How I Created My Dream Life in Less Than 3 Years
I am often asked how I moved back to the United States from Nicaragua with...
- less than $1,000 to my name
- no home (just a car I was borrowing)
- a history of troubled relationships
- and only one suitcase of belongings
Then, in less than 3 years I created...
- an extraordinary love relationship that lights me up every day
- work in the world that I am deeply passionate about and that affords me a financially stress-free lifestyle I love
- a home/office that feels like a dream (in my dream neighborhood, just blocks from the ocean)
- and I am continuing to grow, contribute, and celebrate in new and exciting ways every year.
Here is some of what I did that made a HUGE difference in my life:
1. I invested in support to help me get clarity, up-level my action taking, and create more efficiency with my time and work. I know, I know...I'm a coach so of course I am going to say this. Well I guess it's a damn good thing I believe in the work I do in the world...and it's why I still have a coach myself and will continue to invest in support like this probably for the rest of my life. It makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE and there is no way I would be where I am today without this kind of support. I avoided it for a long time. I was the 'I can do it myself' girl and when I wasn't creating my overwhelmed world with those words, I was saying, "I can't afford it." The truth I later found out, was that I could afford anything I really, truly wanted...and those 4 things above I wanted with all my heart. I was willing to struggle for them.
2. I took bold action that scared me and because of this, it grew me into a woman who doesn't just talk about the change she wants to see in her life and the world, but a woman who takes imperfect action on it, daily. Now here is the thing most don't talk about...coaches actually help you to CREATE problems/things to solve (the key to happiness lies here)...but the problems at this level are the ones that create the kind of change you were after in the first place. It's the kind of problems that turn you into someone you admire and bring you real fulfillment.
3. I took leaps of faith in areas I didn't know if they would work out or not. I risked failure and rejection, and in doing this, I saw what I was actually capable of. I let pain in, rather than trying to push it away. I just started being more conscious about choosing my pain. When I was broke, I had money problems. Now that I have money, I still have money problems/new things to solve. I like the latter problem better. When I was single, I had problems/things to solve, now that I am in a committed, loving relationship, I still have problems/things to solve. I like the latter problem better. You get me? Basically, what I'm saying here is that I am just choosing my struggle, smarter, since I figured out it's part of the game no matter what.
"Because happiness requires struggle. It grows from problems. Joy doesn't just sprout out of the ground like daises and rainbows. Real, serious, lifelong fulfillment and meaning have to be earned through the choosing and managing of our struggles." ~ Mark Manson (author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck: a counterintuitive approach to living a good life)
HOWEVER, before all of this, what enabled me to step forward with such courage and tenacity is this...
I cultivated what I call my super power - GRATITUDE.
I worked on this mindset practice EVERYDAY for a year, until it wasn't a mindset practice anymore, but rather something that resonated from within me. It became my first thought when I awoke in the morning.
I felt deep, heartfelt appreciation and wonder for the ocean, laughter from people I didn't know, a quarter I'd find on the street, a comfortable bed, a roof over my head.
When you let into your bones the truth that life is both messy and marvelous, yet you get to decide the meaning you apply to ALL circumstances....your world will begin to open with more possibility & power.
"...stand in that delicate balance of being optimistic about what is to come, without being unhappy about where you stand. Find a way of eagerly anticipating future changes, while at the same time you are in love and satisfied with who, what, where and how you be." ~Abraham (Hicks)
What are you willing to struggle for in honor of creating the life you truly want to be living?
Ready to create real change and live into the possibility of more living, more loving, and more leading? Applications for The Changemakers Circle are now open. Apply soon as doors close for the year on March 20th: http://www.ambercampion.com/the-change-makers-circle