FREEDOM

I've kind of been feeling like I'm on perma-vacation sometimes. Its crazy what happens when you love what you do so much that it really doesn't feel like work. Ever since I was little, I have been in school, working at some sort of job, never really knowing what it is that I was going to school for or working towards. I was raised to believe that you go to college, get a 9-5 job and work until you retire, climb the ladder, get promotions and raises, etc. I saw that vision as success and thought its what I wanted out of life, but when I graduated from college with a Communication degree - EXTREMELY broad - with no real idea of what I wanted to do, I just thought that any 9-5 stable job was what I needed.

I remember applying to so many jobs after graduation - one was at a tech company that facilitated background checks for companies working in some department I don't even remember. Like, what?? That wasn't my passion - but it paid pretty well, was only a 30 minute commute and had benefits so I decided that it was the job for me! I was looking for what the job offered as far as pay, benefits, commute, etc. rather than the WORK itself. I never considered finding a job that really resonated with me and my passions, because I had never experienced something like that before. Jobs and working weren't about what I really wanted to do, it was about finding something that I could survive off of.

I really thought that I had found THE job for me when I started working at an up and coming online retail company. It was a successful startup that was growing fast, working in fashion and retail, a very young workforce - I thought this was perfect. I got my foot in the door and could work my way up. I quickly learned that no matter how many of these "perfect on paper" jobs I found, it didn't matter if my heart wasn't in it. I found myself dreading driving into work, sitting at my desk all day, feeling intense amounts of pressure from upper management, working my ass off to get promoted to a job that I was basically already doing and only getting it after working over a year at the company with a small raise, lots of hours expected of me - after work, weekends, holidays. I slowly started to find myself back at square one again - not loving my job and wanting more. I had done this so many times before - doing what I thought was going to be like Boeing was for my dad. He graduated college with an engineering degree, was placed in a job at Boeing after he graduated and has worked there since. I think it was his experience that made me think that success = working your way up, finding that one company and putting in your time. After a year and a half at the last company I worked for, I finally started realizing that maybe I wasn't actually chasing my dream. Maybe I was chasing the dream that I thought I had to chase...does that make sense?

When I started coaching, I never in a million years thought this would be something that could turn into a full-time job. I started it just for my own accountability. But then I started to see Youtube videos of top coaches who were quitting their jobs, working from home, not putting their kids in daycare, going on cool trips, traveling, living life on their terms. This type of life was NEVER on my radar. I thought success was a 9-5 and a commute. But as I started to see more and more of these coaches living this life that seemed sort of unreal to me, the more I wanted that to be my life. As I started to dislike my desk job more and more, I started to want this life of a coach - a life of financial and time freedom. My breaking point came after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl. The WHOLE city was taking to the streets to watch the team parade through Seattle and all I wanted was to take the day off and celebrate. It was on a Wednesday, and I had to practically lie to my bosses in order to get out of work. I could tell they weren't happy with me about it, and I'm the type of person who never really skipped out on work. But this was the first time our city had won the Super Bowl and I just wanted to be a part of history! After that day, I realized that I was tired of answering to a boss. I was tired of building someone else's dreams, answering to other people's orders. I wanted to make my own hours. Take a Wednesday off if I wanted to. Be my OWN boss. Was that so much to ask??

Fast forward 6 months and I made it happen. I quit my full time desk job and was a full-time health and fitness coach. I was SO FUCKING SCARED to take this step. I wasn't used to this kind of life. This kind of freedom. Would I make enough money to live? Was this a mistake? What if I can't make it work?? I was so nervous but I took a leap of faith because I figured sitting at that desk miserable all day was not worth it. I had to at least try.

I've been a full time coach for almost 5 months now. And I can now say that taking that leap of faith was the best decision I've ever made. I'm making more money now than at my desk job, and my income continues to grow each month. I'm saving money on commuting to and from the city. I take days off when I want and need them. I have a purpose and love what I do. More than anything, I set up a vision for myself and I achieved it. I wanted to make this life possible and I did. I haven't even been working my coaching business for a year and the things I have been able to achieve are just mind blowing. In 2 weeks I'll be heading to Dallas for "work" - something I don't think I could or would have done working at my desk job. In April I am going to Cancun for free with my fiancé. My corporate job never sent me to Mexico for free, let alone gave me more than a couple weeks of per YEAR. And those weeks had to be approved, some were not allowed and I had to work on days that I normally would have taken off to be with my family. Now - none of that. I live life on my terms, I am building my dream and empire, my team is my family, I have a purpose, I am changing people's lives and I don't have to drive hours to and from the city to make it happen. I just realized as I was working from my couch today how blessed I am for this opportunity. I just wish so many other people would realize how much this could really change your life for the better if you just took a leap of faith and go for it.

Not everyone's definition of success is the same. I thought I knew what success was but it isn't black and white. What my parents think is success does not have to be my definition. I am creating my own success by building my life on my terms. I couldn't be more happy with my decision to go all in with coaching. The crazy thing is, this is just the beginning. Where will I be a year from now?? I guess we will have to wait and see... :)