“Everything is hard before it is easy” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Isn’t that the truth?  We are all beginners at whatever we take on at one point.  And right now, I’m a beginner at this blog thing.  There will be growing pains and mistakes but the beauty is that while everyone starts as a beginner, we generally don’t stay there – if we grow.  So my hope is to grow – both myself and this blog – with time, into a creative and fun collection of my thoughts, ideas and experiences  (as well as lessons) that not only document my journey in this thing called life but maybe also give some hope and courage to others along the way.   I encourage you to read through my “about me” section to gain a little insight as to where where I started and where I am headed as I “transform” from a successful but “stuck” person into a successful but fulfilled and genuinely happy person, who as my mentor says is “living out loud”.   I sometimes joke that if I can pull this off, ANYONE can – but it is so true.  I was the epitome of stuck.  I can’t say that I’m entirely successful at reaching “the other side” , however I’m learning that you never truly reach “the other side” –  you only continue to strive for it, growing along the way.  It is in the process of growing itself where the fulfillment and living out loud occur.  I CAN say that I am successful at growing.

Finding a starting point for this blog was difficult for a couple of reasons.  First, unlike the blog, I am NOT a beginner of this transformation journey.  I’m solidly planted somewhere in the middle – so there is a lot of “catching up” to do in terms of my experience so far.  Second, I have a vast array of ideas and interests which make it hard to focus on just one.  I often joke that I have a little touch of Attention Deficit Disorder and like to bounce around from topic to topic.   But my goal is to allow myself to touch on a variety of my interests and ideas in an organized way because I think the majority of them are important to the journey.  There will likely be entries on topics ranging from health and fitness/clean eating to music to spirituality/mindfulness and everything in between.  I might even organize a few of my favorite recipes or music playlists.   I also foresee a few book reviews in the future.   All of these things have played a role in my journey and I hope through the variety that you can find at least one thing/topic that interests or encourages you.   If you are here and have additional insight or have a topic of interest I haven’t hit, let me know!

This will be fun and exciting endeavor to build this blog from the ground up but with it comes the almost obligatory fear of failure – what if it isn’t good?  What if no one reads it?  What if I can’t stick to a regular schedule of posting?  Etc.  Well, moving past the fear is one of the lessons I have learned because if we don’t it paralyzes us into inaction.   And honestly, it took a few months after creating my blog to post.  But ultimately, if no one ever reads this blog but myself it will be successful;  Because I know that just the process of writing and documenting my thoughts will contribute to my growth.  And that is enough for me.  If people come along for the ride, all the better.

Stay tuned.