Restless? Dream and explore with me.
You don't have to wait 10 years to live your most joyful life (as I did).
I bought the flower notebook below in 2010 at Barnes & Noble. It’s now falling apart, but it travels with me because it reminds me to keep dreaming and keep exploring. Today, I’m writing to offer you a gift: an hour with me to dream and explore too.
I don’t write much in that notebook anymore but I keep it because it reminds me of how much I wanted to be who I am today when I was younger.
Whenever I felt restless with my job or my life, I would write down business ideas, quotes that inspired me, and actions I could take to live a happier, healthier life. I knew I wanted something else but I couldn’t put my finger on what that was.
Yesterday, I told my coach about this notebook. She asked me, “Back then, when you felt unfulfilled and restless, what did you need the most that you can now offer to other people?”
I want to offer you my answer to her:
An actual person with whom to dream and explore in a safe, helpful space.
Can you share your dreams with your partner? Of course!
Can you tell your friends about what’s making you unhappy with your current life? I hope so.
Can you tell your boss at work why you’re feeling restless or unfulfilled? Maybe.
The type of person that could have really helped me back when I wrote in this notebook wasn’t my partner or my friends, however (as much as I love them). And it wasn’t my boss, who didn’t want to explore my “dreams” if they didn’t involve my job.
Back when I would daydream in my notebook (usually on Sunday nights as I feared my week ahead), the kind of person that would have helped me dream and explore, and do something about it, was someone who:
Was detached from what I “should” do
Wouldn’t judge me for wanting more than the great life I already had
Asked me powerful questions, beyond what I could ask myself
Helped me understand what was getting in my way
Guided me through some steps I could take immediately
After ending the call with my coach yesterday, I knew I had to do something right away. I couldn’t wait until my regular Monday e-mail to you, so I’m writing to tell you this right now:
I am someone who is detached from your “shoulds”.
I am someone who will never judge you for wanting more, even if you already have a great life.
I am someone who will never tell anyone else about what your heart wants most.
I am someone who is highly trained to ask you the right questions to help you discover what you want.
I am someone who can help you understand what’s getting in the way of you feeling happier and help you resolve it.
I am someone who can help you start taking action on your dreams now.
I am someone who is offering you a space to dream and explore.
I have so much compassion for the version of me that used to write in this flower notebook:
I was overworked, restless, and lost. In one entry, at age 25, I wrote, “I must stop living unconsciously as if I had all the time in the world.” Wise words, but back then, they fell flat. I was clueless about how to live “consciously”.
It would take me the next 10 years to build a career and life that felt completely intentional and joyful.
I don’t want life to pass you by for 10 years before you feel joyful about your career and life. So, I want to gift you an hour with me to dream and explore now.
When I say it’s a “gift”, I mean, it’s a gift.
This gift is an hour with me that is free and costs you zero dollars, nada. All you need is your imagination, your heart, and a notebook.
This gift is also not one of those “gifts” that ends with a sales pitch to get you to buy. I want you to know that because I personally detest those (they’re slimy).
This is an hour that is all about YOU and for YOU, not for me.
I’m gifting this hour to you as a way to honor the version of me that could have really used this time and space many years ago.
Let’s dream and explore together so you can start building your joyful life now.
It’s one hour. You have time.
Book a time with me now. Just do it. It might change your life.
P.S. If you know someone else that could really use this too, forward this gift to them. It might just change their life too.
P.P.S. Funny story: Yesterday, I chuckled when I read a list from 2017 in my flower notebook where I brainstormed “company ideas”. Idea #3 read: “Be a career 'concierge' to help people love their careers and lives”. 😂😂😂
I laugh because back then, I had no idea that what I meant was a “coach”, and that 6 years later, I would actually be running that exact company.
Exploring and dreaming pays off. Don’t let it take 6, 10, or even one year, though.
Let’s start now.