I have lived many lives. All of them within this lifetime. I am a master of reinvention only by the grace of God. One after another my life lessons teach me, craft me…allow me to grow. And I have learned to always ask myself, “Do the events of my life define ME or refine ME?”

“Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.” -Vernon Sanders Law, 1960 Cy Young Award Winner

And by walking and stumbling and, sometimes even crawling my path the last few years I was able to learn my deepest passion and my life’s purpose. SO…if I was one of the top 10% most viewed profiles on LinkedIN in 2012, why do I still not have a secure income, a home or health insurance? What am I doing wrong? Why do I often feel out of place when I know I belong?

If you are going to ask the questions,
be sure to listen for the answers.

How many times in my life have I been presented with the answers, but I did not listen? Then, my hurried life is brought completely to a halt…so I can do nothing else but listen!

I have been a success in my career. My five year plan for becoming an industry expert happened within two years. My life was full and I found that teaching transformed into mentoring and coaching. By 2004, I had taught and coached over 3000 clients, operated a thriving art school, was speaking before groups of 500 or more. I sold my graphic design business in the late 1990s. I used that money with my inheritance to buy my dream home on a tiny island….the top of my bucket list. Life was good

Sometimes the Universe smacks you in the face…hard.
And when you stand back up it will punch you again,
in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out
of your lungs is the only way for them to know
just how much they love the taste of air. And I love air!!!

 

Loss Leads to Purpose

In May of 2008 I was punched in the stomach…hard. I lost my remaining source of income and my ego’s ‘identity’ as editor of an international arts magazine. Later that year I developed pneumonia while traveling and almost died.

I was financially prepared (so I thought) with more than ten months of living expenses socked away. I had occasional income from graphic and web design and writing gigs. But I couIld not find a JOB!!! During this next 36 months, God forced me to slow down by removing ALL obstacles. My home, my income and my self-esteem vanished in what seemed like minutes. In return I was presented with TIME! Time to reflect. Time to mourn. Time to refresh. Time to repurpose. Time to realign. Time to reframe. Time to release.

and within this gift of time…

I Found ME

A flawed, scarred woman with a story to tell. During this Three Year Retreat, mostly silent, I lost everything I thought I valued. For those of you who have followed my story on Cre8Tiva’s blog and on my blog, Down, But Not Out (Living Beneath No Means),  It was a time to reinvent and probably the most pain-filled life lesson to learn.

I had no choice but to reconnect with myself…find strength to look at what brought me to this place, find fortitude to survive, find courage to move forward, find hope to rebuild, find tiny bits of my soul that had been scattered about the universe over the years and bring them home.

I stepped haltingly into my purpose, my future, my path…

I recently attended inCourage’s In Real Life Conference (#inRL). One of the other attendees, (@deidrariggs), tweeted this… “If I’m not doing the thing He created me to do, then nobody’s doing it.” – Deidra Riggs

I don’t remember a time in my life that I was accused of not doing my own thing…I love to dance in the rain (or anywhere for that matter) and I still jump into mud puddles even though I am well past the age for a genteel (say…polite, refined or respectable) Southern lady to do so!!! Yet I do!

I have messed around with many “callings” up to now…dancer, artist, Mother, editor, graphic designer, friend, TV star, radio personality, Christian Spiritual Director, life coach, healer, Junior Leaguer, writer, blogger, business coach…yadda, yadda, yadda! All were fun and all provided a big learning ground for me to grow into the thing I now believe He created me to do…

Communicate in a Big Way with Love

My life has always been like these stacked stones…one after another my life lessons pile on teaching me, crafting me…allowing me to grow. I have often been called a dreamer and I believe that is my truth…I dream, yet I do more…I vision a future where I have a home once again, health insurance and an income no one can ever take from me! Still searching for that elusive security…

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