Shoot for the Stars
When my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, I created a bucket list.
One of the first things on my list was to climb a mountain. I had already done some pretty adventurous things. I’ve gone skydiving, I’ve whitewater rafted Class 5 rapids, mountain biked through treacherous terrains and even surfed the crazy waves in Hawaii.
At the time, one of the things I had not done yet, is climb a mountain.
Realizing that life is short and there’s no time to waste, I planned it, booked it and trained diligently. In less than a month, I climbed to the top of Mount Washington and crossed it off my list.
Since then, I have hiked the treacherous Knife’s Edge of Mt Katahdin and conquered all 3 peaks of the Franconia Notch Ridge.
Once you start going after something you want, you can never stop. That’s exactly how it is with starting a business.
When I started my own business, I vomited.
I wish this wasn’t a true story. But it is and it took me a long time to figure out why. What I finally realized is that there were many reasons. Not just one. Fear seems like the obvious answer but why was I afraid?
It wasn’t just fear. It was having to overcome mental blocks from years of discouragement.
When I started my blog and began to write my first book, I told my friends and family what I was doing. Despite their comments of “that’s great,” I could see through their almost fake enthusiasm, before they would say, “You’re still doing real estate, right?”
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Yes, I was still a Realtor as much as I no longer wanted to be.
I have been a writer my whole life. When I was younger, I wrote poems and stories and thought about the possibility of being a journalist.
When I was a sophomore in High School, my English teacher took a leave of absence. We had a permanent substitute for the rest of the year and I can remember him perfectly. I can picture Mr. Hunt’s face clear as day. He wore a little cap on his head as he got on the same bus I took to school in the morning.
He was a short, grumpy fellow.
One of our first assignments with the new “teacher” was a book report. I looked down at my graded paper and there was a giant red C at the top of the page.
I was shocked.
I had never gotten less than a B on anything and even that was rare. I had always been an A student and was even the “valedictorian” of my eighth grade class.
Had there been such an honor at 8th grade graduation.
I was nervous as I slowly approached Mr. Hunt to find out what I did wrong. My grade was important to me and I couldn’t have this happen again.
When I asked him why I got a C, he replied “Because it was a bad paper. You are a bad writer.”
At the time, I was going through a hard time with my mom being sick. The circumstances made me very impressionable. It wasn’t until years later that I realized I had allowed this little troll of a man, who didn’t even have a permanent job or a car, affect me in such a way that it altered my life.
Another dream I had was to be a doctor. The thought of saving lives inspired me. When I told people this, they responded, “You should be a nurse.”
Shot down again.
I ended up dropping out of high school and ended up choosing a path in sales and marketing. It wasn’t until much later that I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business/Management.
Even in my late thirties, I chose a broad, general field. Since I still didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up.
After a year of battling cancer, my sister passed away. It was a horrible year, watching her go through surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation.
Four years after she died, I remembered my bucket list and dug it up. It had been so long, I had to search for it on the hard drive of an old desktop computer.
Once I found it, I happily crossed off a few things but there was one thing on the list that was nagging me. It was to become a published author.
Five years had gone by since I wrote the list. Yet, I hadn’t even begun writing my book.
It was time to take action. I built a website, started a blog and began publishing articles. It felt great to write the word Author next to my name.
But I still needed to write my first book.
I was determined to accomplish this goal in 2017. I spent hours doing research and learning the ins and outs of the publishing process. I decided the only way I was going to achieve my goal, was to self publish my first book.
I can proudly say that on December 31, 2017, I had written, published and sold the first copy of my book.
Writing my first book changed my life in ways I never imagined.
I have since connected with amazing people who have built successful businesses. I get interviewed as the guest expert on radio shows and podcasts. I have even been invited to come back every month as the health & fitness expert on an award-winning radio show.
Now I get to help millions of listeners live happier and healthier lives.
I was 49 when I started my own business and published my first book. I am here to tell you if I can do it, so can you. It doesn’t matter how old you are.
Or what is going on in your life.
You will always have challenges. There will always be unexpected, and sometimes tragic events. And there will always be naysayers and people trying to keep you down.
The only person you need to listen to – is you.
What do you want?
It is never too late to change your life. Don’t let anything stand in your way from achieving your dreams. Shoot for the stars.
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