If your life feels like a chore – then perhaps it needs a makeover.

I must admit that I went through a period in my life when I was one of those people who constantly dreamed of my next holiday. I was constantly wishing I was somewhere else, living in another place and living someone else’s life. My own circumstances seemed dull, uninteresting, mundane and repetitive. All the life, had somehow drained out of my life and what I was left with was an empty, cavernous vacuum that needed to be filled. So I filled it up by constantly dreaming of vacations. An escape. A way to get away from it all, if only for a week or a few days……..and this seemed to work for a while, until I came upon an amazing quote, that totally changed how I looked at my life and its possibilities.

This quote changed my perspective on  my life and perhaps it may just change yours too:

” Instead of wondering when your next holiday is, maybe you should get a life you don’t need to escape from” – Seth Godin

Wow – now there was a concept. This idea hit me like the proverbial “tonne of bricks” ha ha ha.

Mmmmmmm – I wondered if I could indeed fashion myself a life that I did not feel the need to escape from, and I set about discovering exactly what it was that didn’t suit me in my current life that drove me to constantly be planning holidays………escapes! What was it that constantly filled me with this need to go somewhere else.

Now before I go on, I must, in the interest of full disclosure tell you that I am an avid traveller. And I do go off on adventures relatively often. But I guess, like with all things in life – the intention with which you do something is really the key here – and my intention or motivation for these trips has  now totally changed. I used to travel – to escape my life. But now I travel to explore new places and things and have an adventure, with no sense of “escaping” present – and so there is no sense of dread when I have to return.

My travel is simply a part of my life now, as opposed to an escape from it, and there in lies the difference.

So what exactly did I discover when I did my life inventory?

What did I realize I was wanting to escape from?

And how did I change it?

Well – first and foremost I discovered that I did not like to be in the one spot for the entire year  - held ransom as I saw it to a 4 x week term with 10 weeks in each term. Being a dance teacher my life used to revolve around this 4 x 10 week term [ as do a lot of parent's lives I imagine] – but after following this schedule and working all day every Saturday for the first 20+ years of my working life, I discovered upon reflection that this was no longer for me.

Whereas once before I revelled in the sense of community, the familiarity with all the parents, teachers and students and the comfort in this regularity and consistency – it simply no longer worked for me and I felt trapped and hemmed in, by this schedule. I simply craved holidays as I was totally exhausted and burned out from 20+ years of this schedule.

Now – there are many others who have kept this schedule for over 40+ years and are still doing so – and that is great. But the key here is that different things work for different people and whilst some people may enjoy and blossom with the same thing for their entire working life – others may not. And both are OK. You have to do what is right for you.

So what did I do?

I started thinking about what else I might like to do, explore and discover about myself. I started attending all manner of self development seminars and reading all manner of books on topics that were of interest to me – mainly philosophy, self development, spirituality and metaphysics. I noticed that my conversations started to change, as I was always talking about things that gravitated around these topics. I made new friends who shared these new interests and had genuine interest in these unusual topics I was now exploring.

At the same time I was of course still being pulled and called by my old, well established life. It didn’t suddenly just disappear and I had to make a living after all ha ha ha. So I decided I needed to honour my past and the gift of “tap dance” that I had been given and so I decided to write a tap dance syllabus. I laugh now when I think about it, because if I had seen the huge volume of work that I collated, prior to starting to it, I never would have thought it possible and never would have started in the first place ha ha. It was a huge and expensive undertaking – but I was determined.

My reasoning was that, I would then have something to show for my first career, as I went on to the next.

But the world works in mysterious ways and what started out with an intention to end my tap dancing career, has actually taken off and simply moved me into a new arena within that sphere and career. Tapatak Oz  [ my tap syllabus ] is now used all over the world, we run examinations all around Australia annually and it is endorsed by two of the Australian State Government Education Curriculum Authorities [ Qld and NSW ].

And the added benefit of this, is that I am no longer required to be in one place for the entire year. I am constantly on the move teaching workshops and examining the syllabus and this has allowed me to bring my second passion to life – A Bridge To You.

I never would have guessed eight years ago though, that this is where it was all heading. It has all just organically materialised through me taking each step and following through daily on my vision. And now I have a life that I love. My passion for writing is enormous and easily equals my passion for tap dancing and teaching tap.

So now I have two passi0ns that fill my life.

As someone pointed out to me at a conference recently:

” For years you have been teaching people to tap dance on the outside, and now you are teaching them to tap dance on the inside”!!

Wow – I never would have thought of that – but it is so very true.

My first career has been spreading JOY through tap dance and my second career is spreading JOY through the written word.

But why am I telling you all this? What is the point?

The point is simply that, if you are not happy with the life you are living – then change it. Make it a life that you revel in each and every day.

If you love baking – make time to bake.

If you love writing – make time to write.

If you love seeing friends and hanging out with them – then make time to see them.

If you love working on projects and being busy, then find that new project and get started.

If you love to volunteer and help people – then ramp it up and get out and about with people.

I am simply sharing my story with you,  to show you that it is possible to make changes so that you enjoy your life every day. So you do not feel the need to escape from it. So you revel in the life you have created for yourself each and every day.

Sure – we all like to go on a holiday – and I encourage that for sure, for anyone who likes to go off and try something new and seek out new places and adventures – but let your motivation not be that you are escaping from a life you wish you were not living. Let it be, rather, that you are simply adding to your already incredible life through your next wonderful experience, which may just be away from where you usually reside.

Life should feel like a wonderful adventure everyday.

Life should be full of joy.

Life should be full of whatever it is that brings you laughter and satisfaction.

And that will be different for each and everyone of you.

So – I invite you to have a look into your life and if there are things that are not working – make a change. Like they say – a change is as good as a holiday ha ha.

These changes may be so simple.

It may be simply making time for a massage once a month, or asking a neighbour to pick your child up from school one afternoon a week to give you a break –  and then you collect their child on another day. Perhaps you decide to get up one hour earlier each morning to take that time to meditate – to have some YOU time. Perhaps you make time to read that novel on the shelf, or to take up a hobby you always wanted to do. Perhaps you join a local theatre group and use your skills either on stage or off.

The possibilities are limitless – and often times it is a littlest things and the least well paid things that bring the most satisfaction and joy. Pleasure can be found in the smallest of things – so look at where those moments are to be found for you. Express and uncover the fullness of You each and every day.

By just dipping your toe into waters new and starting the smallest little project, you can change your life in so may ways. This has certainly worked for me. And perhaps it can work for you too.

You never know where things may lead.

You never know what is around the corner.

But you can certainly figure out what is not adding to your enjoyment of your life.

All you need to do is take the time to look at what is no longer working for you and then take the time to make some changes – however big or small.

Of course, as I always say – if making big changes, that could effect you financially, make sure you seek professional advice and take a measured approach.

But one thing is for certain and that is that YOU DESERVE TO LIVE A LIFE YOU LOVE.

So take the time.

Put together a life you truly love each and every day.

#DiscoverYou #LoveYou #BeYou

- Christine -