Having Cake & Being Able to Eat It Too!

For a long time I've felt pulled in two different directions, a constant internal tug-o-war. One direction is a love of helping people organise their holidays to create beautiful memories for themselves and their families. The other, a love and passion for helping people understand life and the meaning they've chosen to give it, being able to overcome fears and limiting beliefs to create a way forward.

Both directions are full of passion. Both directions light me up. I thought I had to choose one or the other. I beat myself up about this for the longest time.

So I told everyone that I didn't like my job (Reality is that I love my job, didn't necessarily love the environment I was working in). Over time I've tweaked my life to be working in my job less and more in my coaching environment. Except when in my coaching environment, I have been very afraid of many things. So much time wasted getting caught up in small, insignificant details that don't even matter right now.

For quite awhile I thought I had to choose one over the other. You see, the end of my maternity leave was edging closer and I knew a decision needed to be made - return to work or go full throttle into coaching. Having to choose one option threw me into complete chaos. The very thought of returning to work full time, 5 days a week in a busy office environment made my heart die a little bit (okay maybe a lot).

The thought of working from home, creating a business and working in that business for me made my heart sing, yet fear was hanging out there too. Was I good enough? Could I do this? Would people want to come and see me as a coach? Do I have a message that other people want to hear? How would I cope working from home and having a baby here too? Blah blah blah blah blah.

Then I had a thought - what if I could do both and on my terms? After a conversation with my manager of my "job", I discovered that I could work solely from home. I could still book holidays for my very loyal repeat clients, earn an income and the best news was that I could do it in my own time. I didn't have to clock on or off each day. Hell, I could sit in my pj's with bed hair working if I wanted to.

Suddenly my heart was singing, my soul felt at ease and I realised I could have my cake and eat it too!

The doors I once thought would close if I chose one over the other have been flung widely open simultaneously. I am loving the new-found variety and flexibility of having choices in my days. I love the fact that if someone calls and asks me out for coffee, chances are I can say "yes".

I am feeling wonderful. I feel alive. Switched on. Plugged in. Vibrant. Ready. It's like someone has flicked a switch and everywhere I look I now see possibility. My creative juices are flowing again (and yes I can even fit in some blogging time too!).

Lessons learned:

• Fully check out your options
• Be open to possibility
• Tune into how you really feel about your situation
• Find something that lights you ups
• Variety really is the spice of life!

To celebrate my newfound awareness, I am offering "pay what you can" coaching sessions for the rest of the month. If you are ready to move forward or are just looking for some direction, send me an email with your availability . It's time for you to have your cake and eat it too!

Dear Yeppoon

Friday 27th February

Dear Yeppoon

When we drove out in the early hours of the morning of the 15th  of February in a guise of darkness, we had no idea how different you would be and how much devastation would be reaped upon you during our absence. We were off on a long-awaited for family holiday.

Hearing the news of a cyclone forming off the coast while we were away, we thought it would go around you. They always do. They peter out into nothing. Lots of hype and usually a no-show. Maybe some soggy feet with the rains that normally come when cyclone season is at its peak. We thought you would be safe. You always have been before.

Yet this time was different. Marcia you were a bitch. You came and you wreaked havoc on our beautiful, coastal town. The very town I grew up in and the town where I now raise my own family. The town which is home to many friends and family and a wonderful community. Our piece of paradise.

You destroyed family homes, tore down trees, flung branches and debris far and wide. The wrath of your destruction had to be seen to be believed.

Watching this drama unfold on national tv, waking to see a countdown until the bitch hit was all so surreal. Seeing reporters standing in our familiar streets while the weather ravaged on in the background, was like watching a scene from a movie. 

Seeing the updates on social media, seeing the pictures of people's experiences, hearing the reports, it all felt like an experience in the twilight zone. Hearing stories of survival and homes without power for days on end, it seemed like the end of the world.

We received word that our house was safe. Thankfully we live in a beautiful neighbourhood where our neighbours banded together to batten down our loose items for us or I may have a different story to tell. We were one of the lucky ones.

Families have lost their homes, their possessions, their cars, their incomes. Watching from afar as the community banded together to help each other out in this time of need made me proud to call this place home. The sense of community experienced as residents banded together offering their homes and electricity to those in need was truly heartwarming. The plot in the movie was getting better.

As we returned home yesterday afternoon, not really knowing what to expect when we got here, except that we were still powerless, brought anxiety to my trip. Not knowing what I would see or how far the devastation would spread, had me on edge.

Driving back on the highway from Rockhampton, the devastation was immediately evident. Vegetation and trees torn away, pushed over like skittles. Branches broken like small twigs being snapped in the hands of a young child.

The closer we got to the beach, the more we saw. Tears started to well in my eyes. Hopelessness swept across me. Gratitude quickly replaced these. Gratitude that the impact is superficial. Homes can be replaced. Possessions can be regained. Lives cannot be returned. Gratitude that so many who had come so close to losing it all came through with minor cosmetic damages.

While the images of Marcia and her devastation will disappear from the tv screens, it's a memory that will be etched in the minds of many families throughout the Capricorn Coast. Recovery from this disaster will take many months. But you Yeppoon, you are strong. You will rebuild. You will recover, You will recuperate. You will be restored.  You will be stronger and more beautiful than ever. And in the meantime, it's business as usual.

If you want to help out our community or you're looking for a great place to have a break #visitcapricorn or http://www.capricornenterprise.com.au/2015/03/call-for-hashtag-help-from-locals/