I’m sitting in my back yard writing this post. My Golden Retriever Bree is on the chair next to me enjoying the morning. It’s a hot & humid summer Saturday morning which reminds me of the beauty of world around me! There’s a quiet to the morning with only the sounds of a few birds off in the woods. I can’t believe how lucky I am.

I don’t know if a year ago I could sit here and just take in this morning like I am right now. This past year has been the most transformative of my life. A year ago I would have likely been sitting here wondering what new career I should pursue because this one was clearly not working for me. A year ago I would have been sitting here wondering if I would make enough money to pay the mortgage this year. A year ago there I was surrounded by scarcity.

It’s a little more than a year since I hired my coach Deb. Hiring a coach wasn’t a well thought out decision at the time, rather a spur of the moment grasping at something I hoped would get me on a better track with my career. I didn’t know what to expect but I really hoped she could wave a magic wand or something and make it all better.

At the time I was in a bad spot about my career to the point I was thinking about doing something drastically different. In other words, I was ready to quit my job and go do something ‘easier’. Perhaps I could become the paint expert at my local hardware store.

The biggest thing I learned about myself back then is I was trying to be something I’m not, ignoring important parts of me and despite my success in business didn’t believe I deserved it. These feelings had me mired down and unable to move. At one point I knew I would soon need a new contract but I didn’t do anything productive about it. Why? Simple … who would want to hire me?

Playing it safe

Each of us has our own comfort zone. Our comfort zone has a boundary and when we start to push on that boundary it can feel uncomfortable. To leap beyond the boundary of your comfort zone can be down right scary. Living along the edge of your comfort zone are saboteurs – you know them as the little stories you keep telling yourself to explain why you shouldn’t expand your comfort zone.

A year ago I would have stood at the edge of my comfort zone and let my saboteurs hold me back. It was easy after all as they would tell me why something wouldn’t work and it was easy to listen to them. I was playing a pretty small game. Fast forward to today …

I am Free, Powerful and at Choice!

Today I am living the life I was meant to be living. I no longer allow my saboteurs to hold me back … well OK I’m human so those bastards still do their best to keep me in my comfort zone. However, I know I have so many people, mentors and coaches in my life who are there to help me stretch my comfort zone way beyond where I was a year ago.

There are times it’s damn uncomfortable to stretch my comfort zone but as I’ve learned in this past year the payback is incredible. I get to be my most authentic and powerful self! I get to be free and bring freedom to those whose lives I touch. It’s an amazing experience and I consider myself so fortunate to have found my true self at this point in my life!

Abundance

In unleashing my true self this past year one of the most dramatic shifts I’ve felt is one from scarcity to abundance. I still have the same challenges as any self employed person out there. However I know in being my most authentic self things will happen more naturally and life is simply good.

What’s more important than the abundance around me is what I find inside me. What I’m finding in my heart more and more is a great deal of freedom. The freedom to be my most authentic self. The freedom to let go of judgement and allow my gifts to shine. The freedom to reconnect with myself and those around me. The freedom to be what I was always meant to be.

In my heart I am free.

No wisdom

I’ve been trying to write this post for a couple weeks now. It’s my one year celebration of everything that’s here today. So no wisdom, no trying to turn it into a leadership lesson. It’s just a sharing of what’s real for me.

I will thank all of you for being an important part my journey this past year. You take the time to read and comment on my posts. Most of you don’t know it but you’re a part of what I’ve found this past year. You add to my feelings of freedom and abundance. So thank you for helping me on this journey!