Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Feb/March 2018 Aspire Mag Full Issue: Inner Prospe | Page 96

My questions revealed to me that I could, in fact have all the things I kept saying I wanted. The way was open. I just had to choose. magic. But revamping my business model, as excited as that sounded, didn’t solve the deeper, more fundamental issue I was facing: How could I stop working so hard, and start reclaiming the parts of my life I’d been neglecting? Well, the only way to know is to ask. So I started applying my questioning techniques to other areas of my life. And … chaos ensued. I’ve always been hyper-focused on work. I’ve been an entrepreneur since the ripe old age of twenty-three. My work has been a major part of my identity—not so much in terms of what I do, but in terms of how my work ethic sets me apart. I take a lot of pride in being the kind of person who gets things done, and done right. But when I applied my questions to things like self-care and time management—when 96 I started asking things like, “What if I made my health my highest priority? What if I took two hours a day to drive to the gym and work out? What if I set a time to knock off work each day, and stopped saying, ‘I just have to finish this one little thing’?”—I was led deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, to the question at the core of it all: “What if I became the kind of person who takes care of herself—mind, body, and soul—instead of the kind of person who finishes her work at all costs?” Oh, shit. The thing was, when I asked the questions, I could see that person. I could almost touch her. But she was so fundamentally different than me. She had her priorities straight. She had time and energy for her family. She made choices about her health and her time based on her vision for her future, not the needs of today’s projects. She had an actual schedule (a huge fear point for this rebel creative) and followed through on all of her commitments, not only the ones with deadlines and payments attached. I’ve always known this version of me was possible. What I had thus far refused to see was that she was—is—only a few choices away. My questions revealed to me that I could, in fact have all the things I kept saying I wanted. The way was open. I just had to choose. I’ve always considered myself a disciplined person. And I have been—when it comes to work. Everywhere else, I’m wishy-washy. Willing to compromise. Uncommitted. More, www.AspireMAG.net | February / March 2018