Start small, but start now.

FORGET THE BIG PICTURE

A while ago, I spoke to a friend of mine who lives and works in New York City. Our two hour Skype session was devoted to my anxieties regarding moving my family to the United States. Where would we go, what would I do? I spoke on and on about all the things I wanted to achieve, my dreams, the kind of work I wanted to find, etc. In essence, I was painting the big picture of my life. "Small strokes", she said to me. "You're concentrating on the big grand strokes. Start looking at the details of how you envision your life. When you wake up in the morning, what do you see? What do you do? What is your environment like? Where do go? Fine-tune the details of how you want your everyday life to look like. That will help you with the answers you're looking for." BAM! Or, "A-ha!", as Oprah would say.

See, that's the thing with life-changing plans. They are so darn BIG! It's no wonder so many people are frightened and paralyzed by them. I mean, who wants to Spring clean their house in one day? Falling in to a Pinterest stupor seems like a much better alternative. Sometimes we need to take it one step at a time. Take that one little step that will lead to the next, and the next, and the next. Forget about what may or may not happen. Just start. Start by making a list! Lists are awesome. They have a purpose and make you feel productive, but don't require any real action the moment you're writing them. All you have to do is put pen to paper. Easy. So, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to make a list with the basics. Not with the big to-do's, but the small ones. The ones that can change my life for the better right NOW. What are the things that I need to take care of in the present so I can accomplish all I want in the future? Coming soon...

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TAKING THE FIRST STEP

My birthday was a couple of days ago. It was an uneventful day. I went to work, returned home, had dinner with the family and blew out a candle on a lemon pie tart. My daughter Haris helped me of course. I honestly don't remember what I wished for. Probably something that included good luck, fortune, and health for me and my family. Something general enough so that it would cover a broad range of needs/wants/desires/dreams. I don't know who made it official that we only get one birthday wish. It doesn't seem right. Life is such a mixed bag, with many categories and sub-categories. Anyway, the fact is I turned 39. Now, I know I'm not old, however, being one year away from 40 set off an alarm in my head. Again, not because I feel old, but because 40 looks nothing like I had imagined it when I was 20, or even 30. On paper, it all seems right. I graduated college, worked interesting jobs, traveled, got married, and became a mom. But, there was one factor I didn't see coming. No one saw it coming. The C word. Ahhhhh... the crisis. Now, as an expat in Greece, one of the hardest hit countries in Europe, my world turned upside down. The company I work for enforced pay cuts for all employees, and my husband, a jewelry benchmaker and technician since the age of 15, suddenly became a stay-at-home dad. Now, before I go any further, let me clarify that in no way do I think we have it bad. We are not living in a war-torn country, we have family close by, and we have a wonderful home. So, compared to a lot of people, we continue to be one of the lucky ones. That being said, living paycheck to paycheck (and sometimes not even that) is frustrating and challenging. It brings up many mixed feelings and imposes many limitations.

So, what does this have to do with my birthday, you say? Well, one year away from 40, I have decided that things need to change. As a working mom with a toddler, I let myself go, physically and spiritually.   The financial aspect just made everything even more intense. My goal for this year, however, is to alter my reality. No time? No money? No problem. Using the internet as my guide, I will tap in to all the readily available resources that are out there to accomplish this goal. This is my reinvention. Can it be done? I think so. It's important to remember that we can't control what happens out there, but we can do our best with whatever is within reach... ourselves. And maybe, just maybe, that will be enough to attract all that we seek.

DO WHAT YOU CAN, WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, WHERE YOU ARE.

I hope you will stick around for the ride and be inspired.