This is Part 4 of a full series this month, taking you behind-the-scenes of leaving my corporate job, building and creating a business, and doing what you love. I’m pouring my heart out here, just warning you, and has nothing to do with healthy food and recipes. But don’t worry, those will be back soon! Haven’t caught up yet? Start with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Here it is! The fourth and final part in this month-long series. My hope is that my story has inspired you to evaluate your own life and really dig deep into why you haven’t taken the leap and pursued your dreams. What’s holding you back? Is it fear?

We all have dreams. Whether they’re something you think about on a daily basis or they pop up once and awhile, they exist. If I were to ask you, “What would your ideal life look like?”, what would you say? If your current life aligns with this vision, MORE POWER TO YOU! That’s amazing! If that’s not the case, it’s time to get clear on this vision.

The more you practice self-reflection and really quiet the noise, the more clear this becomes. You already know what your soul desires. Did you know that? The popular phrase “finding yourself” should really be “listening to yourself”. There’s nothing you need to go searching for. Your true, authentic self is within you. Now if you ask me, that’s pretty incredible.

The challenge is that we are constantly turning to outside sources to tell us what we should be. We take quizzes that tell us what career would best suit us (hello, these used to be my favorite past time). Now, I’m all for self-development in forms of reading, journaling, reflecting, etc. I am always reading a self-development book because it helps me stay in an enlightened headspace. It’s a good reminder that each of us in a work-in-progress.

But what if we stopped waiting for a book or a quiz to tell us what we should do. What if we flipped the script and asked God (or the Universe depending on your beliefs) how we can best serve Him?

Let that sink in for a minute.

When you start living your life for a greater purpose, that’s when the dial starts to move. All of a sudden, fear seems to disappear, anxiety about the future goes away, and doors start to open. Why? Because we’re living in a state of flow. This state of flow allows us to become fully connected to the constantly unfolding present moment. Thoughts and feelings about the past and the future begin to fall away and our full consciousness is directed towards what is happening right now.

If you’ve ever experienced this, even for a brief moment, it’s an amazing feeling. The creative juices flow like water, productivity increases, and we feel connected to ourselves. Personally, I experience this after reading or meditating, which is why I like to do these two exercises first thing in the morning. It helps me tap into that powerful headspace.

So, what’s holding you back?

Could it be a little bit it of fear? (or a lot)

The thought of “failing” at something and worrying that people will judge you? By the way, there’s no such thing as failure.

Is it resistance to change your routine and step outside your comfort zone for the unknown? Trust me, I get this one.

Whatever your reason is, be honest with yourself. Write it down. Pray about it. Give yourself permission to release whatever is holding you back. Truthfully, that feeling does not exist. YOU created it.

When you’re ready, God is there to fully support you. How will you know? You can feel it. I felt it clear as day as I walked away from my corporate job. And let me tell you, it’s hard to even put into words how that feels. Imagine getting the best hug (you know those people who are just really great huggers?) and feeling like you’re walking on a cloud.

If you can use your imagination and feel even a fraction of what that feels like, then you’re with me.

Now, before this series ends, I want to share with some of the behind the scenes of what it takes to create a successful, fulfilling, purpose-driven business.

Being an entrepreneur is the most rewarding, enlightening, overwhelming, exhilarating, challenging and FREEING journey I have ever experienced.

It also patience, faith, resiliency, discipline, sacrifice, confidence, and lots and lots of energy. 

The first thing I learned very quickly was so much of it the journey is mental. You need to believe in yourself, trust the process, have faith (pray a lot) and stop letting fear run your life. If you believe you can be successful, there’s no stopping you.

It’s no coincidence that the top entrepreneurs in the world are meditating, journaling, visualizing, reading, and manifesting on a regular basis. It works.

Trust me.

Sure, running a business requires physical work, time, and energy to actually make money. That’s just a given. But believe me when I say that your mental game has to be strong.

Secondly, your time is extremely valuable. Time is your greatest resource and one thing that should be used wisely. While it’s important to hustle and to think about the future, it’s just as important to allow yourself to live in the moment and take time to just enjoy things. That means getting clear on what fills you up and what your time is worth.

I always start my day by setting my top three priorities. This helps me stay focused instead of trying to tackle an endless to-do list.

Thirdly, celebrate small wins. Starting a business is hard and growing one is harder. Sometimes, it can feel like you’re not making any progress. However, one of the most eye-opening exercises I did was made a list of everything I had accomplished in one year. Grab a pen and paper and go do this now. You’ll be amazed at the many things you accomplish but completely forget about because you don’t celebrate them like you would a “super big” win.

In your short-term plan, identify small wins to celebrate. Avoid this idea that you have to land some big client or reach thousands of customers before celebrating. Rejoice over the first customer or first sale or updating your website.

Recognizing small victories can boost your morale and provide a surge of energy needed to really move the dial. Remember, you’re no longer sitting down with a boss who’s giving you a performance review and telling you what an amazing job you’re doing. You need to do this for yourself! This will provide you with the motivation to keep going.

I’ll leave you with a closing thought. You only get this one life to live. Don’t take it for granted. Create what you want. Be generous and humble. And you will always receive it back.

God’s plan works.

Yours doesn’t.