Lately, I’ve been feeling like there’s just so much to do all the time.
Everyone seems to be advancing at speeds that I can’t even comprehend.
I’ve got the girlfriend who is a legit fitness model and a mom! Oh yeah, and a CEO.
I’ve got the girlfriend who has been jetsetting for 3 months straight.
The girl who just got promoted in her job and is now making a sassy $350k. She’s 29.
I have a girlfriend who spends her nights and weekends volunteering for several charities.
Then there’s me.
Not a fitness model.
Not jetsetting.
No where near $350k.
Haven’t done “in the trenches” volunteering.
And if the 5 people you spend the most time with have any manifestations in my life, I should be a LOT closer to my definition of success than where I am. Right?
So I work harder. And keep going. And keep pushing.
Burn both ends of the candle that I can’t even smell thanks to Cystic Fibrosis.
And then by pure chance, another one of my picture-perfect girlfriends offered my boyfriend and I the chance to stay at a place called Housekeeping in Yosemite.
Spur of the moment, we accept and within two weeks, we’re walking around a magical place called Mariposa Grove. It’s like the Keebler elves and every fairy in history got together and created the place with pixie dust.
It’s breathtaking.
Stunning.
Insert every adjective here.
We hiked through miles of trails and stood staring at trees that were over 1200 years old.
Trees that were hundreds of feet high and dozens of feet around.
Trees that cars could pass through.
The burnt red color against the crisp green pines exaggerated the skyline.
Deer literally were seen eating near shrubs while squirrels chased acorns across the forest floor.
You could smell the crisp, cool, refreshing air.
You could feel the way the clean air tickled your lungs as city air from the past few years was exhaled while forest air was inhaled.
Off in the distance, you could hear the rushing water from the melting snow between the mountains.
And I stood there, at the base of one of these magnificent trees, intoxicated with the possibility of life.
Who was I to be judging others for their success and ridiculing my own?
According to statistics, my life is already nearing the end.
Yet, this tree, will continue to grow.
This tree has been around longer than all of us ladies, put together.
And it is still pushing on.
It isn’t evaluating it’s height compared to the trees next to it.
It isn’t spending it’s days judging how far it has come.
It’s just growing.
And when I asked a ranger to explain how they stay so tall after all these years, I was hit with the biggest life lesson.
It interweaves it’s roots with all of the other trees.
They all spread their roots out below the forest floor, hold proverbial hands with each other, and focus on just taking in what they need to do to excel, while helping the others grow.
And in an instant, it all made sense.
1. Just grow.
2. Root for your friends, your colleagues, your team.
3. Help them.
4. Don’t compare.
5. Just be.
Want Even More?
1. I AM ____: The Untold Story of Success is my best-selling book that went viral in 2016; it takes real-life stories of successful influencers during their darkest times and puts it against the backstory of dealing with the terminal illness, Cystic Fibrosis.
2. Life. ALL IN. is a free 15 week email course that comes with a guidebook that teaches you how to uncover what you truly want in life, how to build the habits to get it, and how to love others during your journey
3. Inspirational Keynote for Entrepreneurs Organization
4. Soft- Opening of YOUR LIFE ALL IN an online boutique of inspirational products to help you or your organization continuously grow
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