Born for this!

May 26, 2016 | Sparkly Love

blog post

It’s fascinating how life moves in seasons just like nature does. When I was first introduced to this concept I didn’t totally get it, but lately it resonates strongly. A very simple way to explain, is your soul phases through 4 different seasonal cycles just as the weather does. For example, in spring you are planting seeds and preparing for exciting projects or launches. The summer is when everything is blooming, radiant and abundant. Fall is when it comes together and you can harvest all the hard work. Winter is a time for reclusion and reflection.

The season that I can most identify with now is winter. I think it’s because a month has passed since completing Make It, and I’ve finally had a chance to unwind and relax. Despite this, I still feel pretty exhausted because social engagements have become my new priority! Spending quality time with friends has been really wonderful and needed. I’ve also spend a lot of time alone thinking and contemplating. I can feel in my body how incredibly important this downtime is.

Getting back into the swing of work has proved to be a bit challenging recently. There are projects I had planned to dive quickly into, but my motivation and drive just hasn’t kicked back in yet. The lead up to Make It is so intense and full on, that it takes a while to get my energy reserves back up. I’m often hard on myself because I am an overachiever, and get frustrated when I feel too exhausted to work at my full force. But I’m learning!

On a different note, two weeks ago I had the honour of hosting Chris Guillebeau for his Vancouver book launch of Born for This. I got to know Chris personally last fall after following his work for several years. I’ve also attended his World Domination Summit in Portland for the past 3 years. When he asked me to host, I was immediately excited but also a little nervous because I am a little bit of a fangirl!

I was even more nervous when it was announced that Danielle LaPorte would also be speaking at the event! She’s a huge mentor of mine, and even though I know her personally as well, I hadn’t seen her in about 3 years. What Danielle has accomplished is truly remarkable and it’s amazing to watch her rise.

Chris’s book is all about finding the work you are meant to do in the world, which I believe is one of the most important topics out there. When you’re able to discover what lights you up, so many possibilities open up. There’s nothing better than getting paid to do something that you’d probably do for free!

For the launch, I booked the event space at Hootsuite which has a capacity of under 200. Over 250 people ended up coming out, and I was told it was the biggest event they ever have had. It was amazing to see how excited people were to support Chris and hear him speak.

Before the doors opened, I have the privilege to interview both Chris and Danielle. Since they’re such passionate people, it was incredible to hear what they had to say about creativity, entrepreneurship, love and life in general. I was blown away with how much wisdom they both shared in such a short amount of time.

When it was time to get started, I grabbed the mic, took a few grounding breaths, and reminded myself to just be of service and have fun! These wise words came from my coach who I speak to weekly. Leading up to the event I felt a lot of anxiety because I admire Chris and Danielle and wanted to do a good job. She reminded me to focus on them and that took the pressure off of me immediately.

The night turned out to be really special! I felt confident and in my element on stage, and even busted out a Booty Belt (from my first business) which ended up being pretty funny. Chris was outstanding and delivered a very inspiring talk about the searching and discovering the work you are born to do. It’s not a simple path, but it’s something anyone with a curious spirit can do.

Once Chris was done, Danielle and I came back on stage and the three of us did a Q & A. Being on stage and answering questions with those two felt pretty surreal. I recognized that all my previous nerves were because I felt like I wasn’t at their level. But in reality I was able to hold my own on stage and give my perspective, which valuable too.

At the end of the night, after Chris had signed everyone’s book and it was it was time to go home, I felt content and satisfied. There was a sense of relief, but I was also proud of myself. Having mentors and people you admire is important, but I realized that where I am in this very moment is pretty awesome too. I want to write a book(s) so I can have the impact that Chris and Danielle do, but in the meantime I have also done a lot of other things that have served others and contributed.

When you are an achiever, there’s always something bigger and better you can accomplish. It’s the old idea of the bunny chasing the carrot around. What I learned from this experience, is the real power is being satisfied with what you have done up to right now. Not tomorrow, next week or in a month. Right now.

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