The Journey of a 1000 Steps Begins With Just One

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Sometimes the path is not clear, but the next step is a no-brainer. That’s how I felt when I signed up for a local YNPN conference back in May without knowing why. Maybe it was the name, Ignite…I love that word.

Who doesn’t want to be ignited even more than they already are?

It’s true, I’m on a journey. And it freaks me out less than it used to, to admit that I have no idea where I am headed. About a year ago I recognized that my work life was not what I wanted it to be, and I was unhappy, unfulfilled, and hugely restless. So I set out to move some cheese.

One step at a time…I decided to begin following my passions and see where they led me.

My steps seem to be taking me places, new places in fact, and they feel right. As if, on my journey, I am recognizing parts of me that I never understood before. My strengths, my weaknesses, my insecurities, my inner confidence. It is all moving me closer to my vision for a fulfilled life.

I feel like I am finally becoming the person I have always wanted to be. Someone who gives back to the world around them. I am not doing anything grandiose (yet) only taking some small steps toward being the best person I can be.

As I sat in breakout group number one at YNPN’s Ignite Conference last May with Steve Frazee, I felt a huge sense of affirmation. He explained his theory on the growth steps a person makes in their personal journey, and how their “software” changes at each step of the way. It made sense to me. I am changing, I have changed, and yet at my core I am still the same person. But you need to plug into the software that reaches me at this stage in life, in order to really reach me.

I too, believe that at different stages in life we are reachable in different ways. I think it takes an understanding of people, an ability to read both people and situations, and perspective (age) to truly inspire people, to really command their attention. Steve Frazee did that for me with his talk about how we should be able to follow our passions and also make a decent living at it. We shouldn’t be defined for what we don’t do, like the non-profit sector is, but instead be defined by who we are, and what we believe in.

As I move through life I am learning what my passions are, and I am confident that one day all my dots will align, and I will make the money I deem necessary to support my family, and still be able to achieve my life’s purpose.

In fact, I’m counting on the fact that you will, too.