Your independence day.

Have you ever thought about your independence day? The day you set yourself free to do what you truly wanted, the day you actually felt free. Our posts thus far have discussed living as an ethical chameleon and resetting your life (if you don’t know what I am referring to, please read our last two blog posts ). Which tie into this post because they all focus on being your most authentic self. Most people know the exact moment or moments when their entire life changed – it could have been a breakup, an event or conference you attended, a backpacking trip you went on, a job change, the list can go on. Whatever it was, it awakens your soul to make a change for the better. A lot of people also know that change is needed but the steps towards the change are “too much to handle.” The fear of being uncomfortable for a moment is riskier than living in the uncomfortable, comfortable situation. People are avoiding things that make them happy because of the uncomfortable feeling. Improving our quality of life for the long term and finding our sense of purpose should be enough to take the leap, but it isn’t for so many of us. Why do we as people decide to do that though? Why is our self independence day something we don’t truly value and strive for?

My first independence day was my move from Iowa to Colorado. To a lot of people looking from the outside in, Iowa must have looked like a place of comfort for me, but the people and experiences were my comfort. I was leaving my friends, my job, my house, my MBA program… it felt like I was leaving everything. The feeling that I felt more than all of those comforts though was ambition. I knew I had to give up all of those “comforts” to achieve more. My strong desire was to live in a place where I could explore when I wanted and find a job that actually valued my education and encouraged growth, mentally and professionally. My soul was craving more action and I knew that was my call to action.

Moving to a different state without having a job to start isn’t easy but I couldn’t use that as an excuse any longer. I knew that the money I saved was more than enough and that I needed to just take the steps of moving. There were a lot of bumps along the way that would have made a lot of people turn back but it’s all about being ready. The friend I was supposed to move in with changed her mind, my car got stolen the first time I visited Colorado to find a new place to live, and it took me longer to find a job than I had hoped for. I never let any of these reasons take me away from my main goal. I knew deep down that all of the stress would be gone soon enough, and it was. Once everything seemed to fall into place, I was one step closer to creating a life that I actually wanted to be a part of.

My second independence day was from an event I attended, a Ted Talk event in Denver and the theme was Reset. This day was very significant for me and that will be told one day, by myself and my favorite human.

This picture is one of many that shows my love for Colorado.

Please take some time to reflect on the questions below. Although the truth is sometimes difficult for us to hear, we need to analyze our current state and figure out if it’s the best for us.

Do you avoid tough challenges? When tempted, we dodge things that sound hard. You can handle new challenges.

Do you fear to fail? If you never fail, do you feel better about yourself? No one feels better hiding deep in their comfort zone?

Here are some things to think about: What experience has taught you to play it safe? Why is self-confidence an issue? Do the people around you inspire you to be better?

Ignore the people who think they know more about you than you do. Those people are the DREAM KILLERS; if you want to feel brave, you have to ACT BRAVE. Even if you fail, you’ll gain wisdom to help you reach your fullest potential.

And please REMEMBER the great words of Simon Sinek, “Progress is more important than perfection.”

Reset. Adventure on.