Weekend Wisdom: What Are You Willing to Walk Away From?

I was recently offered an opportunity to star on a reality show – an opportunity that most people never receive. An opportunity that most people would have seized, no questions asked, without hesitation, and never looked back. But for me, something didn’t feel quite right. I felt inner turmoil, and resistance, and my gut was speaking up in a big way, telling me to walk away. “But what if I never get an opportunity like this ever again?” my head kept asking me, trying its best to override my heart. Ultimately, I couldn’t sign on the dotted line of that contract no matter how many changes the producers made to make me feel more at peace. Why? Because it just WASN’T THE RIGHT MOVE FOR ME.  

Last night, I received complete confirmation about why I never felt a sense of “okayness” with doing the show. Confirmation that came much, much quicker than I could have ever anticipated. Though I’m pretty sure I hurt a friend (who would have starred in the show with me) by making the decision to walk, in the long run, I know now that I saved both myself and my friend from a world of grief with my decision. That one decision could have and likely would have altered the course of both of our lives forever – and not in a way that either myself or my friend would have wanted. By listening to my gut and being willing to act on what I KNEW was the right decision, regardless of what others thought of me or how crazy it looked to everyone else or how cool of an opportunity it appeared to be on the surface, I steered my inner compass a little closer to my ultimate destiny.

So now I ask you: What are YOU willing to walk away from today, to get a little closer to your life’s purpose? A Hollywood contract? A relationship with someone who “seems” like the Perfect Guy on paper but your intuition is telling you otherwise? A “dream job” that would bring you a ton of money but very little happiness? Today I urge you to check your inner compass, ask yourself if you are following your heart or your head and then let that still, small voice guide you in the direction of your TRUE north star. Remember: Success is determined as much by the opportunities you are willing to release as the ones you seize. Every opportunity you walk AWAY FROM that isn’t meant to be a part of your life’s journey is another clue…pointing you toward the ones that are meant just for you.