I Had NO IDEA How I Was Gonna Do This… but I did it anyway!

animal on cliff edge
This is a guest post by Dana Gore

Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?

Not yet huh? Ok, that’s cool.

Just stay with me for a minute and it’ll all come together 🙂

See – the reason I’m writing about this subject is because I know a thing or two about wanting to make a dream come true, or pursue a passion, yet not having a clue how to make this into a reality.

And from where I stand, I’m not alone.

Many of you probably wonder sometimes whether or not you’ll be able to create something out of nothing – with absolutely no idea whatsoever as to how it could ever work.

Well the good news is that I can share with you two examples that demonstrate that even though sometimes ‘the how’ of things may not be evident – all it takes is a strong enough intention and a willingness to take a few steps forward and things can work themselves out.

Example #1 – Career Change

I had spent years (almost two decades in fact) feeling trapped in a career that I had NO passion for.

To put it bluntly, I hated my day to day routine. I was physically and mentally exhausted every day after work and I lived with constant back pain.

While I did the best I could to change the way I looked at things, I just couldn’t make it work.

To top it off, I couldn’t see a way out of it. I had no idea what else I wanted to do – I felt trapped.

Until one day – when I made a discovery that changed my life.

As I browsed through the local job listings, simply as a way of seeing what possibilities were out there – something caught my attention;

There was an opening for a part time position as a fitness attendant at a small women’s gym just down the street from where I lived.

No experience was required, and the owner would train.

Bingo!

I sent in my resume (with me having no background in fitness, mind you) and to my utter shock – I was called for an interview.

And by simply showing up, being honest about who I was and having a willingness to accept something new into my life…

I GOT THE JOB!

WOOHOO!!!

However, there was a catch…

I would have to give up my afternoon hours at my other job to take the shifts at this new place. This was pretty scary for me because at the time – as much as I hated my long term career – I was earning decent money.

So by taking this position, I would be also taking a huge financial risk.

I took the job anyway.

And so the journey began.

I grew to love the job and it eventually opened the doors for me to call and speak with Jayne at Fitness Institute International, Inc. School for Fitness and enroll in their certification program (along with my husband – who was also open to a career change).

However, there was another catch…

I wasn’t sure I would be able to swing the tuition costs with the decrease in my income. The curriculum was also very challenging (metabolic calculations and kinesiology anyone?)…and I was no scholar.

None the less, the finances worked themselves out (extra side jobs here and there) and the hubs and I passed all of the courses with flying colors because we had each other as study partners – and we were VERY dedicated to studying on our own as well.

It all worked itself out!

As the right opportunities, (the new job) and the right people (Jayne from Fitness Institute) literally showed up to guide me in the right direction, it made me feel as though the whole thing was nothing less than synchronistic.

So before I knew it – I had shifted careers with no clue as to how it would happen.

Example #2 – Becoming an Author

Part of the reason it had been so tough for me to figure out what I wanted to do with my life is because there had been only one thing that I had wanted to be when I grew up.

I wanted to be an author and write a book one day.

Oh how I used to love my creative writing assignments in school (the only subject I could stand) – but to be honest, I had no idea what to write about outside of school assignments.

This is because I wasn’t inspired.

Who feels inspiration when they live and work in an environment they feel out of alignment with?

Well, after graduating from Fitness Institute and getting my CPTS (Certified Personal Training Specialist) certification – I had found inspiration.

That meant I had something to write about!

But how? Where?

That was another mystery.

Until one day – I made a discovery that would change my life.

I was browsing through the home page of my social network and noticed an ad for a site that publishes articles online.

Bingo!

I signed up and started writing about the role of health and fitness in my life. I had lost quite a bit of weight as a result of this entire experience – and gained clarity of what well-being looked like in a responsible and empowering way.

I was inspired – and the content naturally showed up.

I created articles that I was able to share with others and I felt pretty great about that.

WOOHOO!!!     

This whole thing led to being published in other blogs, online magazines and having my own monthly fitness tips column in one of the local newspapers.

