If you did not read my blog from last week, I am pondering a “year of change” beginning November 1st. During this year I will be taking a new direction by starting in an old direction. . . I am going to journey back to me.
Several people have contacted me about this year of change, wanting to know all of the details. I don’t have all of the details yet, but I do have a firm grasp of why I want to change.
There has been a slow building of discontent over the past few years. Not so much with what I was doing, but with what I was NOT doing. Maybe the discontent came from the fact that my kids are grown and I suddenly had the time and the silence to think.
Maybe I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize who was staring back at me.
Or, maybe I realized that I had stopped following the beat of my own drummer, no matter how measured or far away. Instead, I have been walking to the beat of expectations, financial pressures, and others definition of success.
Following are a few events that have propelled me on this journey:
- Several years ago I stopped having energy for the type of work I was doing. Blaming it on kids leaving home and hormones, I kept trudging forward. But the bottom-line is that what used to energize and propel me doesn’t anymore.
- I want to make a difference. I firmly believe this has to do with turning fifty and realizing that I actually don’t get to stay here forever. 🙂 Suddenly, I want to know that whatever I do on this earth helps change things for the better. It sounds corny, but I don’t want to leave behind the nicest house or the most expensive car. I want to leave a message, a few changed lives, and a world that is glad I visited it.
- I want to be lighter. No, I’m not talking about weight. . . although that is a consideration. I want my mind, heart and soul to be lighter. I do believe that the accumulation of stuff weighs down my ability to create and find joy. I need to lighten the load so that I can feel a greater sense of peace. I want to remove the shackles so that I can fly into my next opportunity.
I realize that change never stops – but I can either make the choice to go with it or fight it. This year, I want to go with it.
Before I go I do need to stop by and see the Wizard to make sure I have the brains, heart, and courage to make the journey. I’ve got my dog and a desire to leave the farm. Now I just need to face the inevitable whirlwind that change involves. More to come!