A Gift… A Dream… A Choice… and You

It’s good to have a friend or two who will kick one’s behind a bit and say what one needs to hear… not necessarily what one wants to hear. So it was with me today and I am grateful… grateful for from that conversation has come the decision to share these thoughts with you.

Like many throughout the world, I have struggled. At one point I almost lost myself as each day was just another day of a seemingly endless inward struggle for survival. Somehow, I found a way to get to the next day. I cried, I despaired and I often inwardly shouted in anger and frustration as I struggled to find meaning to my life and a sense of doing something that mattered to my spirit. Life was hard.

I worked the assembly line in a factory. I was a decorated teacher of the year. I was a State Senator. I led a Chamber of Commerce and throughout it all, my life had all the appearances of being successful yet I struggled to find real meaning, to find a sense of purpose and value.

Yet here I am, finally realizing and accepting what I am to do. I now know and respect who I am. I have found meaning in my existence and with that has come more than ever before, an inner peace and sense of joy and fulfillment. Yes, I am still here and like so many, I am taking each moment and day simply one step at a time as I purposely continue on my life’s journey.

Through my journey, I finally learned to trust and believe in myself. I have learned what it means to lead from the inside out and to “be” by thought, choice and action the person I was born to be. Where there was once doubt there is an intense flame of passion. Where there was uncertainty, I find a fierce determination to make the purpose and dream that has been dormant within me for so long come to life. And as that dream within me awakened, I came upon a fork in the road that would define the rest of my life. Two paths to choose from and both clearly marked.

One path would lead me to who I was born to be. Instinctively, I knew that path would lead towards my dream, would hold fulfillment, joy, and meaning and at the same time, would bring uncertainty, risk, and fear.

I also knew where the other path would take me. It was the path that would continue my life as it was. It was a safer and perhaps a more predictable path yet it would also have less joy, fulfillment and meaning. One path would require a great leap of faith and the other a simple decision to stay the course and do what had always been done. And it was in taking that giant leap of faith that I discovered and accepted that I was born with a gift, a talent if you will, and it was high time I let it loose.

I have the ability to create safe environments where people get a chance to discover who they were born to be. I can create space where people learn to know, respect, and trust themselves. I create environments where people can come to their own fork in their life’s journey… where each can have the opportunity to choose their future and who they will be.

This gift, discovered through my own journey, enables me to help others find meaning in their lives and to create the possibility for finding fulfillment and joy in each day of life.

I also want to say that when I chose to take that leap of faith, I chose to finally accept who I truly was. I proclaimed to God and the Universe that I would share it with those who wish help to create a life of meaning. I would share it with those who desire to make a positive difference in the world they live in yet are uncertain as to what to do or where to go. When I took that leap of faith, I committed to go wherever I was needed. I committed to come to you if you so choose.

So here I am post leap, post choice and I am reaching out my hand. If you need courage I will encourage you. If you are ready to learn, I can teach you. If you know there is something more to life that what you are experiencing, I will help you find it. And if you know someone at the crossroads of their life, tell them I’m here.

We can have a life of meaning. We can have a life that matters, and we can make choices that can change the world around us. You are but a choice and a leap away, and as always, the choice is yours. My hand is reaching out, feel free to take it if wish…