My Big Life
It hit me this spring.
After months of sleeping more than was good for me and accomplishing very little....
After years of depression, anxiety, loss, weight gain, and aspirations that had come and gone....
I had to face the personal and professional stagnation that I called my life. Feelings of
frustration (aka anger), disgust, and "fed up-ness" filled me as I considered the way I'd let life pass me by. My 58th birthday was coming. In another year, I would be 59 and then a year later I would be [dun dun DUN!] 60!! [You saw that coming, didn't you? You're smart like that.]
"ENOUGH!" I shouted to no one but myself. It was part cursing and part declaration. EnOUgH! Enough. enough. I was sick of not living up to my capacity. Something I couldn't identify had been holding me back. I was capable of so much more, but I'd fallen short of what was possible time and time again.
Over the weeks ahead, my anger and disgust were quietly replaced with hope, vision, and determination. What if I dug in and did the work necessary to find out what was holding me back? What if I determined to live a BIG LIFE?! What if I didn't quit this time? I I knew a few things: If my life was going to change, I would have to take a holistic approach. The mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of life would each need to be honored or I wasn't going to get anywhere.
With more questions and answers, I stepped out to create My Big Life. I looked for professionals who could assist me. I contacted friends and family who could support me. I started to read books and listen to podcasts. I quickly felt overwhelmed and self-doubt threatened my resolve. I realized I was going to need to start very small and work on changes to my life bit by bit...habit by habit...day by day. So I did!
What started this spring was a new mission--one in which I reclaimed my life and determined to live it more fully, freely, and courageously. In the weeks and months to come, I'm going to write about my progress in this multi-faceted process. I hope you'll join me on this mission. I'll be glad for your company! (Who knows, maybe you'll even be inspired to live a bigger life yourself.)