Hey everyone!
Happy Monday! It has been some time since I have posted! It’s honestly been the craziest last month in a long time. Normally, I post about uplifting situations, teach about life lessons from struggles or share about my journey with my health and fitness. This post is a combination of all of those lol.
A month ago, I was in NOLA for my annual coaching conference. The week before I left my car started acting funny. Now if you’ve ever had car problems you know they happen at the worst times. This was no different. During that week, my car kept dropping out of gear, oddly shifting and eventually stopped moving at a red light. Being away for work, I didn’t have any family close by or any mechanic I was used to using to call. The day I had to leave for my conference, I went to work, car running fine, then started to drive to the airport. Within 3 miles of the airport, the wrench light came on and my car started acting up again. I had just made it to the parking lot when it dropped gears again.
Knowing how badly I needed a reset to my mindset and wanted to move my business forward, I parked the car and left lol. It’s crazy though the entire time I was gone, I never even thought about my car. I was so immersed in such amazing opportunities listening to profound speakers and meeting new coach friends that I just forgot my life outside existed. That was until I got back to the airport in MD….I was riding the bus to the parking lot and it donned on me. My car. Would it work? Would I be able to drive? It was midnight when I got in so I went for it. It turned on, drove fine and then within a few miles of my condo started to die again.
To make the longest story short, I got it to a mechanic. Then called my mechanic at home and the news got worse each day. My car was done for. The transmission had 3 failed areas requiring an entire newly built one to replace it. We were talking a whopping $5,000. Money that I did not have. I had already spend almost the same amount between December to February on various problems. It was time to give up my baby, the car I had driven up and down the entire east coast. So I spent my last two weeks at my assignment getting rides from coworkers until I could get my rental car.
It was the next day after this nonsense that I would find out my job was ending. Being a contract traveler means we are required for only so long. Normally, I would just find another position but the reality the numbers didn’t add up. I couldn’t afford a car payment, rent and all of my bills. After a lot of talking, insight from my family and friends, I made the difficult decision to move back home to reset my life.
So for the last two weeks, I packed up my things, said my see you laters as I like to call them and make the trek back to my hometown. This was a first for me, I haven’t lived there in almost 5 years. It’s been an adjustment. I’ve spent the majority of my time applying for jobs, looking for a new car which was made super easy thanks to a family member who works at a dealership and figuring out just what the hell I was doing with my life.
My life truly has been flipped upside down and hasn’t returned to being right side upped lol. If you’ve ever lost your job, had a major financial setback or had to move home you know stress is like no other and for me it started to make me feel inferior again. My best efforts weren’t good enough and I couldn’t wrap my head around how after working 7 days a week between 2-3 jobs for months on end I could be in this position. But it was my reality.
Honestly though, I feel like God had to close every single possible door for me to make this decision. I would have never made this decision on my own and I think he saw my struggles and knew that I needed to reset my life. If we are being reallllyyyyy honest, if I would have kept traveling I know the debt would have just increased. Recently, I had actually a pay cut which over time had been pretty drastic for my financial plans. So this decision was probably more necessary than I was willing to admit.
But….because I know there is always a lesson to be learned, I am realizing that this setback, this stress, this overwhelming sense of failure is preparing me for a different type of success. It’s helping me to dive more into myself, my business, my passion for fitness and my own personal health. Anddddd honestly, this is where my future lies. This transition to being a full time therapist at home has been incredibly stress filled and full of disappointment.
Sometimes, even though it’s scary as hell, an unconventional path that became a gift could just be that thing that you’re destined to become.