Once upon a time …

There was a girl.

She went to college. She worked hard, and got her degree.

She took her first job, and learned a lot. Moved to another job when she felt she was worth more than they were willing to pay. She climbed the ladder … and hated where she landed. She knew there must be a better way.

She started a business. Then another. And another.

She got married. She gave birth to a daughter.

Her happy little family went on their merry way, enjoying life.

Yes, there were challenges. But in her mind, they only made her appreciate the good stuff that much more.

She bought and sold houses. She moved to new cities. She made new friends. She discovered new realities.

Now at fifty-six, she’s at a point where she’s created a life she loves.

But here’s the thing.

Looking back, she loved getting a degree, building a career, starting her family.

She loved watching her daughter turn 1, 2, and 3.

But right now, she LOVES her daughter even more at 26.

Why go back to the 1s, 2s, and 3s? She’s been there, done that.

She was a different person back then.

She had different goals and ambitions.

And she quite likes who she is today. All the gray hairs, faults, and perceptions.

Every day brings change

While it’s hard to remember exactly what you were thinking in the past, you can go back to different times in your life and remember who you were.

• I remember looking at my brand new baby girl, wondering who she would be as she grew.
• I remember planning a life with my husband when we officially tied the knot.
• I remember a day in my thirties, completely overwhelmed with life. I drove from my home in Denver to a ranch in the mountains to attend a weekend workshop with a life coach. I was late, driving up the hill in traffic, crying my eyes out. I knew I couldn’t go on burning the candle at both ends.
• I remember holding my very first published book in my hands. The feeling of accomplishment filled my heart and soul.

On each of those days, I was living my life as designed. I made choices. I took action. I arrived at each final destination based on the plans I’d made based on who I wanted to become.

We always say things like: “I’d love to go back and tell my 20-year-old self a few things.” But would you have listened?

You were exactly where you were supposed to be at that moment. We don’t know what we don’t know. A lot of your advice would be completely over your head.

What if you would have told yourself: “Don’t marry that guy.” You wouldn’t have your kids. You wouldn’t have all the experience you learned from being in that situation.

We make the best choice we can every single day.

We use that to make decisions, move forward, and make plans for the near future.

The puzzle of me

I like to describe it as the “puzzle of me.”

The average person lives about 82 years, or 30,000 days. That means the average person has about 30,000 pieces in their puzzle. Each day fitting together with the ones behind it. Each one necessary to build the complete puzzle.

The picture gets clearer with every piece you insert. Your style, your personality, the way you think and act, all become defined as you insert the next piece. That wouldn’t happen if the pieces didn’t all fit together.

Each piece may stand alone, but they wouldn’t tell the complete story of you without each other.

You’re unique because no one in the world has exactly those same 30,000 pieces, even if you’re with that person for a lifetime.

That’s what gives you your gifts. Your ability to do things all on your own.

It’s time to build your story – here at day …

I talk with women all the time who ask: What’s next? They know there’s something else out there. They are ready to build a new portion of their lives.

Then in almost a complete reversal, they’ll backtrack on their desires. They say they’re:

• Too old
• Too set in their ways
• Have too much to lose
• Have too many years in at their existing company
• Are too close to retirement
• Have too many bills
• Have too much already on their shoulders

They’re scared.

And I get it.

But look at it a different way.

How many pieces of your puzzle are left to be filled in? If you’re 50, based on my 30,000 puzzle idea, you have around 11,680 pieces left to fill in.

Are you going to leave them to chance?

At any point, you can choose to change your story. You can TAKE CHARGE.

The only question is: Will you?