Inspire Me: Making A Living & Life

Happy Monday!! It's crazy to think that we are in the last week of January! This first month of 2016 has gone quickly. Luckily, for me, it has been a really great, productive, and fun month. I've started 2016 off on the right foot and I'm optimistic that it will continue this way!!

 

I wanted to start this week off with one of my favourite quotes, and something that is nice to be reminded of every once and again:

Starting in March of 2015, I really took this to heart. I put my job before my life and well-being. If I wasn't happy in my job (aka making a living), I was miserable in my life. Everyone noticed and a lot of people were concerned for me. In a split second, my life changed for the better, and I haven't looked back. 

I spent a week LIVING...no thoughts of work, or job, or how I was going to pay my bills. I just experienced life, I enjoyed life, I had fun, and most importantly, I started to laugh again. When I went back to making a life that I was proud of and happy with, I was brought to the perfect organization for me to work for. It's an organizing that allows me to make a living and encourages me to have a life. I am giving opportunity after opportunity to grow and learn, to have new experiences. They are even helping me cross items off of my bucket list. 

At the same time, I have found a group of friends- my Pod Pals who are experiencing small adventures with me- dinners out, haunted houses, and game nights (so far), and Paint Pals, who are committed to a monthly outing where we try a new activity. 

Since my focus has switched from making a living to living life-and I work for an organization that has realistic expectations of my work time and is more than willing to accommodate my life- I have been able to have once in a life time experiences. These experiences have always been present, but previous work conditions didn't allow me to participate. I was too busy making a living.

My dad and I were having a conversation- as we were driving back from watching Team Canada play at the U18 World Ice Hockey Championships, where we watched the game from a private box, got to meet Hazel McCallion (who was the Mayor of Mississauga for 36 years, before retiring in her 90's), and meet the Ambassador from the Czech Republic- and he said to me "you like going to things." I told him I did. I told him that I have been given opportunities that not everyone gets and don't want to waste them. I told him I like to experience things...you never know who you will meet or what will happen. 

I have always said that I- and everyone for that matter- live life for the story. Since I shifted my focus to making a life, the story has gotten a whole lot more interesting!!