My hunky regret and how you can live your ‘juiciest’ life…

 

 

I read somewhere that the average human lives for roughly 30,000 days.

When your time comes to ‘shuffle off the mortal coil‘ (as Shakespeare so aptly put it)

…what will you be proud of?

What will you regret?

What will you wish you had done more of?

Less of?

The Big Questions

I have always loved the BIG questions about life while at the same time being acutely aware of the passage of time.

My husband and I were chatting about this and I said to him;

‘Often time seems all mashed up to me, with memories from the past bumping up against the present and it sometimes all just feels like a dream’.

He didn’t really get the dream bit…

(do you? I doubt I am alone in this…)

…but he did say that the older he gets the more time feels like time is speeding up.

So with the passing of time and the reality of knowing that we only have so many days in our lives to accomplish what we want to do, how does that make you feel?

Are you content with your life?

Your relationship?

Your job?

Your finances?

Your health?

Or do you have regrets?

One of my regrets

Me, well one of my regrets from back in the day (1989 I think? Yes I am that old!), is that I wished that I had talked to ‘Harpoon’ when I was a newly arrived backpacker on the Greek island of Ios.

Now only two people reading this will get who ‘Harpoon’ is (Hi Suzy and Anita! That is them in the pic above) but it was this handsome guy who hung out /lived? on the island of Ios (THE ‘party island’ in the chain of islands known as the Cyclades, and yes it did live up to it’s name!).

My friends and I would see him at the beach in his black speedo (this was Europe after all ladies) with his longish hair and his tan and his harpoon. Think Taylor Kitsch in Friday Night Lights but with a black speedo.

And harpoon.

Or at least we thought it was a harpoon- it looked like a harpoon (not that any of us had ever seen a harpoon before) – whatever it was, it looked quite deadly.

Her would free dive out in the deep water and come back with a speared fish, and this seemed so COOL to us Canadian chicks.

Anyhow he seemed like a friendly, laid back guy and I thought he was VERY attractive but I never got up the nerve to speak to him. And it was all so silly, because we were there for several weeks and I had quite a few chances too but for whatever reason (insecurity ahem….) I remained tongue tied.

And yes I am happily married now to a great guy, but I think it is interesting that years later I still recall the missed opportunity of getting to know a good looking dude who fished with a harpoon on a tiny Greek isle.

(Sigh.)

As I sit here I am trying to think of some other regrets but I can honestly say that there haven’t been too many.

Don’t get me wrong though.

I have been on the receiving end of many tough ‘life lessons‘ but generally they have come because I did something (usually something where I checked my common sense at the door!) but for the most part I can’t really classify these ‘lessons’ as regrets.

You know how that old saying goes right?

 

‘You regret the things you DIDN’T do, not the things you did‘.

 That is pretty true for me.

 

• When I was younger I wanted to travel. So I did.

• I wanted to work in the music industry. So I did (working for Bruce Allen/ Bryan Adams).

• I wanted to cut off all my hair when I was 22. So I did. (In an unfortunate attempt to mimic model Christy Turlington).

• I wanted to live in a foreign country. So I did (Japan for 2+ years).

• I wanted to get my advanced scuba diving ticket in Thailand. So I did (and did a very scary night dive).

• I wanted to get my Masters degree. So I did.

• I wanted to get married and have kids. So I did.

• I wanted to start my own coaching business. So I did.

 

So I did these things and sometimes life turned out as I hoped, and sometimes it went sideways (and it still goes sideways on some days).

 

 

But what I have learned through my doing or not doing over the last several decades is;

 if you are not satisfied with your ‘lot’ then taking action is key.

 

The other day on Facebook was the most poignant post.

It was about this elderly woman Emily DeBrayda Phillips, who had just passed away, but before she died she wrote her own moving and funny obituary for the Florida Times-Union. It is really worth the read so I recommend you look it up.

In it Ms. Phillips said many things including this line;

‘So...I was born; I blinked; and it was over’.

She nailed it didn’t she?

It was like what I was trying to express to my husband- that time gets all packed together and things that were so real once now seem like a dream.

