The alternate path - revised

--Note: I first wrote an article two years ago entitled "The Alternate Path". As I have again re-examined my purpose and how I was pursuing that purpose as a professional through life coaching, it felt right to review and revise that original article.

For the purpose of this post, I started with the original article, and then revised it to incorporate my current mindset and thinking as I sit here now. Those parts that have changed since my original article have been underlined.

I hope this article finds you well, and that it encourages you to take the leap of faith in yourself if you too are seeking your own alternate path

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If you asked me five years ago what I saw myself doing, right as I was dealing with having been laid off for the first time in nine years, I certainly wouldn't have said starting my own life coaching practice.

In fact, I wasn't really concentrated on my career at that point at all. After a grueling six year stint, climbing the ranks in a single discipline, being laid off was cathartic. I thought my job was making me miserable and the time away from responsibilities and expectations, at least for a short stint, was a good thing. At least that's what I was thinking at the time.

But as time wore on, a new need emerged -- to build my legacy. For too long, I had placed my happiness in terms of how well I served others. My desire to serve others remains a large part of my personal mission and purpose today. But I wasn't doing it the right way. If the service I provided was not appreciated by others, I ultimately felt unfilled. And I realized I wanted my legacy to be about the lasting impact I left on others -- more relational than transactional.

The next five plus years would not be a journey for the faint of heart. Physical, mentally, and emotionally, I encountered serious challenges that would test my resolve.

Along the way, I made many mistakes, mistakes which cost me dearly. The most significant of those mistakes cost me many of the people who were my previous inner circle. People I thought would be in my lifetime ended up being in my life only for a long season, and I had to learn the reason why I lost them,

And while this hurt, and I still miss many of them, new inner circle members emerged, helping me adopt to a different way of thinking that propels me to this day.

They also helped me learn that I possessed an inner strength I didn't realize I had. Yes, I had failed -- but no one every truly fails if they resolve to learn and improve from the experiences they have encountered.

But it was more than that. When I previously wanted to do some that wasn't in corporate America, I was "running away" from corporate America. I now learned that wasn't enough and wasn't a path to success for me. I needed some that I was "running to".

So I started another journey of self-discovery to see how the last five years had changed me. I wanted to see how my true passions had changed and leverage that knowledge to inform me what my next professional adventure should be. And through all of the work, it all pointed in one direction: coaching.

I had also done the research on the profession itself. It is not an easy profession, and many people who enter the profession ultimately leave because they find it's not for them. I had to ask myself: Am I ready? What if I fail? What if I have to return to corporate and essentially "eat lima beans" to make up for the mistakes on this chance I would take? How about the impact to my wife and family -- who are my responsibility -- if I'm not able to provide for them the way I demand of myself?

Ultimately, I decided to go for it. Because for too long,?I didn't take the alternate path.?The alternate path was too scary, too unsure, too risky -- time over mind, I'd always go for the sure thing.

To break out of that mold, I had to do this. To quote a line from the song "Try Everything", I had embraced the mantra "I want to try everything even though I could fail."

But it wasn't until I got help -- Holly Smith , I can't thank you enough for giving me the swift kick in the butt where necessary, as well as you Tommy Breedlove for the wisdom I learned through your Legendary -- that I actually brought my life coaching practice, Corvus Empowerment Solutions , to public view. If I didn't get that help, my self-limiting beliefs would have got in the way. It is only through the support of others that I took my first step towards combining my purpose and profession into one.

Today, a few months into launching my business, I'm as enthused as ever. It wasn't just that I am providing a service -- I've always been like that. It am providing a service that is truly satisfying and aligned with my purpose, mission, and core values, even if it was very different from much of my professional journey before.

Some of you reading this may be at a similar inflection point -- it could be you're open to work, it could be you feel trapped in what you do, etc. And I can imagine, for those who feel trapped but still have a paycheck coming in that the fear of losing that paycheck can be daunting. In these crazy times, why would I want to risk a main source of my stability?

But it's precisely our inability to perform self-evaluation from time to time, and see if what currently sustains us is truly best for us, that leads to opportunity costs in our life.

When it's all said and done, not one's tombstone will say "she worked hard". But it will say how you were remembered by loved ones, friends, and family. And to best achieve that, it may mean taking a road less travelled that will be a little risky. That path may work out or it may not. But at least you won't have to sit back and say "what if". You went for it, and all will consider that admirable regardless of result.

I encourage y'all to reflect on this. But more importantly, I want you to take action! I invite you to take action by doing any of the following:

• Schedule a quick chat with me by visiting https://calendly.com/beloyaltoyou/free15
• Sign-up for my upcoming webinar on "Living Your Life With Courage" by visiting https://mailchi.mp/beloyaltoyou/webinar_living_your_life_with_courage
• Send me a DM with any questions you have or stories you'd like to share.

May this be the day you have the courage to explore your own alternate path.