September 2008. This is me on summit night on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa. I’m guessing we’re at approximately 18,000’. We’re at a rest break, it’s cold and dark. We’ve been climbing for hours. I’m trying to focus on the one thing I know I’m supposed to be doing to get myself to the top of this mountain. Breathe. I know I need to get some fuel in my body so I have some calories to burn, but I’m nauseated from the altitude and trying not to throw up. I’m trying not to listen to all the chatter going on in my head telling me I’ll never make it. Turn around. Your legs are too tired. It’s too far. Give up. Quit.
I learned a lot about myself that night – and on that trip – and on the trips that followed. If you had told me I would be celebrating my 55th birthday under the stars of Africa – AFRICA!! – I never would have believed you. I hadn’t traveled out of the U.S. in 30 years. I was new to climbing. I was climbing with a group, but didn’t know the other people on the climb. It was so far out of my comfort zone. SO far.
What was I doing there? Good question. I can tell you at that point I was trying to answer a lot of questions for myself about my life. Our daughter was in college. Launched. My life was full, busy, going well. I was teaching piano to a studio full of students. But still … there was a day when I woke up and thought is this IT? What about all the things I want to do with my life? That moment when I realized that IF there was anything I really, really wanted to do, I’d better get busy. 20 years of raising our daughter had gone by in the blink of an eye. The next 20? They were going to go even faster.
If you are in the middle of launching your kids, you’re probably asking the very same questions. How do you find the answers? You start where you are. I know for sure that we don’t learn by standing still. We learn by challenging ourselves. You CAN redefine what’s possible in your life. Stepping out of your comfort zone is … uncomfortable. Do it anyway!
Start by giving yourself permission. If you haven’t already downloaded your Permission Slip, go do it right now! Print it out and keep it someplace where you’ll see it. And then … begin. Start peeling away all of the layers, the expectations of everyone around you, all those definitions of who you’ve been told you should be, and tell me what YOU want to start.
I found answers in the mountains. Where will you find yours? Leave a comment below – I’d love to know! If you’re ready to take action, here are some ways we can work together. You CAN create the life you want!
Your biggest fan,
Jean
