As I savored the sweet and salty combination of my margarita and breathed in the fresh Aspen tree filled air, I was overcome with a sense of gratitude and reflection.
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I first started to feel the tug towards more freedom and exploration in my life as I sat in a restaurant at the base of Vail Mountain a few years ago. I longed to snag a seasonal mountain job, to not be so tied to my work, and to have the freedom to explore the mountains whenever I wanted.
At that time, I quickly brushed off this daydream. That’s not what I was “supposed” to be doing. I had a Bachelors in accounting and a Masters in finance, and I was meant to climb the corporate ladder. I had generally been pretty good at it and enjoyed the people I worked with.
During a surprise visit to Vail a couple weeks ago, I revisited the same restaurant, ordered a margarita, and reflected on this full circle moment.
Here’s what I learned.
Celebrate your wins
While I feel immense gratitude for the daily life I’ve been able to create, I’m generally pretty “used to” my day-to-day life. I love my routine, but it’s become just that… a routine. Something I now just expect.
But this full circle moment created an amazing opportunity to reflect on how far I’ve come in the past few years. During that time, I’ve:
- Stepped out of my corporate job that wasn’t feeling aligned anymore.
- Invested in coaching.
- Decided to start my own business.
- Started a blog.
- Enrolled my first free client.
- Enrolled my first paid client.
- Fully replaced my corporate income.
- Created a life of total freedom using my business.
As I sat sipping my margarita, I relished these wins and looked forward to creating more wins in the future. And to those on the outside, it may look like I’ve made quantum leaps to get where I am today. I admit, those wins listed above are big ones. But it’s really the small actions that add up everyday to create a life that brings you joy each day.
Small steps create something big
At this time last year, I would’ve been in awe at where I’m at today, and a few years ago, I would’ve been totally blown away if you told me this was my life now. And in the grand scheme of life, things have moved pretty quickly, but…
I didn’t get lucky. I invested in myself, took small steps to just start, stayed disciplined in putting in the work even when I didn’t feel like it was paying off, and trusted in God’s plan for me.
I didn’t have it all figured out before I started. I started with writing a few blogs, got into the practice of writing every day, developed a posting strategy on LinkedIn, started having enrollment conversations, explored new writing pathways, etc. None of this is glamorous but is crucial to success.
And as I started to accumulate wins, I worked to expand further. I took on bigger clients and different skillsets. I even added a whole new business offering when I launched my ghostwriting services.
The expansion is glamorous, but the small disciplined actions… not so much. But even though I love where my business is at and where it’s headed, I know I still need to do those small, consistent, unglamorous actions each day to continue to expand and use my gifts to make a positive impact on the world.
Doing the inner work
As I mentioned in the intro, I used to long to be less tied to my work. While at the time, I felt like I didn’t have a lot of control over that if I wanted to excel in my work, I see now that I was really imposing that feeling on myself.
It was my own limiting beliefs, not my circumstances, that were creating that mindset. The mindset of feeling like I needed to reply to emails right away even outside of work hours, feeling like I needed to be one of the first ones in the office and one of the last ones out, etc. No one imposed those standards on me. The hyperachiever in me just wanted to do anything possible to achieve success.
Through doing the inner work and investing in coaching, I saw that it was possible to be successful while also having an amazing balance in my life. I know my mindset has power over my circumstances and not the other way around.
I now own my own business, which would make it easy to be constantly tied to my work. But I have more balance now than ever. The proof is in the pudding.
The Jamie that sat in Vail a few years ago daydreamed about having a seasonal job in the mountains where she could separate herself more from work and be in nature. The Jamie of today said, “I’ll see you that daydream and raise you owning your own successful business where you work from anywhere, have immense balance in your life, and find so much joy along the way.” When the mountains are calling, I grab my laptop and go.
To learn more about the business I’ve built and my ghostwriting services, check out my free Non-Fiction Book Blueprint!
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences with those who may find them relatable and helpful.