The right people (from attending networking events to get training clients) and the right circumstances (free writing gigs that led to paid writing gigs) showed up as if to meet the intention I set with the appropriate momentum to help propel things forward.

The next step, however, was scary.

That next step was to write a book.

The idea was very intimidating to me because not only does a book require a lot of content (not like an article) – but I because I figured I’d write about health and fitness.

You may be wondering why that would seem scary.

The reason is because with a gazillion health and fitness books out there – I wondered who on earth would want to read mine.

I didn’t know the answer to this…nor did I have any clue as to how to actually put a book together and publish it.

I started writing anyway.

And about halfway through the project – I reached the chapter where I planned to cover exercise safety.

Now considering my past education – there was a LOT to cover on this topic.

And then a thought appeared…

“Why not make the whole book about exercise safety? See if it exists – and if not, there’s your book!”

So I did. And there were none.

Until mine of course – which is now written and published…thanks to my husband who sent me a video filled with information about book publishing.

Using the same company that provided me with my first paid writing job (again thanks to hubby) I was able to find the right people to take my word document and turn it into a book complete with a beautiful cover and manageable production costs – largely, thanks to the money I earned writing health and fitness articles 🙂

I held my brand new, published book in my hands just before my 40th birthday – with my family (local and visiting) around to celebrate with me.

As a bonus – the book was endorsed by JC Santana, MEd, CSCS  – One of the most well-respected professionals in the fitness industry.

I also received an award for writing it by Dr. Anthony Abbott, MS, MSW, EdD, FNSCA, FACSM – the president (and chief instructor) of Fitness Institute International.

It was the first award I had ever received!

Needless to say – I was pretty excited – and VERY humbled.

I had made a childhood dream come true with no clue as to how it would happen.

Letting Go of the How

I have shared two examples (one leading to the other) of how I changed my life without knowing how things were going to turn out at the start of the journey.

I had to be honest with myself and acknowledge where I was in relationship to where I wanted to be, keeping an open mind and taking some risks.

This allowed synchronicity (the right elements almost magically showing up to help you as you follow the right path) to play a big role.

Was it easy?

No. But it wasn’t a struggle.

It required work – and choosing awareness.

Awareness in the sense that I had to learn what instinct felt like and to be brave enough to follow it – even when I had no physical evidence of how things would work out – or if they would at all.

Awareness of the fact that I had a voice within me that knew the way – as long as I didn’t allow fear to intellectualize my way out of taking the necessary first steps in making my dreams become a reality.

This Guest Post

While I had initially started my writing career discussing health and fitness, my natural fascination about consciousness and the human condition became the topic I am now most attracted to, and what my material focuses on more than anything.

And as synchronicity (again with that word) would have it – I’ve attracted other like-minded people into my life who have not only been a pleasure to get to know, but have granted me the opportunity to communicate with their readers as well through guest posting.

This is something I never thought would have happened the day I accepted that part time fitness attendant position!

Who knew????

And the momentum continues…

I want to thank Jamie for allowing me to chime in here and contribute to Psycholocrazy.com. His work inspires the rest of us to question our belief systems about the meaning of work in our lives – and this, to me, helps to pave the way to freedom.

So tell me about you. Have you ever made a desire become a reality without knowing how it would happen? Let me know in the comments below. I’d personally love to hear about it – and I’m sure anyone else looking to make a change would benefit too!

 

Dana GoreAbout the Author
Creator of I Choose Awareness and author of the book “A Simple Guide to Exercise Safety – (What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You)”, Dana Gore completed the curriculum at Fitness Institute International, Inc. as an outstanding graduate in 2009. Combining her natural interest in human consciousness with her education in health and fitness, she inspires her readers to seek self-awareness as a means to achieve overall well-being and inner-peace.

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About Jamie

Jamie is a guitar teacher and writer who hates the typical 9-5 existence. After quitting his job to enter the world of guitar tuition, he created this blog to document his thoughts and struggles as he takes on societies norms armed with nothing more than his cheeky wit and undeniable charm - Give his Facebook page a like, add him on Twitter or follow his Google+ page and he will repay you with even more awesome words!

