Welcome to my page! Blogging about health, happiness and growth.
I am a middle age woman who has spent most of her life chasing happiness in all the wrong ways. I am a successful physician (radiologist) who by all accounts is living the American dream. Nice house in the suburbs, SUV, good friends, dog, etc. However for the last several years I had this nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. I wasn’t genuinely happy. And I was chronically overworked, overtired, overwhelmed and overfed. It was all smoldering discontent underneath the surface that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I dabbled in things to satisfy that discontent – pursued endurance sports, religion, self help books, etc – but I never really seemed to get it. Then, through a series of life events – the culmination of which was my parents suffering a devastating house fire and moving in with me, I tanked. It was like someone put a spot light on my unhappiness. For about 9 months after the fire I lived like this: Get up and go to work (in a high stress environment), come home – eat junk food and binge watch netflix until I fell asleep. Repeat. Over and over again. I did what was necessary then disengaged entirely. As a result, a gained a considerable amount of weight (I have always had a weight issue but I was then heavier and more miserable than I had ever been in my life), I felt physically miserable and mentally and emotionally I was pretty numb. Everything changed when by happenstance I discovered a life coach offering a Christmas special – and I knew I needed a change. I was ready for a change. Although it’s origins are somewhat unclear, there is a saying that is frequently attributed to old Buddhist teachings “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. Mine did. A little over a year and half ago on a Facebook post. I took a chance and hired a life coach, Jill M Sommers. My original intent was to have some accountability to just get back into healthy eating and lose the weight I had gained. But what happened was so much more. And it turns out that all those nagging feelings of discontent were cries from my soul to change my ways – not just in the kitchen and in the gym, but in every area of my life. Those nagging feelings were indications that I was ready. And my teacher appeared. Over the last 18 months or so my work with Jill has had a profound affect of my life that far exceeds anything I could have imagined before. Not only have I lost 100 pounds in that time but I have also learned a lot of new life skills AND I have learned an awful lot about myself along the way. I’m finally starting to listen to all the little cries from the soul about changing my ways. It’s a journey without an end destination but now that I’m on the path I am much happier and healthier. I started this blog for a couple of reasons. I genuinely enjoy writing and it’s my most effective form of communication (something I have learned about myself) and it serves as a tool for me to organize my thoughts. I also think that the lessons I have learned so far and will no doubt continue to learn might prove helpful and or encouraging to others who might be in a similar walk of life.
As for the obligatory interests and hobbies… I enjoy traveling, reading, music and writing. Nothing inspires me more than the beautiful majestic views of mountains or the calming stunningly beautiful water of the Caribbean. I enjoy hiking and getting out in nature when I can but I also enjoy being pampered in a spa. I am eclectic in my interests and tastes and I think this blog will eventually reflect that. I have one dog -a yorkie poo, Lexi who makes me smile regardless of what kind of day it’s been. As for the rest, I’m still learning about myself so stay tuned….
LEXI TAYLOR