Before we become friends it is probably a good idea for you to know a little about why I’m here, how I got here, and why. Lets get right to it. I spent almost thirty years in a sales/sales management career to which I pretty much led by the seat of my pants. I operated on what seemed logical, professional, and what worked. Apparently, I got it right most of the time, at least that is what my success told me but despite the success I was never happy with that career. It made me feel empty, unhappy, and like I was wasting my time. See for as long as I can remember I wanted to be a part of something different, special, something bigger than just your typical dog and pony show “job”. I felt in my gut a greater purpose, a desire to be more, do more, help more, and share it all with the world. I read business books, built business plans, and tried to follow all the top tips of starting a business. Unfortunately, in the end, crippled by my own fear, it never led to anything tangible. It was easier and felt more comfortable staying in my “safe” zone.
Fast forward years later, having thrown all that theory and advice in the dumpster and having set fear and anxiety aside, I jumped! I quit over analyzing, over thinking, and trying to work out all the details. I took one step forward and then another…I started moving forward on a different path. I did what I had done for thirty years in sales I followed my gut instinct and once again flew by the seat of my pants. I considered what my passions were and I set off on a journey. It didn’t have to make perfect sense at the time but it had to feel right and oh feel right it did. Sure there was some apprehension, along with some down right W.T.H. am I doing moments but the will to change my path outweighed all insecurities.
You see I had no idea where my path would led me ten months a go when I quit a lucrative career but I knew the time was right to jump, take a risk, and follow my gut. A gut that told me that there was indeed something out there that would feed my passion (and hopefully my wallet!), bring me peace, increase my joy, and allow me to touch and help heal others. I started small, baby steps; I enrolled in to summer college and took some courses that sparked my interest. It was during that time I had my aha moment. I was on a field trip as part of a media class; we were at a PR firm. Several graduates were now working at this firm and they were sharing their education path to their careers and also their own passion that got them their jobs. I sat there, as the oldest person in the room and thought to myself, YES, that is what I want, I want to feel enthusiastic and passionate about what I’m doing and be able to share that excitement with others. I too wanted to build a career around my passion and that passion was food and being vegan.
I rushed home immediately and began to Google anything and everything I could on learning more about my “passion”, knowing that my studies would no longer take place at the collegiate level. Hit number one came when I recalled reading about a vegan blogger and now mentor and friend, JL Fields (http://jlgoesvegan.com/), whom had attended Victoria Moran’s Main Street Vegan Academy. I immediately looked it up, saw there was an upcoming academy in August, emailed Victoria, and she graciously accepted me to fill the LAST spot. WOW! My world was looking better. You can read more about he Vegan Main Street Academy here: http://mainstreetvegan.net/academy/. The academy was sure to get me going in coaching and teaching others about moving towards a more conscious and compassionate lifestyle. Score!
I still wanted to hone my kitchen skills and since a traditional culinary program was not fitting for a vegan, I began to search alternatives. Hit number two! I found exuberant Meghan Telpner and her first online (online, O.M.G!) offering of her Culinary Nutrition program (http://meghantelpner.com/teaching/online-culinary-nutrition-expert-program). Three intensive months of learning how to bring nutrition in to the kitchen that was to begin right after Victoria’s academy. WOW! Not only was my world looking brighter, but also it had automatically aligned itself perfectly in an effort to help move me towards fulfilling my cooking passion. Another score!
Having now completed both programs and started two new businesses I can say that becoming an entrepreneur, working for yourself, and trying to define the term success have become a different meaning now. It’s not necessarily closing the sale, having a long list of clients, or wearing a big hat (a Texas term for deep pockets). Instead success is now defined in small daily gratifications, accomplished milestones, embracing frustrations, even accepting setbacks. Because you realize they are all leading you towards a path of accomplishing the bigger picture. A picture that you yourself can’t even define or describe, but you know in your gut it’s going to turn out a masterpiece.
At this point I won’t go in to the all details of the journey from then to now, I will save those to pop up in small increments here and there in various blog postings. But the now is what your reading, what your seeing, the brand I’ve created, the services I’m offering, and a platform to share with the world why it all matters. It matters to me, and if your reading this I hope it does or will matter to you. More than anything I want you to know I care, deeply, and that I hope by sharing my journey it will inspire someone, even one, to take a jump, a risk, and just start. You know you are, you know what your gut says, what then are you waiting for? You don’t have to know where the journey will take you, I still don’t know where all this will go or end up. But heck, it is fun and I’m loving the ride because I’m putting my passion to work and that brings peace and joy to myself and hopefully others.