GROWING.

On Saturday, I celebrated my 48th birthday. I wanted to share some of my thoughts around the concept of aging. And growing. Because the two didn’t happen in tandem for me. Maybe you can relate?

Growing ourselves personally is hard. For anyone who’s read the books and implemented the strategies, gone to therapy, hired the coaches, taken the courses and then dug in and done the work, you’ll know first-hand just how painful it can be to stretch outside your comfort zone.

It’s suuuuper uncomfortable!

And yet the results are so incredibly worth the effort, that despite the pain, those of you who continue to seek and stretch and grow, you keep going there; you keep doing the thing you need to do to get yourself to the next, deeper level of consciousness; to experience a deeper awareness about who you are.

You sit in the discomfort without trying to escape, escape, escape.

You speak your truth.

You seek the therapy.

You peel away and you get the healing.

And you keep going deeper.

You realize there is no “end”; just more depth.

You see, we were never meant to simply age. We were meant to grow. And growing isn’t a passive exercise. It takes effort, often painful effort.

When I was a nightly drinker, pack-a-day-smoker and daily junk food eater, I was on a never ending cycle of wash-rinse-repeat. I used to wake up to the screeching of my alarm clock, head foggy, mouth dry and I’d drag myself to the bathroom to pull myself together for yet another day of posing as a fully functioning human being.

My rock bottom was not only the wake-up call I needed to stop murdering my life, it was my entry point into personal development. It opened my eyes to the fundamental truth that I get to co-create my life and that I am NOT a victim. That while not everything is within my control, so much is. And that, with the help of God or the universe or the sun+moon (whatever you like to call it), I GET to do what I want with my one precious life.

As much as we feel stuck in to-dos and obligations and expectations of family and friends around us, only WE are living these lives. No one else. And if we aren’t happy with the way they’re going, then WE must be the change we wish to see. We can’t keep pointing the finger at people and circumstances for why we haven’t achieved the things we want to achieve in our lives. We get to take our power back whenever we choose.

It is our choice to make.

11 years ago this past weekend (my birthday weekend!), I made a choice to attend an event. Little did I know at the time that my partner, Roger, was also attending a personal development event. The theme of his event was healthy relationships, and he was seeking to create a healthier dynamic with his then-girlfriend. They’d been struggling for years with their communication and Roger was craving more depth, connection and vulnerability, but he struggled with knowing how to ask for what he wanted.

The event I attended was called “Just Say Yes”, and the theme spoke to me as I’d just quit my job at a marketing firm and was looking for motivation, inspiration and guidance on which way to turn. The entire weekend provided an opportunity to go within and I was so grateful to my parents who treated me to the weekend including the stay at the boutique hotel where the event was being held. It was a life-changing event for me, and when Roger and I became a couple and discovered what we were each doing on that very same weekend, we were blown away. We compared our notes and it was amazing to see how our values aligned through what he was focusing on (finding a partner he could share his true self with) and what I was focusing on (creating a career path that would allow me to share my passion for helping people enjoy better health and energy).

It felt incredibly meant-to-be that on the very same weekend, we were both been seeking something more for ourselves and that we each found an event to help us move to the next level in our lives and relationships. We still have our notes and letters from that weekend and we read through them every year on what we deem our anniversary (we aren’t married), January 1st.

Over the years, Roger and I have gone through more growing pains in our relationship than we’d experienced in every other one of our relationships combined. And while that’s been incredibly painful, it has stretched and grown us into newer versions of ourselves that we wouldn’t have grown into without putting in the time and effort required to evolve. And we’ve become serial entrepreneurs along the way because it’s our passion to share what we’ve learned with others.

Growing ourselves is never easy, but if we want different, we must be brave enough to do different! We can’t keep complaining about the state of our lives as a strategy to exact change. Why? Because it doesn’t work! The universe rewards action, not complaining. When we complain, it simply hears the complaint (as neither positive or negative, by the way, just as it is) and so it delivers more and more of it our way.

Want more money? Stop complaining about debt and find ways to save money, earn more income, stop mindless spending and consider hiring a money coach to help you.

Want better health? Stop complaining about lack of energy or weight and drink a glass of water next time you want a Coke. Consider reading books about health, buy a new pair of running shoes, join a gym, hire a trainer, learn from experts or hire a health coach to help you improve your situation.

Want better sex? Help with your career? Happier children? Learn and implement strategies, read books that are recommended, listen to podcasts, hire coaches and engage others.

It’s incredible what we can manifest if we focus our energy on the things we actually want to see materialize.

Over the years, Roger and I have sought counselling to work on our relationship. We’ve also worked with business coaches, spiritual healers, teachers and experts who have helped us get to the next level in our lives, and this past weekend, my 48th birthday weekend, once again, we decided to invest in our personal and professional development. While we did get out on a hike and enjoyed some yummy food with family to celebrate my special day, the majority of the weekend was spent in front of our computers as I attended an online marketing event and Roger planned out his entire social media strategy for a launch that’s coming down the pipe. We realize that birthdays come and go, but opportunities to take programs and invest time into ourselves are where we build real value and wealth not only for ourselves but for the people we serve, as well.

Remember, having nice things is great, but real wealth comes from our health and our energy. It comes from showing up every single day seeking to become the very best version of ourselves and sharing our unique gifts and talents with the world.

And we all have them.

The investment you make in YOU, in finding and using your unique gifts, is the stuff that no one can ever take away. Every single thing we learn helps us become better versions of ourselves and it improves the world around us when we learn–and then teach what we’ve learned–to others.

So whatever it is that makes you say, “I’d love to learn about that!” or “I wish I could do that!” or “That would be so cool to do…”, lean into that feeling! That whisper is there for a reason. Follow the trail of breadcrumbs. They are leading you closer to yourself.

Because the world needs all of us more fully grown into ourselves.

Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.

P.S. If YOU want to stretch and grow with a certified health coach who is anti-diet culture, remember I offer private coaching as well as group coaching. My next round of group coaching starts November 16th, 2020. If you are looking to improve your body image, stop dieting, and create a massive mindset shift that will allow you to live with more joy and freedom around food, then I’d love to see if we are a good fit. Learn more and book your FREE consultation by visiting OBAATCoaching.com.

P.P.S. If you’d like to join a group of like-minded people on a wellness journey, you’re invited to join my FREE Facebook group called One Bite At A Time, where we share tips, resources and inspiration within a community of others seeking greater health+energy. Join us!

P.P.P.S. Here are a bunch of the Frequently Asked Questions I get about my 12 week group program. Let me know if you have any others by emailing me at Sarah@SarahTalksFood.com.