Comments

  1. I was confused until I reached the end of the article and noticed this is a guest post and not Jamie. LOL.

    Anyway, awesome inspiring story, Dana. Reminds me totally of Steve Jobs. You cannot connect the dots moving forwards, only backwards.
    Jeremy recently posted..What If I Told You Networking Starts With Love?My Profile

  2. i just sent a prelim email to my boss, quitting. He is away at a conference, and I couldn’t wait until he returned. this job has benefits, mediocre pay but after you take out y rent, we are left in the red every onth i leave in one month to go get organised at my folks in my hometown,and then leave on a cross country road trip across Canada with my guy and our 4 year old, in a van. please note, we don’t have a van yet and we have very limited savings to get started, only 4k, well 3k when we make a down payment for a van. hahaha. i think i am delirious.

    but i must say, this blog has inspired me. Thanks Jamie and thanks Dana for this entry – which i saw about 5 minutes after i hit ‘send’ on my quittin’ email.

    Cheers to living life and taking chances.
    Cece

    • Hi Cece,

      See, now that’s what I would call synchronicity. You made a decision, and 5 minutes later you came across evidence (this post) that harmonized along with your actions.
      Your story reminds me a bit of mine in the sense that I had no idea how things would work out…I just knew that I was VERY unhappy in my (then) current conditions.
      The ‘security’ of the steady job still left me drained and wasn’t worth it.
      Often what we sacrifice our happiness and well-being for (money, etc) still ends up costing us dearly in other ways.

      I wish you much luck on your new venture and I thank-you for sharing this with us.
      Dana recently posted..My Recent Lack of Blog PostsMy Profile

  3. Yes! All the time. My whole life has been stacked full of these kinds of experiences. The big gigs I’ve ended up playing, recording albums, even blogging. Everything seems impossible until it’s done. Then it just feels normal.

    Thanks, and congratulations, Dana! 🙂
    Andy recently posted..Are You Confusing Your Habits with Your Identity?My Profile

    • Hey Andy,

      I love hearing about when others have these experiences as well.
      Everything DOES seem impossible until it’s done…and what’s even more interesting is how other really cool things end up being added to the mix that seem to come out of nowhere.
      This is what happens when we’re following along a path that serves our highest joy.
      Thanks for your comment Andy 🙂
      Dana recently posted..My Recent Lack of Blog PostsMy Profile

  4. Ok, while I admire your chutzpah I don’t really understand what this post is about. You took some opportunities that came along, worked hard and it worked out for you. This…is how most people’s careers work.

    Also, as a writer, journalist, and blogger, I’m kind of astounded that you always wanted to write but didn’t know what to write about, because you had no inspiration. Le sigh.

    Good luck to you, but this is a really odd post.

    • Hey Laura

      I think what Dana was getting at is that sometimes you just have to take a chance, even if you don’t know where you are heading. At least that’s the message I am receiving.

      Not everyone has the balls to take their opportunities. Many people remain stuck in dead end careers because they allow fear and procrastination to get the better of them. For me, Dana’s examples show that you don’t need to have it all planned out – you can just take the plunge and see what happens. In my experience, this approach is successful more often than not.

      Definitely more successful then not doing anything at all.

    • Hi Laura,
      Well, I’ll just use this as an opportunity to expand on the message of the post (even though Jamie did a pretty good job in his comment) 😉

      There are quite a few of us out there that would give ANYTHING to make a change in their lives – but don’t because they feel trapped by their circumstances…and especially by their fear of not having a plan.
      This post offers examples of how I was able to do just that.

      Fear runs our lives. Fear of not being successful, fear of not being able to survive – and the fear of what others think of us are some of the main ones.
      And with this mindset, we tend to stick with unpleasant circumstances because we’re too afraid to move. We don’t know the ‘how’…and it keeps us enslaved to the circumstances of our lives.

      It’s no way to live – and this condition contributes toward the overall level of chaos in the world.
      I mean…how can we treat each other with dignity and respect if we’re living in an internal environment filled with pain and resentment because we hate our lives and feel too disempowered to do anything to change it?

