My life has moved so fast since last December, sometimes my head spins.  I left a secure job in the non-profit sector and started a new company with another power mom. I teamed up with a dear friend and blogger to form Momz Share. And, oh yeah, I’ve started training for the New York City Marathon.
Hectic much? Kinda.

People often ask me how I “do it all.” Honestly, I’m not really sure how to answer that question.  I know that for me, what I choose to do doesn’t feel like WORK.  It is, well…FUN.  ”Doing it all” in this case is the same as breathing and SMILING.

I recently had a striking conversation with a childhood pal about her passions. She wanted so badly to step out and make her dream a reality.  She is just not happy at this stage of her life.  Now, I’m not exactly qualified to give business advice, being a novice myself, but I do know a couple of things about blazing your own trail and taking a chance.

“The secret of making something work in your life is first of all,
the deep desire to make it work,
then the faith and belief that it can work,
then to hold that clear definite vision in your consciousness
and see it working out step by step,
without one thought of  doubt or disbelief.”
- Eileen Caddy

If there is something you want so badly that you can taste it, then I believe that you owe it to yourself to take a chance.  Just TRY.  Sure you will be scared.  Terrified, even.

Yeah, risks are scary. No doubt about it.  But think of how you will feel if you DON’T make a move.  If you don’t even make an attempt.  Regret is the worst feeling of all.

I encourage you to write down you innermost goals and start your action plan.  Ignore the insecure girl inside of your head and make your own opportunities. Take a risk. Making your dream a reality is so worth it!

RESOURCES

Career girls will appreciate this book: Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead But Gutsy Girls Do – Kate White

“What is your passion?”

It was a simple enough question, one that I should have been easily able to answer.  What IS my passion?  As I sat there listening to the life coach guide us in an exercise on Saturday night, I tried to clear my mind and really dig deep to answer.  Really concentrate.  And you know what I came up with? Nothing. 

NOTHING.

Isn’t that just sad?  I couldn’t identify my passion.

I had way too many thoughts in my head and not one CLEAR answer.  I knew what the obvious answers might be but I wasn’t FEELING THEM.  It was like all of my interests were gone.  There was nothing that truly sparked for me.  It seemed as if my entire life was now a faded black and white photograph where once it had been filled with vibrant colors.  I have to tell you, coming to this realization was shocking.

Stepping back from it, I realize that now am MOTIVATED.  I need to clear out my life and my obligations.  I need to get “un-busy” and re-connect with  myself so that I can remember what fills me up.  I think it is time for a little self-realization.

I know I am not alone in this. I think in today’s society it is so easy for women (and men) to find themselves engulfed in the day-to-day administrative details of life.  Running kids here.  Picking up groceries there.  Sprinting to the bank.  We FORGET who we truly are and what WE TRULY LOVE.  Obviously we love our families, that is easy.  But what about ourselves?  Where do we find joy?

The three questions that stumped me the other night I now ask you:

• What is your passion?
• If time and money were no object, what would you do?
• What excites you?  What makes you happy?

Something to think about, huh?

On a similar note,  I just read a fabulous post by Jenny the Bloggess about her RED DRESS.

“I want, just once, to wear a bright red, strapless ball gown with no apologies.  I want to be shocking, and vivid and wear a dress as intensely amazing as the person I so want to be. And the more I thought about it the more I realized how often we deny ourselves that red dress and all the other capricious, ridiculous, overindulgent and silly things that we desperately want but never let ourselves have because they are simply “not sensible”. Things like flying lessons, and ballet shoes, and breaking into spontaneous song, and building a train set, and crawling onto the roof just to see the stars better.  Things like cartwheels and learning how to box and painting encouraging words on your body to remind yourself that you’re worth it.”

She goes on to challenge readers to think about what they need and what they are too embarrassed to ask for.  “Find your red dress. And wear the hell out of it.”

Excellent advice, Jenny!  I think I that is what I am looking for… my red dress.  I suddenly feel the need to go on a shopping trip.  I’ve got a dress to buy.

How about you?

Did you know that I have been blogging at this site for just shy of a year now? I can’t tell you how happy I am that I finally bit the bullet (via being hit over the head with a virtual baseball bat by my pal Lance @ Daily Actor) and began my own blog journey instead of just blogging for others.  Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy blogging at other sites, I am just happy to experience the freedom of being my own “editor in chief” here at Hip As I Wanna Be.

And I must say, I have learned a ton in the past year!  Wow. Just WOW. There is just so much to take in and experience that at times I have been overwhelmed to the point of being paralyzed.

But I have made a decision here recently.  I’m going to follow my passion and give myself permission to blog about my interests, my challenges and my heart.  Does that sound ridiculous?  And fundamentally “obvious?”  Of course, it does.  Sometimes we get so caught up in what we “should do” that we over think it and ignore what we “want to do.”  Get my meaning?

Keeping that in mind, I have set myself up a new editorial calendar. You can find me blogging more regularly on these topics:

Monday – mojo, passion, inspiration, faith, positivity

Tuesday – girly, glam day

Wednesday – wordy, witty Wednesday or WOW Wednesday – words of wisdom

Thursday – on blogging, being a working mom

Friday – fitness

Saturday – family, kid stuff, personal

Sunday – contests (if applicable), FUNday, or random

Vlog one day a week. (Gah! Did I just say that out loud?)

MY NEW INSPIRATION WORDS:  moxie, fun, fearless, fabulous, girly, glamorous… Did I mention FUN?  I think we could all use a little more fun these days, couldn’t we?  Especially in blogging.

Hope you come back and visit!