Connecting Dots

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” ~ Steve Jobs

It all counts. Every experience, good or bad, in your life matters. Eventually. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later, but like a puzzle, the picture will eventually take shape and make sense.

I went to work at the YMCA when I was 18 years old and worked there three separate times throughout my career, each time with increased responsibility and a deeper connection to the community.

The Y’s mission, values, and philosophy got in my blood. Their mission is to “Put Christian principles into practice that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.” Those three words “spirit, mind, body” have become guiding lights in my life. I have seen these words many times throughout the years, but the older I get the more meaning I attach to them and the more it all makes sense. .

Now, working on my spirit, mind, and body is part of my daily routine. Before my feet hit the floor in the morning, I have said my prayers of gratitude and asked God for guidance throughout my day. After getting my foster kids off to school, the next thing I do is work on my mind and body by going for a walk while listening to an empowering podcast like Dan Clark’s The Art of Significance.

Then, I look at my vision board, visualize what my ideal life looks like, and say affirmations through a technique inspired by Chicken Soup for the Soul author and Success Coach, Jack Canfield.

Throughout the day, I watch motivational videos, listen to my favorite podcasts and audio books, hydrate, and move my body in between working to build my Chick Flicks and Chocolate biz.

I am more focused and determined than I have ever been in my life. It feels amazing, especially compared to the alternative that I did for many years, which was to fall into the zombie trap of working as many hours as I could while sitting still for 8 hours a day (sometimes 12-16 hours!), then come home and numb out by mindlessly watching TV or scanning social media while eating junk food.

I paid the price for a SAD diet and sedentary lifestyle with morbid obesity and edema that has put me on the sidelines of life many times. Overcoming years of neglect to my health is like pushing a freight train uphill, but I am doing it by staying laser focused on my spirit, mind, and body. . .

My only regret is that it has taken so long to realize that what you feed your mind, body and spirit determines your destiny. Of course I don’t wallow in regret or negativity. I acknowledge it and move on, learning from each experience and using it to propel me towards my calling to make a positive difference in the world. To think that the answer has been with me all along. I just had to connect the dots which as Steve Jobs said can only be done in hindsight.

Onward and upward. . .