by *Post updated 11 April 2017*
Today I have a totally different kind of post to share with you. Don’t worry, I’ll be back on Friday with a recipe for my favorite goes-with-everything Tahini sauce. But first, I’d like to share with you a little more about my story, how I got to where I am today, my longing for this blog – and how this applies to you too!
Let’s begin, shall we?
A few years ago, I started my first blog which had absolutely nothing to do with food. It was a personal coaching and inspiration blog, where I talked about mindful living, personal development and what I was learning in the various trainings I was participating in at the time – everything from the Law of Attraction, to Heart Intelligence, to the Art of Feminine Presence. My blog was called Pursue Your Joy, and I was so on fire and lit up to share my discoveries with the world. I also had a few ‘life coaching’ clients and ran some personal growth events locally.
It was a huge change for me. Not long before I was waiting tables at a country club on the beach for a couple years. Before then, I had graduated college, spent a year abroad in Ireland with my two best friends, and then volunteered for a year with AmeriCorps. Life was fun, and I had amazing memories and great times. AND… I knew there was something more to it. Something more to be discovered.
I wondered what my next steps were. Did I want to go to grad school? Did I want to do more volunteering? Did I want to work in non profit? Did I want to do more traveling?
I don’t even know now how I stumbled upon this, but by some miracle I found the Quantum Success Coaching Academy (QSCA) with Christy Whitman, which I credit as being one of the main foundational pieces that supported my life into blossoming what it is now. Christy talked about how to create a successful coaching career, and shared how she used ‘universal laws’ and energy to magnetize everything she wanted in life. Now she is a best selling author, hugely successful life coach and founder of the QSCA with thousands of certified ‘Law of Attraction’ coaches. I was immediately drawn in and, even though I don’t think I really knew what a ‘life coach’ was at the time, I had the feeling this training was a missing piece in my life and I excitedly signed up for her Academy!
At the time, I was only a little familiar with the Law of Attraction. One of my aunt’s gave me the book The Secret
as a college graduation present (she had seen it on Oprah), which is an introduction to the Law of Attraction and how to use it to create the life we want. I remember reading the book in utter amazement the first time I read it… could that be true? Did I just have to ask for something, believe it would happen, and then receive it? That felt like MAGIC! I think I tried it out for a few days and then got sidetracked into ‘normal’ life again, putting the book down for awhile. But I never entirely forgot about the Law of Attraction… and here it was resurfacing again a few years later.
The QSCA really changed my life. It changed my outlook and perspectives. It introduced me to meditation and visualization. It connected me to my spirituality, where just a couple years before I was totally skeptical and agnostic. Perhaps above all else, it helped me believe in myself and know that I had the power to change and create whatever I wanted out of my life. I remember feeling so alive, so grateful and inspired by life, so connected to myself and everything going on around me. It truly felt like anything was possible.
That internal knowing and embodied confidence helped me take risks that I probably woul have never taken before, like starting Pursue Your Joy, my blog and coaching business. Writing and speaking about spirituality and personal development topics isn’t easy. It requires poignancy, clarity, passion, vulnerability; putting yourself out there and wondering if people will think you’re a total nut.
Despite the fear and doubts, I continued writing weekly posts for about 6 months and sharing with my small email list. After that time I stopped writing because I started a new job that I loved and was dedicating a lot of time to, and I quickly realized I couldn’t keep up with my weekly blog posts. I decided for the time being to let go of that outlet.
Looking back today (3.5 years later), I feel really proud of myself for taking the leaps into both the QSCA and later into Pursue Your Joy – just going for it, full on into unknown territory. I’ve learned so much about myself and know that my accumulated experiences have helped me to start strong as I’ve been building Vegan Chickpea from scratch over recent months. Within the first couple weeks of launching this site last summer, I already had about 2,000 page views, which is probably more that Pursue Your Joy EVER received in the few years it was up. I was extremely excited, and those numbers have continued to grow since then!
I say all of this to share two main points (and this is where YOU come in!):
1) I’ve learned that we ALL have stories and experiences that, when shared, are valuable to others. The sad thing is that most of us are blind to how inspirational our lives are – and how sharing our experiences can empower others who are on the same journey.
If I were to ask you, “Have you led an inspirational life?” Your first response might be “No.” (That’s what many people say.)
But the truth is…
You’ve lived an extraordinary life – no matter how old you are, what your educational background is, where you live or what you do for a living. This life has taught you a lot, and has been preparing you to inspire and empower others too.
You think when I started blogging on Pursue Your Joy that I didn’t have doubts? I’d wonder, Does anyone care about little ol’ me and my insights? I’m only 28, I thought, What do I know about spirituality, personal development and inspiring others?
Yet I know I helped quite a number of people in different ways, whether they received a perfect nugget of inspiration that they needed to hear that day, or felt less alone in their experience by reading what I wrote, or whether they actually made changes in their life by reading a post or coming to a workshop. If I had let my doubt stop me, I can see how it would have been a disservice to both myself and to others.
Even if only ONE other person can benefit from your struggle and insights, wouldn’t that be worth sharing? Your journey may be the very thing to inspire others as they walk a similar path.
If you’re interested in learning more about how to turn your experiences into a life coaching career, watch this brand new free video series from Christy Whitman now!
2) I feel it’s an important ingredient to incorporate some of these more general ‘life’ posts into my new path with Vegan Chickpea. While this blog is predominantly about vegan and gluten free food, recipes and directly related topics, I don’t want to forget about these other pieces that are critical to a joyful life.
Food is sustenance and I find that there is a ton of joy to be had in cooking, preparing nourishing food for myself and others, and sharing in one of the things that unites us all – eating! Yet, it would feel inauthentic to me without mentioning other life topics and practices that enhance our awareness and help us create the life we really want.
So, are you in with me for sharing about other topics beyond food? If not, it’s all good. If you’re coming to Vegan Chickpea purely for recipes and food tips, I’m delighted to have you and I love supporting you there. If you’re looking for other inspiration and real life discussion too, you’re also in the right place. Sound good?
Thanks for being here on this journey with me! I’d love to hear your comments below about what experiences you’ve had in your life that you can now use as fuel for you and inspiration for others. Don’t be shy!
Full disclosure: I’m an affiliate of Christy’s, and if you decide that you want to register for the QSCA, I will get a commission as your referrer. I would recommend the QSCA regardless of any commission, so I’m not promoting this program for the money; I’m promoting it because it changed my life, and I’m grateful to the person who referred it to me. The QSCA is open for enrollment twice per year and is currently taking registrations for the Spring 2017 class, closing April 30th at midnight PST. If you have any questions about it, I’m happy to talk to you! You can email me at [email protected]
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