"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you truly want to become.  Everything else is secondary.” ~ Steve Jobs

I’m at a pivotal point in my life…a time when I need to make a few decisions about what I want going forward. I’ve come through quite a lot and my wish is that as midlife women, we can heal and influence younger women who are raising children and help to lead them toward a path of enlightenment so that their children can live an easier life! Life brings hard things, but if you understand how to handle the hard stuff, you just get stronger! I have learned so much and I have so much to share…we all do!

I believe humanity is evolving and that’s why there is so much chaos going on in the world. Change can bring fear because in our subconscious minds, change isn’t familiar, therefore it isn’t safe. As a collective society, we are experiencing great change as groups of people are striving for equality and fairness.

As individuals, we all have our own personal struggles as our lives change (we grow older, our children leave and have lives of their own, our marriages change, etc.) and on one hand, it’s easy to resist the changes and opt for perceived “safety”, and on the other hand, it’s so important to grow and reach for our dreams.

Our subconscious minds want to keep us safe and to our subconscious minds, safety is what’s known. It takes real determination and mindful living to reprogram our subconscious minds.

Have you ever wondered why you keep doing the same things over and over, even when you don’t want to. Have you ever wondered why you stay stuck in the same job, the same unhappy relationship, the same hum drum life, have the same arguments and live the same day again and again, when deep down, you really want to start your own business, improve your relationship, feel excited when you get out of bed, have peaceful, fulfilled days, and experience new things.

Until we consciously decide to question every thought, live mindfully and shine a light on the way we’re living, nothing will never change, because our subconscious minds will take us back to the familiar every single time. We will confuse what’s known for what’s right.

Change is inevitable, and if we can meet it as an opportunity for growth, we can co-create with the Universe to make magic. We all can decide to move forward or stay stuck. Moving forward is the ability to let go of needing to know every answer and stepping out in faith.

For most of my life, I didn’t realize that my thoughts created my reality. I woke up each day and had mostly the same thoughts as the day before. My subconscious mind was in charge and I was stuck in an endless loop of living the same day over and over again. I wasn’t grateful for the day or the opportunities ahead of me…instead I was busy blaming everyone and everything for my problems, having no idea that I was the problem.

I don’t think I’m alone in this…no one ever told me to question my thoughts because…just possibly they may not be true. No one ever told me because no one knew.

Luckily, there was a spark inside of me…even though it took a while for it to ignite. In my heart, I always knew that there was more, but I definitely went through a time when I wasn’t being guided by my heart. It spoke to me softly but the voice of insecurity was unfortunately louder for a long while. My heart voice came out at times, but I was busy and dismissed it. As my children got older and I had more time, I began to listen just a little more and I walked toward the light…I didn’t know at the time what I was doing.

In spite of all of this, I had big dreams…

I had a catering business and dreamed of being like Martha Stewart (still do!). Cooking has always been a passion and I followed that passion…I learned so much about cooking by actually cooking and discovered the local food movement which lead me to a passion for sustainability and healthy food.

I’ve always loved to workout and I followed that passion. Movement is a great stress reliever and kept me fit and healthy.

If I had not had those two things in my life, I’m not sure where I would be today. So…in some way, I did listen to my heart, I just didn’t realize that’s what I was doing.

One thing leads to another, although it’s much better if you’re going from one thing to another consciously and on purpose, but alas, we get there how we get there how we get there!

I truly believe we have dreams because we are meant to live them out. Living in gratitude for what is while still wanting more is evolution. In every situation, there is something to be grateful for…even if it’s just what we learned from the situation. I would not be who I am today if I had not been through the things I’ve gone through and for that I am grateful!

My life is better today because I hit rock bottom and, at that point, was determined to live differently. I began a search for truth and freedom that has taken me to places I never dreamed I would go.

I got out of my head and into my heart (I listened to my intuition). I began to question my thoughts. I learned to love myself. I took responsibility for my life.

Happiness is an inside job and nothing outside of you can make you happy. Not money or success or recognition. If you don’t love you, nothing else matters. When you love yourself…money, success and recognition are the icing on the cake. Loving yourself comes from discipline…it comes from keeping your word to yourself, because you realize that you matter.

Meditation, prayer, study, exercise, mindfulness and a willingness to be curious have been and continue to be important tools on my never ending journey of becoming.

“The space between no longer and not yet is what defines the pivot periods of our lives.  This is the time when we have nothing left to hold on to, but also nowhere clearly to land.” ~ Brianna Wiest

When you come to a point in life when you are “no longer” willing to live the way you’ve been living, but you are not sure where you’re going or how to even get there, this is when you can consciously choose to take one day, one moment at a time and mindfully move forward into the unknown. Moving forward takes trust and courage, but it is opening the door for life changing miracles. Moving forward happens in moment to moment decisions. Deciding to do one small thing differently today, by staying present and letting your heart, not your mind and it’s looping thoughts run the show. Deciding to question those thoughts is how you begin to move forward toward a more fulfilling life.

If you love this post and want more like it, please let me know! Thanks for reading today and remember to be open to the possibilities!

The outfit I’m wearing in these pictures is from Etcetera! Etcetera makes the cutest classic clothing for women and there are so many great pieces for spring and summer! I’m including a boutique below with the pieces I’m wearing plus a few other favorites!