Why? How did this even come about? Y’all just wanted the hot and steamy story, didn’t you? Thought so. Well, I’m not one to disappoint, so here goes:

 

Back in December, I went to a Tony Robbins seminar where we set goals for the next year. One of my goals at first was to have a new job by 2013, but I crossed it out and said I’d settle for a refreshed vigor for my current position where I was already. I decided to return to the office and really show up with my full self for my team and give them my best. From the first day back, they saw a new Molly. And after a couple months of this, I felt like I’d made a 180º change and I was on top of the world. I’d just gotten a raise and been put in charge of our mid-west retail marketing program, and I was pumped about the opportunity.

 

That said, after another month or so, I began to feel a stagnation again. I was scheduled for another Tony Robbins seminar in April of ’12, and I was looking forward to another recharge to help me bring my best self back to work. What ended up happening instead, was that when I took stock of the job I realized it was primarily the people I enjoyed working with most. But the job itself, its trajectory and the corporate structure just didn’t match my DNA that veered towards the more entrepreneurial tendencies. As I already own my own business and have a patent I’m working on licensing, I knew that there were opportunities out there for me. And even before my first job coming out of college, I knew in my heart that the yearning to climb the corporate ladder wasn’t in me. I did know though, that I could get in there and learn a ton from the experience and confirm or deny my inkling.

 

Confirmed.

 

When a fellow attendee/friend at this course told me he’d hire me for a six-figure salary (not commission) and another attendee/friend said he would hire me, I realized that there might be a world outside of what I’d known for the last three years. I hadn’t ever seriously thought about what could lie outside of my then-current job, but now the idea had thrown itself upon me. Too scared to even consider it, I avoided that conversation for the rest of my trip at the seminar.

 

When I got home, though, the idea wouldn’t go away. I thought about being able to maintain my current cost of living with a six-figure income, and invest the difference. I thought about the potentials of compounding returns over time, and what I could do for my future family by beginning that financial journey now. So, I finally called my friend who had made the offer to talk more about it. When he began by asking me about my skill set and what I did, I realized he hadn’t even known what I did--and he still wanted to work with me. Without getting too cocky, here, this was a moment where I saw that my being my full happy/thoughtful/learning self had real value to someone else.

 

The thing was, too though, I didn’t want another job that I could do. Sometimes I think we have to remember that just because we can do something, it doesn’t mean we have to. Instead, I wanted a job that pulled me out of bed in the morning, rather than pushing me out of bed and through the rest of my day. And as much as I want to save and invest money for my future, it couldn’t be all about the money in the end.

 

It’s worth more to me to spend the time now, figuring out my pull. This is an investment in myself, because if I can spend more of my life loving what I’m doing--In my opinion, that’s a richer life in the end anyhow. The “richest man in the graveyard” metaphor comes to mind here. I’m also trusting that when I work from my heart, that is valuable to others; and I will be compensated according to the value I add to others’ lives.

 

So, all this thought processing doesn’t necessarily lead to my Epic Road Trip USA, I know. Hang on, I’m almost there: One Friday morning in particular, I went on a hike before work with a friend of mine and came home to make a fresh green smoothie (here comes the hot and steamy part). As I hopped into my shower and was sudsing up, I asked myself (since I didn’t really feel like going to work that day), “What would I do today, if I could have my perfect day?”

 

From there arose a day I could replicate on my own terms: Get up early -- be physical: hike/run/move -- healthy breakfast of a green smoothie, or the like -- take a (hot and steamy) shower -- sit down and write, and read good content that inspires me and others -- healthy lunch with friends -- spend my afternoon giving back, and interacting with others -- grill outside with good friends -- go dancing.   Perfect day. BAM.

 

And I figured, I could do all these things, and learn and travel and see friends and dance and see farms all via one crazy awesome road trip.

 

It’s as simple as that!