I’m a pretty serious person. I take my life and my choices VERY seriously. I make moves that are well thought out, planned to the max and generally sound in judgement. I’m not a huge risk taker but I do pride myself in seeing promise within creative opportunity. I’m a pretty confident person so I’ve got that going for me too. But in many ways, in some of the most chaotic years of our life, I was muffling the magic. Mind you, our kids were young and our home environment; albeit fast-paced and quite noisy, was akin to a story-book like, magical playground. We worked hard to deliver a charmed and enchanted childhood to our babes. I felt it was one of the most important missions I had as their mom. So, don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of “magic” to go around, it just didn’t BELONG to me. To this end, excuse me for the minor diversion; but, does anyone remember Mabel’s labels? I loved those things and used them prolifically to label my babes possessions for school and day care and the like. I just really needed to get some of my very own LABELS and perhaps you do to? Stick with me for a moment (no pun intended) and I’ll explain why…..

Fast forward slightly over a decade since my third baby was born….and; astonishingly, the chaos in our daily existence could be multiplied by 1000 and to the power of 10 (for real). I never saw that coming- even when my wise and slightly older friends at the time, warned me of this impending life-altering shift. I didn’t quite believe that the chaos of the younger years could possibly be outmatched when the kids could actual take care of their own physical needs independently. It’s simply didn’t compute. I’m not a math whiz by any means but boy was I wrong. In between the career hustling, school volunteering, being a fundraising maven, along with the years of endless travel for my hubby and manning our brood on my own…….and then the more recent years, where are extracurricular schedules hit an apex of intensity and our kiddos grew by leaps and bounds, and we started to off load many of the toys and mementos of the days gone by (only to make room for the more sophisticated possessions of childhood). But, oddly, amidst that new layer of chaos I found something that belonged JUST TO ME. It had been lying in wait, hibernating, awaiting the exact right time to reveal itself…..a time when I’d notice it because my attention was less divided, a time when I’d understand it’s significance more fully, and mostly, a time when I had completed the foundational preparedness to be able to receive it, embrace it, and most of all be willing to share it broadly.

All that time as I was taking care of everyone else’s needs and encouraging their desires and coaching up their next big move, it was WAITING FOR ME. And I realized, it was finally MY TIME….time to grasp the magic within and start to MOVE in the direction my heart had been calling me to. So, my life looks different today because I was willing to DO something different. Did I know what I was doing? Hell No. But I did believe in my ability to figure things out. Was it scary? Yeppers. But I had to get over myself, let go of all of the limiting beliefs and preconceived notions clogging my mind and start dueling with fear on the daily. I learned that the best way to make magic is by DOING. Staying in motion. Because when I’d pause, or try to coast a bit, fear would show up to arrogantly knock me down and generously take my hand and lead me back to the floor or the ugly and very lonely corner. I had to intentionally decide (on a daily basis) to go against that grain. Even when every fiber of my being was begging me to stop, protect myself and stay SMALL! 

It’s mindset mastery if you ask me….and it’s a daily practice. Did I doubt myself and worry about what others would think? Yes, for a hot second I absolutely did, until I realized that the BIGGEST decisions I’ve ever made in my life were my very own AUTHENTIC works. I didn’t take a poll about which college to attend, profession to pursue, who to marry, which house to buy, or when to have my first baby. Those really important steps you take in life are often the ones you take ALL BY YOURSELF (except for the baby part of course-thanks honey). I’m so glad I TRUSTED MYSELF and never let go of those precious dreams of mine. I’m also glad I finally realized (albeit in my forties) that I too was worthy of a Mable’s label ALL MY OWN….one that could be placed on things meant JUST FOR ME.

Because who the heck wants to settle for average? Not me! Maybe not you either?? And I’ve gotta say, taking a chance on myself was the best thing I’ve ever done. If you want a life that is NOT “average, normal or business as usual” you have to be willing to take an unconventional approach. You also have to be willing to step into your own power and activate your magic!! Are you willing to say YES to that ONE thing you can’t get out of your head? The thing that totally defines you yet scares the living crap out of you at the same time? It’s 100% UP TO YOU! 

My advice… just go for it….nothing magical ever happened without dancing in the moonlight amidst the grand notions of “what if” and “why the hell not?” Don’t EVER give up on yourself my friends!! And most of all, be brave enough to ask for what you want in this ONE LIFE of yours. Not what you should want- what you ACTUALLY WANT. Then be open and ready to receive it! 

With Big Much Love,
Brandee