Friday, May 1, 2015

Real Gurl Life: Courage Required





In the past several weeks I have been caught in a deluge of soul-searching, questioning every aspect of my life and saying "why" a lot!  A recent weekend at the beach where the questioning all began has brought a new perspective.

At the beach, on a bench all alone, unhappy and sad, (two different things) and asking God what could I do different....what could I change.....when it became immediately clear.  The Voice said, "you've got to shake things up.  You have to do something you have never done before."


I knew immediately what this meant and I did not wait long to make the phone call to my friend, Sue, and start the work.  Sue has always, always been a cheerleader of mine. She impacted my life at a very critical time and when I called to meet up and enlist her help, she was immediately on board.  That's just the kind of friend she is...to everyone!

That was three weeks ago and more "shaking up" is happening.  Another friend, Shelly, texted me out of the sorta blue and asked if I would want to go to the gym together.  We are a very odd combination at the gym.  Shelly is uber-fit and I haven't worked out in ten years. Why in the world would Shelly want to work-out with me?  We met up for the first time yesterday and am I so grateful to her for reaching out! She inspired me in the best of ways.  I felt like she was on "my team" and there was no condemnation for what I couldn't do....in fact, we genuinely laughed about what I couldn't do and it didn't hurt my feelings.  I am the perfect amount of sore today and I can't wait to go again.

The above quote is well suited to my life right now.  The day I went to the beach I was so fretful and frustrated.  As I faced the truth it was revealed that I needed to determine what I wanted my life to look like and go for it!  Stop dwelling on the things that I cannot change and charge ahead to things I can.  (That sounds like the prayer of serenity, which I need a healthy dose of.)

I challenge you to take stock of your life.  Review the elements that cause grief and bring joy.  Make choices with intent.  Be the CEO of your life.  Take charge of your decisions and each footstep.  If you take a look and don't like what you see, fire the person in charge (you) and begin anew.

1.  List the things that are really important to you.  Not "things" necessarily, but people, activities, free time, service, education, etc.  Your list could be long but try to keep it to five items or less so it isn't overwhelming.  

2.  Realize that it won't be easy to make changes.  If it were easy, everyone would do it. Real Gurl Life requires some grit.  

3.  Charge yourself with the responsibility to call upon Wisdom and Courage and to be brave enough to make the changes you want to see.  You can only be responsible for you. Get on with it!

4.  Get comfortable with the phrase:  "That doesn't work for me."  This is a good one to use when you need to decline an event, activity or relationship.  Use it!

Build the life you want, one decision at a time.  Thank the people that help you.  In turn, help someone else.  Don't answer immediately.  You can take time to "think about it and get back to you" rather than blurting out something you wish you could take back.  Zero in on what's important and live accordingly.

I am at the beginning but I am energized beyond belief.  I am empowered and taking steps to create the life I want.  

Jump in...the water's fine!

#realgurllife
@realgurllife