Courage to Change

I’m in my 50’s now and a lot older than most of you, but I feel young at heart, I have energy and I am always trying new things and accepting new ideas. For me, this is the fountain of youth, constant change, new experiences and new people. 

Yesterday I ran into an old friend of mine and she is very very ill, with an undiagnosed illness. She seems to be fading away and they don’t know what is wrong with her. I remember the first day I met her, she was my new boss, young, very attractive, she wore this fur coat like it was an old sweater, she drove a nice car and had a very successful husband. She seemed to have it all, at ae time when I had none of the above, I was just a kid starting out in life, wondering what my next steps were. It seems like it was just yesterday that I first met her. 

I share this with you for a couple of reasons, life is short, it really is, here I am in my 50’s and my friends are getting ill, one of my best friends has Parkinson’s, another prostate cancer, last year 2 of my male friends died of complications associated with type 2 diabetes.

  I am not trying to be morbid, I am trying to shock you out of your complacency. That’s right, you are just sitting around thinking you will do this or that, but time is ticking and you need to live your best life now. Get moving, get going on those trips, read those books, take those courses, run those races. Whatever your dream is, starting moving towards it, there is nothing sadder than looking back and realizing that life just zipped by and now you are older and unhappy. We all know some older people who are bitter, they didn’t grow spiritually, they didn’t live to their potential and now they wait for the end to come.

Just last fall I took my husband to emergency for what we thought was an enema and we discovered he had aggressive colon cancer; he has battled chemo for almost 8 months, as well as the complications of having an ostomy bag. 

Let me tell you this, when all this is ove,r we won’t be sitting safely on our asses, we will be taking on bigger challenges, running longer distances, creating new programs at the studio, maybe dancing naked in the rain, but we won’t play life safe. We already have our first trip planned we are going to Spain to do the pilgrimage, something that my husband is powerfully drawn too. Next summer we will either cycle the Cabot trail or train for an epic trail race

Maybe you are in your late 30’s or 40’s, sit quietly, and look back, where did the time go, how did your kids get so big and then ask yourself this, are you really happy, is this your life as you would like it to be  ?

Change doesn’t have to be huge, maybe it’s a hobby or a new running goal, maybe you want to play the piano or learn to surf, whatever you are thinking of just do it (thanks Nike). 

I believe that most people are unhappy because they fear change; it takes courage to change to put yourself out there, to take on new challenges. You may fail, and if you do so what, I have failed at many things, in my earlier years of sales training, I was taught that the more no’s I got meant I was getting closer the next yes.

Here is a great quote that inspires me. Print it off and paste it to your computer or mirror, or hand right it in your journal, read if often and never give up trying to find that life that inspires you. You are worth it, you matter and never forget your kids are watching you and they will learn from your example. Words are empty, actions speaks much louder. Set yourself free and watch your children grow to their potential. The seeds of love, change and courage you sow now, will create the future generation of your family. 

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

Mary Anne Radmacher

Give up waiting until you are thinner, richer, the kids are older, etc…these in the end are excuses, take little baby steps towards your desired life and watch how your life unfolds, a journey begins with the following, a decision and then action on that decision.

Right now my husband is in bed, my dogs are at my feet and I think to myself, how grateful I am that I risked what it took to get here, a second marriage, a new and very different career, a new way of living. None of these came easily, there were tears, fears, and in fact sometimes I was so scared I wanted to leap back into my old life.  I head to bed now knowing that just for today I did the best I could.

With Love,

Sheree xo