      As far as the writing…I wasn’t a writer before. I had WANTED to write – but had nothing to share…as I wasn’t inspired.
      However, once I became inspired (by taking the risks I and following the path being laid out for me…NONE of which I would have had figured out beforehand)…I found the inspiration almost effortlessly.

      So in essence – this post is about allowing yourself to step out of your comfort zone and take a chance…with a few examples of how things can not only work themselves out beautifully…but offer additional gifts along the way.

      Hopefully this will make better sense now…and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify this.
      Dana recently posted..Why Suppressing Anger Isn’t ‘Spiritual’My Profile

  5. After being the child victim of a cult and working dead-end jobs for ten years I never thought I’d go back to college and get an MA and teach college courses. I never thought I’d write several books and hundreds of poems and songs. Blogging wasn’t even in existence. But now I do all of these things.
    Dan Erickson recently posted..a serious talk about suicideMy Profile

    • Hi Dan,

      Wow…powerful message in just a few sentences.
      You’re a perfect example of someone who isn’t defined by their upbringing – but instead USED it to empower themselves.

      I’ll have to check out your work.
      Thanks for sharing this.
      Dana recently posted..The I AM ProjectMy Profile

    • Dan, I’m sure there’s and inspirational movie to be made about your life 🙂

  6. Hi Dana,

    Excellent post indeed, and your story is truly inspiring!

    In answer to your question, starting businesses has definitely been an activity that has become a reality for me, without knowing for sure how I was going to get there.

    Thank you.
    Hiten recently posted..Living Life as If Today Is Your Last DayMy Profile

    • Hi Hiten,

      Thanks so much for your kind words.
      Well it seems that you get it – as you’ve been doing the same thing.

      We don’t always know ‘the how’ – but it shouldn’t stop us from making a move.
      Thanks for sharing your experience with us 🙂
      Dana recently posted..My Recent Lack of Blog PostsMy Profile

  7. Hey Dana,

    I also suffer from back pain and always have to work around it. But I figure out a way.

    I think a key message here is it is struggling for your purpose is better than sacrificing your health and mental wellness for a career.

    There is a lot we could all give up if we were really honest with ourselves. For example, a lot of us could give up our car and still do what we want to do (and get rid of that month car payment, insurance, gas, and repair costs).

    That picture freaks me out. Remind me of a youtube video I just wanted.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLDYtH1RH-U&wide
    Mark recently posted..High School Activities Worth JoiningMy Profile

    • Hey Mark,

      Isn’t back pain fun?
      In all seriousness – I don’t think there is anything worth our health and well-being. But since we’ve been conditioned from the beginning of our lives to have a career and be successful so we can have the big house and nice car – we do typically put ourselves last.

      It’s interesting that you mentioned giving up things we don’t need…as I referred to doing this in another post.
      I happen to enjoy simplicity these days – and no longer feel the need to acquire a whole lotta stuff.
      I would prefer not to be a slave to my expenses – and will never care about ‘keeping up with the Jonses’, personally.

      Thanks for commenting Mark 🙂
      Dana recently posted..My Recent Lack of Blog PostsMy Profile

  8. Awesome and inspiring story all the way till end. It was not only your willingness but also your belief in you, in yourself with the help of which you are here and is still climbing the stairs of success and excellence.
    Truly motivating and captivating.
    Charmie recently posted..How to loose weight by reprogramming your subconscious mindMy Profile

    • Hey Charmie,

      I JUST saw this…and wanted to say thanks for your awesome comment to my guest post here on Jamie’s blog.
      I’m thinking it was the willingness – more so than even the belief in myself that allowed me to take any of the chances referenced in this article.
      Regardless of the “why”, I’m grateful that I made the decision to get the hell out of my own way and take action 😉
      Dana recently posted..The Powerful Energy of the Creative ProcessMy Profile

Trackbacks

  1. […] Adriennesmith.net in January about having “The Courage to Be You” and another one for Psycholocrazy.com about taking steps toward what we want even when we don’t know how things will work […]

  2. […] Adriennesmith.net in January about having “The Courage to Be You” and another one for Psycholocrazy.com about taking steps toward what we want even when we don’t know how things will work […]

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