So at the risk of getting too metaphysical, the takeaway here is that life is short.

…and since it is short, going after the life, career, relationship or business that you crave is NEVER a bad move,

because when you get to the end of the line the only regret you will have is that you didn’t GO FOR IT.

Ask any elderly person, ask any person who is sick with cancer. They will tell you the same.

My Mom’s good friend, one of her life long friends, a kind, caring, gentle woman who for most of her adult life has put others first, is dying of lung cancer as I write this, and she recently told another family member;

 

‘Don’t wait until retirement to do the things you want to do’. 

That is wisdom.

 

Have you read 5 Regrets of the Dying by the Australian hospice nurse Bronnie Ware?

For those of you that haven’t here are the top 5 regrets that she heard while working as a nurse and caring for people in the last 12 months of their lives;

 

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish I had let myself be happier.

And that is wisdom too.

 

It all boils down to this -if you want to make changes in your life, if you want to go from feeling just ‘OK’ to really living your juiciest life then you have to TAKE ACTION.

If you feel like your life has lost direction, or you are disoriented and unsure about your next move, whether it is to do with a relationship, your career, your life, your health, or business then you will want to…

… check this out.

Overwhelmed to Optimal is my one on one individual coaching program and it is now opening up spaces for Spring 2015, but not only that, I also have a special deal for you!

Usually the program is 9 sessions for $1200 (pay as you go) but for the month of April I am offering it at only $999 and I will also add in a 10th coaching session for free.

So that is 10, 1 hour individual coaching sessions for $999 and we can do it by Skype, phone or in person depending on where you are at.

And YES,

I have raised my rates and I did so because;

-hey, after 14 months I am a Martha Beck certified coach now (on top of my 20+ years in the helping profession!)

-AND my practice is getting busier,

-AND at $999 I think this is an AWESOME deal (and probably too cheap /  and for you Americans this is very cheap!!)

-AND I want to help as many of you as I can create your best life. 

 

Interested? Then CLICK HERE……..

 

Why do I want to do this?

Well it is my calling, and because time is our most precious resource and I don’t want you squandering yours if you are feeling unfulfilled and uninspired.

 

And if you think $999 is too much to pay for individual personal / professional coaching consider this;

• Is it worth it if you are able to get clarity around whether to stay or go in your marriage/partnership, and take the steps that lead you to more peace and joy?

• Is it worth it to tap your inner Daenerys Targaryn (female warrior on the Game of Thrones -fyi) and use your inner strength to escape your uninspiring job and start sharing your art / talents with the world?

• Is it worth it to take your business from an expensive hobby to actually making money, so you can afford to take the kids on that Disneyland trip that they have been dreaming about?

• Is it worth it if you can start loving yourself again and reclaim lost energy and vitality, and in so doing complete your first 5KM (and lose a few pounds in the process!)?

• Is it worth it if you can look at your on-line banking account balance and think about the bills coming due and instead of anxiety, feel a sense of calm and control as you now know you have your financial house in order?

• Is it worth it to go from snapping at your kids and partner, and feeling constantly pulled between work and home, to having tools you can use to manage the overwhelm with the result being you feel fulfilled and content both at work and home?

• Is it worth it to gain insight into your primary relationship so you can move from constant bickering and hurt feelings, to sitting in peace, enjoying each other’s company, glass of wine in hand?

 

 ‘Hell Ya’ !

 

It is TOTALLY worth it.

So don’t wait to start creating your best life.

*This offer is good until the end of April only as in June I will be off to jolly old England so if you want to start ‘living large’ there is no time like the present.

(*And if you are reading this elsewhere on the Internet and you aren’t on the Full Flight List then sign up for the newsletter and you too can take advantage of this offer and get some other goodies that I will be sending out soon).

If you want to find out more about the Overwhelmed to Optimal program then CLICK HERE

But if you are ready to start living your most OPTIMAL life now, then contact me at elizjturner@gmail.com or through my website and let’s set up your free 30 minute strategy session. 

As the poet Mary Oliver wrote;

 ‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’

Keep good peeps and thanks for allowing me space in your in-box!

xo

Eliz