facilitated that workshop.  My game changer.  She has incorporated all of her wonderful knowledge and learnings throughout her life into her  amazing journals/planners. 

Some people use them as a planner and some as a journal.  I like to use them as a journal and dream life plan.  A seasonal planner, a journal and a magazine all in one, these are such an amazing tool.  

Although this began as an Instagram post about blankets, and I began this blog post to just talk about my journey, I do feel like I would be remiss in sharing without mentioning this amazing woman and her beautiful business.  I believe in her product and the amazing content that is poured into them because I know how much it has helped me.  I will say that if you are looking for how to start your own shift, her journals are the perfect place to begin.  

If you'd like to check out more on her journals visit www.jmbliving.com

 

 

 

 

 

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