Yes, I finally put my thoughts onto paper…a thought I had over 20 years ago while I was studying electrical engineering at Clemson University has come to fruition. The purpose of my book is to help you get to your best self. It is designed to help you see that, most of the time, what holds you back from being the you that you want to be are the things that you need to discard and do without. The painful disappointments, dealings, and doubts are all weighing on your shoulders and preventing you from standing tall, shaking it all off, and striving forward. With various insights and best practices, along with room to capture your reflections and next steps, this book is designed to be a constant resource that you need to reference/work through on an ongoing basis. I am aiming for a digital launch on June 2nd, so stay tuned and look out for a purchase link!
To give you a little insight into my work, I have a chapter in the book that focuses on seeing the positive side of no longer being affiliated with the plans you had in place. Here is a sneak-peak for your review.
“An old Yiddish proverb states, “We plan, God laughs.” We all have a short-term or long-term purpose in our minds. We think about what we want to accomplish each day and plan out what we need to do to make that one task happen. The thing is: One day of plans turns into seven, then thirty, then three hundred and sixty-five days of plans, all of which contribute to your sense of achievement. However, when outside variables decide to interfere, you have to adjust your plans accordingly and be willing to pivot as necessary. Any deep-seated plans that do not come to fruition were not meant to be, and you can choose to see them as God, or whoever you believe in, interfering on your behalf to right the course of the ship. What is meant for you will always be meant for you.
My fortieth birthday took place on March 10, 2020, and everybody remembers what we were all ramping up to. Prior to my big day, I had planned twelve trips throughout the year to celebrate my milestone, with the first trip taking place March 6–8 for Hubby and me to attend the New York City Winter Wine + Food Festival. Make no mistake, we had a fabulous weekend, mainly because everyone was in denial about what was happening and was not prepared for what was coming down the pipeline. It felt similar to NYC in January 2002, when my bestie and I attended a Power Engineering Conference on Clemson’s dime. The city was completely reunited due to 9/11, and it was magical, to say the least.
We arrived safely back in Raleigh on that Sunday evening in March 2020. I had a speaking engagement in Charlotte that Monday evening, and I was deep in relaxation mode at the Umstead Spa in Cary on Tuesday, March 10, when the North Carolina State of Emergency was instated. At 3:10 p.m., which I captured with a screenshot because it was literally MY time on MY day, everything proceeded to shut down in my city, state, country, and world due to COVID-19. I spent the next eight weeks watching cancellation notices from airlines, hotels, venues, and events hit my credit card, mostly with full refunds. Those moments were depressing to say the least, but I later understood that God was allowing me to increase the balance in my savings account to prepare for the proceeding state of our economy due to COVID.
Once you accept that everything happens for a reason, you are able to clearly see that you can make new plans based on your purpose, but the universe will determine whether those plans actually come to fruition. Every now and again, you have to pivot, even if you don’t want to. It says a lot about your character if you decide to go all-in on the current plan; however, if you are not getting any positive results, feedback, or leads from what you have put out into the universe, that may be a sign that you need to course correct. You may need to re-evaluate your current plan of action, then determine how things need to be adjusted moving forward.”
Want to read what I say next? Like I said earlier, stay tuned and look out for a purchase link for my first book!