Prepare To Be Surprised

As I have previously mentioned, I really never wanted a career. I wanted to be waddling across the stage to get my diploma! But as I am finally starting to make some peace with my life I am realizing that what I have fallen into is a pretty good fit for me. It is just further proof to me that God knows who we are and who we need to become. And as good parents do, He sometimes gives us what we need instead of what we want.

When Josh and I bought the local gym in our rural town it was for Josh. He has a bachelors degree in Exercise Science and wanted to be the entrepreneur. We were under the impression it was already running itself and we could do it on the side. We quickly found out that was true and I soon had to quit my job as a kitchen designer to run our new, downward spiraling business.

It has taken me three years to feel like I finally have a handle on our business. The timing of trying out our hands at business didn't help (we really felt the economy crunch in 2009). But there were many other things that I had to overcome. The biggest probably being that I was simply depressed. We bought the gym less then a month after getting our test results back and I was not in a good place.

But once again this shows me how much God is in the details. Because as depressed as I was, I could have gotten much worse if I had had more time to dwell on it. Don't get me wrong, I dwelled on it plenty, but that first year I was working about 60 hours per week and I think that helped to pull me through my focus on my own sorrow.

It also didn't help that I had never been a member of a gym before, and then here I was owning and managing one. I also have anxiety when I am repeatedly stretched out of my comfort zone, which with the business was EVERY day. Although I still have anxiety and am still challenged at running this business I have come a VERY long way personally, spiritually and professionally. I am now a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. I am moving away from the victim mind set and stepping back in control of my life and am even helping others to do so with personal training. I am a better person because of the things that I have learned.

So here I am: a business woman with a full-time career. Never in a million years would I have imagined I would be here! Now as I get to a place in my life where I am no longer surviving, but thriving, I feel this will carry over into my business helping us to no longer settle for "survival" when we know we can thrive. I really am excited about our future and am learning how to trust the Lord. He really does know what He is doing. I promise.

And I am pretty sure that as soon as I get too comfortable that situations will change because I am starting to learn we didn't come here to be comfortable (unfortunately). In what direction will my life go next? I know better then to guess anymore. I love the movie "Dan In Real Life." The last line in this movie sums things up pretty good, "Prepare To Be Surprised."