By Marianne Clyde
Wow, as I look back on my life, I can see that I have had the privilege of doing and accomplishing some fabulous things.
I really never sat around and planned and plotted, “How can I live a fabulous life?” But one thing I decided early on as a young mom, is that I was going to live life on my terms as much as I could. I made to decision to stay home with my kids. I made the decision to end my first marriage. I made the decision to start a series of businesses. I made the decision to remarry. I made the decision to go to graduate school. I made the decision to start a counseling practice. I also made the decision to make my schedule adapt to my life instead of making a life adapt to my schedule.
Each of these decisions was not planned out in detail before I took the first step. Each one was fraught with obstacles and difficulties. I had to learn to take one step at a time. Sure, I made plans, but more than always having a detailed plan, I had an idea of a plan and took one step and a time, adjusting as I went.
You may have some dreams that you’ve been considering, but not exactly sure how they are going to play out. The truth is you never really know.
I had to become ok with the idea that some of my dreams were not always “approved of” by everyone, so I had to get comfortable enough with the willingness to take responsibility for the fall out. I’m a pretty pensive person and I let ideas float around in my mind for a while. However, I am not willing to wait until I know all the answers and can predict all of the outcomes before I take a step.
This strategy has worked well for me as I have created the life of my dreams. One step at a time. I always explore potential risks and down sides but I also always expect the best. And that has led me through all the life transitions mentioned above and let them transform me into the most authentic me I can be.
Those decisions were based on saying “yes” when I was offered an opportunity, and learning to say “no,” when I was no longer willing to tolerate unhealthy or uncomfortable situations that didn’t serve me.
By implementing this strategy, I said yes to many things: traveling around the world to developing countries to help trauma victims of war, poverty, slavery, hunger. I said “no” to a developing depression and said “yes” to running a marathon. I climbed Mt. Fuji, trekked to Mt. Everest Base Camp, jumped out of airplanes, invested in real estate, been on some incredible vacations and have met remarkable people all around the world.
And today I said “yes” to another thing that’s been rolling around in my head. And took the first step to learning to fly an airplane. Do I have any idea how that’s all going to play out? Not really. Are there risks involved? Well, yeah. Some big ones. But I will do the work of mitigating those risks as best I can.
But the most important thing in any developing idea is that first step. So today, I signed up with a flight school to take a “Discovery Flight.”
And I’m excited!
This is the life of a supernova woman. It’s a decision to live my dreams and try and learn and grow every day. Your supernova life may not look anything like mine, but it will resemble mine in this way:
You are living your life on purpose, saying yes to opportunities that bring you joy and no to situations that you have outgrown. Your supernova life is a choice to shine brightly doing what you love with whoever you choose to do it with, within the parameters of your values and life principles.
Action Step: So what is it that you’ve been sort of thinking about, something you’d like to try? Do a little research and find out what is the first step that you can make. And do it. The next one will be clear and you define your plan. If you need help with coming up with a plan or figuring out what’s next, I’m a chat away. Schedule time with me to sort it out.
