As I write my blog for July, I am sitting on an airplane flying back from Texas. I felt the need to quickly write my blog after the incredible event I spoke for. I will admit traveling can be stressful, and I want to tell you about my experience getting to this event. Waking up at 4:45 a.m. and driving to Omaha is not that unusual for me, but it became difficult when I overslept and then worried I was not going to make my flight. I made it to Omaha with not much time to spare and then headed to Denver and had a two-hour delay before going on to Texas. I’ve been speaking 14 years now, and it just seems traveling is getting more stressful – or maybe I’m just getting older. 😊
I was excited to speak to this group, and what made it even more enjoyable was working with their meeting planner. She was organized, friendly, and welcoming, and everything was so spot on. What I was really excited about was their theme, “Adventures and relating to how we are all on a journey.” I correlated my Survivor experience with their theme and talked about how our daily lives are a journey.
In the path of life we travel, there will be plenty of hills and turns, and there will be showers and storms. The path of life is meant to be a journey. The more we try to find shortcuts, the more difficult it becomes to see the way we should be going. If you ever feel lost in your journey, don’t panic. We all get lost sometimes, and more often than not, we get lost over and over again. This is because we are trying to rush, we look for shortcuts, or we even think about giving up. We get side-tracked, oblivious to what we are doing and where we are going. Also, at times, we think about hitchhiking with someone and let their path become yours, but we are all made differently and are meant to pursue our own path and our own walk.
Don’t be discouraged when your path takes a sudden turn and don’t think about giving up. We are all faced with challenges and obstacles. These are actually the defining moments that test us in and help us grow and learn. It may feel like you will never get back on track when you are faced with a challenge, when in fact you will feel stronger than ever when you decide to keep going. It’s difficult to know where your journey will lead you or which direction you are going, but when your trust in yourself, you can adjust and move forward.
Remember that we all have our own journey, and everyone is on a different path. Everyone’s path takes turns and has unexpected obstacles. How quickly we can walk our path does not define us. What really defines us is how we adapt to change and how mindful we are about the direction we choose.
I was thrilled to be at this conference, because I felt like this was one of the paths I was meant to be on. As far as the conference attendees goes, anyone can attend a conference and go through the motions, but it’s truly what you do with all the information you are given when leaving the conference that matters. My program really fit in with their theme, so I was excited to be on stage. This crowd was energized. These people were so much fun that after I was done, I wanted to do it again. I met so many wonderful people and was honored to be there. I received emails from attendees when I got home and even made plans with one couple to meet up with them when they come through my city.
Stay on your path; and when you hit that unexpected turn or steep hill, remember to keep going and stay on track.
