Ripley sets an example for me to slow down and listening to my heart the day Jay and Jen left for the Biggest Loser Ranch in 2010.
Listen to your true inner feelings and don’t be afraid or ashamed to honor who you are. Love yourself. Recognize your individuality and celebrate the aspects that make you different from those around you. Do you prefer pomegranates to peaches, flats to stilettos or walks in the woods to weight lifting? My family loves a good strenuous workout while I prefer the calming stretch of yoga and pilates. Sometimes they tease me about it, but I know that my choices feed my soul, keep me happy and make me be a better me than I’ve ever been.
It takes more strength to walk away from what’s given you security or identity in the past and leave it all behind for a brand new way of life. It can be a tough decision, the fear of the unknown, but if what you’re doing no longer fits, it’s time to take that step, trust your inner self and decide the past is just the past and now, at this moment is the very time to give yourself the gift of your future.
Prior to Jay and Jen going on the show, I was slowly becoming disenchanted (a really nice way of putting it) with service work and after one too many times of keeping myself from inappropriately gesturing (you with me?) the client to their face I decided, clearly, it was time to walk away from that aspect of my career. It wasn’t rendering the same results it had in the past. I got up every day dreading what lay ahead of me. This never happened. I always felt blessed to jump out of bed and dive into the day, no matter what. But apparently it was time to close that door. And that was good, we had a terrific run and much to my surprise, an enormous weight lifted from my shoulders. I finally did what I knew was controversial, never thought I had it in me, and I felt GREAT!
While my two business partners were off to make themselves healthy, I committed to take on projects to keep the doors open. But during that time, I gave myself the gift of time and introspection. I gave myself the gift of finding the real ME.
Taking that step was the first in which I stood up for myself, declaring that I”m important, that I matter. While it was just me and Ripley, I had the time to quiet my mind and listen to my heart. Silencing the noise of the outside world made it easier to hear my inside world. This healthy approach enabled establishing respectable boundaries for myself, which gives me more time for myself and far more energy. And that time and energy leads to healthier, happier choices. And everyone benefits.
