What goes in this box?

“Here I stand… alone and on my own again.” – Tamra Keenan

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted here.

The prolific blogger, I am not.

Things have been going really well. I honestly feel that I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. Yes, challenges still rear their head left and right, BIG challenges, and setbacks happen… but I’ve become an expert at solving them, and am still able to move forward in my life in confidence.

I’m single, as usual, that’s the way I’ve wanted it. But meeting women is not difficult at all. It’s just finding a person who will keep my interest. I’ve heard it all before, and all I can do now is smile. Yes, I can repeat the same lines, and run the same game over and over, but that would be boring – wouldn’t it?

No dull moments and no dull women. That’s my motto these days.

Yes, the endless dozens of short-term relationships I’ve had over the course of these past eight years have been fun, and I’ve learned a lot from each and every one of them. Some funny moments. A few icky moments. I know one person had to go to the hospital.

But what I think makes everything different for me now is that I know myself so much better than I ever have before. I’ve done the hard partying, and I’ve done the workaholic routine… and from those two extremes, have found a groove that works for me.

And no, I don’t just mean a work-life balance. I’m content; completely comfortable in my own skin. I know that I have limits, but am always doing my best to push them. I understand that there’s a time to laugh, and a time to cry. And I’ll let it wash over when it happens and give myself the building blocks I need to bounce back and put a smile on my face and bring smiles to others.

I know my strengths and my weaknesses.

More than anything, perhaps, I’m most proud to have developed a solid network of people I would consider ‘friends,’ as well as ‘mentors.’ I’ve learned so much from these brilliant, talented, and interesting people.

I can think back to 2 years ago (the end of 2009) when I lost everything I had and was literally homeless. I had no connections, I was running out of money, and a very slim sliver of hope that I would even survive. It was as if someone had stamped me with a big label that said “LOSER” – I felt ashamed of myself.

While I realize now that such a label was nothing but something I imagined through my own self-limiting beliefs, I’m proud to say that I’ve worked my way out of that hole that I was in and have emerged 15 times stronger.

I can distinctly remember sitting at the park all day long with my copy of the “4 HOUR WORKWEEK,” thinking that there was some hope for me – but it was just so alien, I didn’t know anything about how to create a website or programming or business or managing money. I had no idea where to start. I felt completely hopeless.

It’s kind of sad. But I look at that person then almost as if witnessing another person entirely.

I’m not trying to turn this into a rags to riches story. That’s not it at all. I can just attest to the fact that things can change – circumstances can change, if you clearly imagine your goals and allow yourself to build the blocks necessary to reaching them.

How do I know? Am I Tony Robbins? Sadly, no (though I would like to travel around in a helicopter some day!).  But I am leaving in Buenos Aires in 2 days, to begin an entirely new chapter in my life. And once there, I’m going to pursue many of the dream goals that I’ve created for myself. I’ve done so many amazing things these past two years and come so incredibly far. I’ve met so many amazing people. I’m thankful for them all, each has had a positive impact and I’m glad to have been able to share a part of their life with them as well.

In the next post I am going to publish some of my bucket list items and dream goals that I’ve set for myself. My hope is that you, too, may be inspired and set action plans to attain them. I don’t think that there’s any more valuable skill than being able to write down a goal that you want to accomplish, and letting your creative energies see the fulfillment of that goal.

Yes, more often times we fail rather than succeed, but success comes easier with practice 😉