Taking the leap is hard but is also rewarding in unexpected ways.
A year and a half ago I took the leap into the unknown. I knew in my heart that it was time for a professional change but deciding to make a life changing decision is never easy. I spent many days talking myself in and out of resigning from an awesome job. In the end, I had to be honest with myself and resigned as I knew I needed a change to continue to grow.
Our youngest son was getting ready to graduate from college, and the realization that I was going to be an empty-nester and my husband was considering retirement meant that I was moving into a new phase of life.
If you know me, you know I love a plan and I had a few thoughts about what I would do “next” but did not have the details ironed out. In fact, I tried a few endeavors that in the end did not materialize. Looking back, I now realize, they were just steps in my growth and decision-making process.
As a self-proclaimed Type A personality, after I took the leap, I would still get up early and go straight to my office. I kept myself “busy”, and it took me several months to learn to just “Be”. Now that is a topic for another time!
I was fortunate to have the support of a wonderful community that listened to me talk and ask questions. Not only did I talk with friends and colleagues on a weekly basis, but I worked with a wonderful coach and therapist, who all helped me “have many light-bulb moments”. I can’t begin to say how grateful I am for all their time and wonderful insight.
My community was my lifeline and helped me get through what ended up being a stressful time.
When I was presented with the question of, “What do I want to do in this next phase?”, I discovered it was not a very easy question to answer. Who knew??? I expected to just know!
During this time of reflection, I have learned that many, many women are having the same feelings I experienced. Many of us are thinking “I’m now at the point in my life where I have the luxury to do what I want, but WHAT THE HECK is that???
So once again, I am taking the LEAP and starting a new venture with my friend and business partner Marianne Clyde. The inspiration behind Isn’t She Amazing was community. We envision building a community to help women over 50 take the leap into what’s next and do what makes them happy. I NEVER, NEVER would have envisioned that this is where my path would be end up but I’m very much enjoying the journey.
We don’t have everything figured out, but we decided we couldn’t wait to get it all right, and just took the LEAP.
Although this has been one of the hardest years for me, it also provided me with the opportunity to reflect, grow and more importantly find joy. I encourage you to take a step towards finding your joy!
Action Step: Is there an area in you life that you would like to take a leap of faith and investigate “what could be?”. The first step is to write this down in a journal.
