In 2007 I made the decision to start “playing by my own rules.” Newly married I was faced with a tough decision-leave my safe and secure 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday job and see my husband sporadically or start my dream business and have the flexibility to travel when I wanted to be with my husband.
Good bye safety and security, hello a life of uncertainty!! When was the last time you had no idea what country you would be in the next week and when you were leaving? Seriously, think of that for a second. You don’t know when you are leaving and you don’t know where you are going? Factors beyond your control will decide your fate. How does that make you feel? Annoying, yes. Scared, yes. Freakin cool, yes!
I know I made the right decision, when I find myself cruising on a bike in another country taking in some unbelievable sites, thinking to myself-did I ever think I would be doing hill repeats in the beautiful country side of the Czech Republic? Did I ever think this is how it would all play out? The answer is “sort of,” because I know my values, but I never imagined it in this format.
I hate the fast pace of life that so many of my friends and family lead. Be more, do more, have more. “Sorry I can’t answer my phone when you call because I’m negotiating a deal, talking to three other people on blackberry messenger all while driving my car with my dog in the trunk waiting for his walk.” I can feel my stomach turning as I type this!! I want to scream-it doesn’t have to be that way! But then I think, maybe they like it that way? Who am I to judge what they do and don’t like.
I just know that my values and priorities are completely different. Be the best I can be in mind, body & spirit, have what I need to be healthy and play, grab every opportunity that life has to offer. I value spontaneity, freedom and being with my husband.
That is how I ended up getting lost on a run last week in
the Czech Republic. Imagine this, 30 minutes in I think “I don’t want to do an out and back, am
going to do a loop. I’ll figure it
out. At 45 minutes winding through small
town number two, I’m thinking hmmm, this route is not as obvious as I thought
it would be. Maybe this was a dumb
idea. Rik has no idea where I went, I
have no ID, no local currency, no cell phone and I can’t speak A WORD of Czech. I’m a total idiot. I always do this; -get myself lost in some
foreign country where I can’t speak the language.” That’s when I say to myself “keep on running, keep on running, keep on
running!” I made my way back and
felt like I just PB’d a half marathon.
Seriously two arms up in the air, massive smile on my face as I round
the corner and see my hotel. Then a little giggle and I think to
myself “that was freakin cool!!”
I feel sometimes that I know a secret that I wish everyone knew. The secret is this-we all hold the power to make choices and changes in our lives. I can hear my close friends saying- “we all can’t marry a professional tennis player and travel the world like you do.” If you wanted to, I could probably hook you up, ha ha, but seriously it comes down to your values and your priorities. What do YOU want?
I’ve learn't a lot about living by my own rules these past 2.5 years. I toy with the idea of starting a blog writing about my adventures and sharing some of the tips I’ve picked up along the way from where to rent a bike in the Canary Islands, to the best way to run your virtual business. But then who wants one more thing to manage in their lives and really it’s kind of narcissistic. “Hey, read about all the cool things I get to do while you have to sit in your cubicle and get yelled at about something that is completely out of your control.” Really I just want people to fundamentally know that they have the freedom to actually call the shots in their own lives. You don’t need to have 10 million in the bank, you don’t need to wait till your children get to a certain age, you don’t need to marry a tennis player, you just have to want it badly enough and start making some of the decisions and choices required to make what you want happen.
If you are looking for a good kick in the pants with some solid “how to tips” read this book “The Four Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss. I downloaded the audio version on this last trip and I love his no nonsense practical approach for living the life that you want. I don’t love the “I’m the best at this and that and this” but hey his point is you can do things you probably never thought of because you don’t know how to play the game.
Read the book and then give me a call to figure out what your best game looks like and start playing by your own rules!
Business life can be very uncertain. But like what most people say, it is better to take risks and lose in the end, than to never take them because you're too afraid of the challenge. Just work it out girl and play by your own rules. You'll see that in no time, you'll be more successful than ever. =]
Posted by: Raela Drigger | August 01, 2011 at 12:55 PM
Exactly. Yes, you can play by your own rules. It will make life more adventurous and worth living. But just be careful because everything has its own limitations. Know how to play your game, but know your limits.
Posted by: Mike Clark | October 18, 2011 at 03:40 PM