purpose and practice

IMG_1209How many times has someone asked me, “What’s you purpose?”
“What do you really want in life?”

As someone who leads dreams and goals to others I feel like I should have the answers.  I should know what I want and I should have a clear vision, right?
Wrong! And it’s OK! You do not have to know everything in the future now.

I used to have a very clear vision of how I saw my self in 10 years.  My five year was in sight, and I was striving towards my one year.
And then shit hit the fan.

When I was 25, I made a huge life-changing decision: I moved across the country, away from my entire family and my closest friends, I gave up my job, and I dove head first into a deep relationship, to start a brand new life in a new city.

I was anxious and it was difficult to make some of these choices, but it didn’t matter because in that moment I was following my heart, I was excited and I was passionate.  I had no idea what was coming but I was thriving off new experiences and the unknown.

And then I failed!
I FAILED!

Walls around me came tumbling down and I was alone.

For a few months I hid.  I was 27 I was alone in a big city with very few close friends. In my mind it was too late to start over, but I also knew I couldn’t revert back to my old lifestyle in the south and I definitely couldn’t continue with this negative snowball effect of events surrounding me.

So I did what I needed to, and after a little time I made yet another big decision:
I started over again. 

For the past five years I have been given a gift.
A gift of a new life, a new job: a job that pushes me, opens my eyes, and challenges me.  This job supports me, it gives me opportunities I may not have otherwise found. It gives me space to be creative and let me try, TRY things on without judgment and this creates some of the most beautiful learnings I can truly discover for myself

Self-doubt.

Lack of confidence.

Fear of judgment.
Anxiety.
Excitement.
Passion.
Hope.
Connection

Those are just a few of the emotions I had walking into this retreat.

I won’t spoil it for my peers who will eventually journey through the same experience, but I can tell you I’m walking out with a brand new perspective.

I practiced: a lot!
Yoga, Meditation, Silence, No phone or social media.
I disconnected and let go.

I found myself.  I found the purpose. My PURPOSE.
I feel the love, the joy, the possibility.  And I want to spread the word.

I also coached, I listened, I shared, and I connected.
We exercised (alot), both physically [burpees, lunges, squats, dancing, yoga] and mentally.

We listened to shared stories from others, we laughed, we cried, and in the end we became one. [#Unity]
225 people and I could look every single one of them in the eye and really feel the love.

I am here to be an inspiration for those who need it and those who want it.

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American Ninja Warrior

American Ninja Warrior Course at Sling Shot Entertainment

Norcross, Georgia

I hadn’t even landed in Atlanta yet, when Abby text me and said we had to go to this place: Slingshot. With her recommendation I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into.

I did a quick Google search to discover there was an America Ninja Warrior Park, this is what we were going to check out (they also had bowling, go Karts, and arcade in other parts of the building).
This was about to get good.

Those days when you think your fit and you’re feeling strong and then you show up to only find you can’t complete majority of the obstacles on the course.

It was fun, it was challenging and it was very sad all at the same time.

My biggest achievement of the day was mastering the 14 foot warped wall. It took about 30 tries and different strategies. It took pumping myself up, determination, and pressure by spectators.  Watching athlete after athlete fail, we were not about to leave until we got up and over.

When you’re about 12 feel up you have to take a leap of faith to grab the lip on top of the wall. When you think the hardest part is over, you’re wrong, you now have to use your small grip of one hand to pull your entire body weight over. It’s not easy, but I guarantee you once you finish, you feel very accomplished!

 

We didn’t leave there without a few bumps and bruises. I tore my back up sliding down the wall every time I failed (I learned if I ever go again to wear a closed tank tops), we had blistered on our hands and Abby even ripped her shorts. All in all it was a fun experience.

Up for a family day? They also have a Ninja Junior Course for children ages 12 and under. All day passes are $12-14 for unlimited play time.
http://slingshotplay.com