We live in a world bombarded with people who’ve “made it.” You know the ones, they used to be homeless, now they’re millionaires (multi-millionaires at that). Started with 5 followers and now they have 500,000. They struggled, they hustled and now they made it. Best part? For only $27, you can get their mini course. Then, for $2.997, the full mastermind. The promise: skip years of struggling and you can become an influencer, too!
Do you really want that? I used to think I did. I had big dreams. I was going to sell out auditoriums with all of my coach-y wisdom, was definitely selling products on QVC, all while hosting the most listened to podcast. It rarely occurred to me that I get extremely anxious around more than 2 people that I don’t know. Somehow in my QVC fantasies, I forgot that I am extremely sensitive to bright lights. And I had no idea what I’d even talk about on my best-selling podcast, something about how amazing lavender is (which it truly is!). But those weren’t my dreams, they were me watching other people’s lives and wishing I was somebody else.
What I actually wanted was to slow down. Something shifted this past year, not a lightning-bolt moment, not even one single thing. It was more like a process of coming home to myself: therapy, boundaries, communication, acceptance, a lot of crying, changes on every level; physical and emotional. Things I fought so hard against because I knew they would break me – they didn’t. Things that I dreamed about but never felt ready for finally came together. What I know now is that I needed to slow down. I needed to let life happen instead of forcing my will onto it. “All” I had to do was my own work and let the rest unfold.
I’m turning 60 this next year and I finally feel at peace. Slower, yes, but still with goals, just different ones. They don’t involve QVC anymore. They involve time spent with my family and the people I love. They involve taking care of those I’ve been trusted to take care of. It’s been a clarifying process, and it’s still unfolding. What I do know is this: I’ve made it – 90 followers and all.
