Don't expect others to understand YOUR Dreams.

I remember being younger and my parents and other adults saying things like "you can be any thing you want to be!" A part of you believes them, and maybe a part of them truly means it. However, I was not the typical child. I was very self aware at an early age and I knew the "normal path" of-graduating high school, going to college, getting a degree, then getting a big girl job where hopefully I continue to advance up the corporate ladder, was not for me. I never excelled in school and I was hyper-aware that academics was not my out in life, but something would be. My biggest strength was apparent, I was full of energy and passion and if I loved something, I became obsessed and worked my ass off to improve. Looking back on it now, it's always been so obvious what I was meant to do in this life. When I was younger, this wasn't so apparent and I was lost in a system that was not designed for someone like me to succeed. I struggled in school just to pass my classes and dropped out of college in my second year after an internship at a Law Firm. Again, I am someone who has always had lots of energy, I love being active, I love being outside. In this internship, I was stuck inside all day, sitting in a chair, staring at a computer screen and papers, high lighting and underlining, I was miserable and trying to solve the equation in my head of how in the hell I was going to do this, 8 hours a day, at least 5 days a week, for the rest of my life. I made the decision that I was not going to compromise my happiness, get myself in debt with student loans, only to hate 95% of my time on this earth. I was not going to be the person who lived for the weekend, I wanted to live for Monday. Every thing in my gut was screaming that this wasn't for me, but I still didn't know what I wanted to do instead. My parents were of course less than thrilled that I dropped out and immediately started hitting me with fair but at the time annoying questions like "what are you going to do with your life? how will you support yourself?" I had no answer other than, "I don't know but I know when I find out, I'll kill it!" A few days later my Dad called to tell me he had GREAT news, he had scored me an interview with his very successful friend for the hopes of a "big girl job." I nailed the interview, got the job, and immediately relieved my parents of worry for my future. After all, this job was an amazing opportunity, paid well, provided me with insurance, and a sense of "security." The job was 98% office work, I was back to being inside, sitting in a chair, staring at computer screens and spread sheets. The few times I was able to get out of the office and make personal deliveries to our most valued clients were the only good days on the job. I was back to negotiating with myself on how in the hell I was going to do this 5 days a week for the rest of my life, and once again, my gut was screaming to get out, keep searching, I had to listen. I finally mustered up the courage to tell my parents that not only did I drop out of college but now I am quitting this financially secure job. It was the biggest breath of fresh air for me and I felt 50lbs lighter. It didn't happen over night, but because I was no longer wasting energy on things I had no interest or passion for, I was open to receiving things that set me on fire. Then it happened, a friend invited me for my first CrossFit class at 5am, and the rest is history. I remember pulling up and hearing music already blasting and barbells dropping. I opened the door to see graffiti on the walls, and every demographic of human you can think of working and sweating together and openly encouraging one another. I instantly had an undeniable feeling of "I'm home" my gut was screaming "this is it!!!" From that moment on, every waking moment that I was not working, I was interning, shadowing other coaches, working out, even scrubbing toilets just for the opportunity to learn. I picked up every extra shift at work I could in order to pay for my first certification so I could begin interning and hopefully eventually Coaching. That was almost 8 years ago now, and I've made sure to get at least two new certifications a year. The kid who barely passed high school, barely read one book my entire school career, all the sudden, I was reading a book a week, taking tons of notes, and watching every instructional video I could get my hands on. I was back to being a student but this time, I was the most eager and hardest worker in the room. Since that 5am class, I knew I was meant to open my gym, create my own community of diverse badass supportive people, and help change the world for the better through strength and conditioning. Since that day almost 8 years ago, I haven't stopped pursuing my dream, learning, traveling thousands of miles, and spending thousands of dollars on certifications and seminars with some of the worlds best Coaches. But even with all the work I've done, the noticable and undeniable positive change that continues to occur in me, my loved ones can still be timid on my dreams. After all, to every one on the outside, opening my gym means I will have to provide myself with a salary, insurance, etc., and still maintain and keep the business afloat. In the beginning this was very discouraging to me until I realized they can't possibly ever fully understand my dreams because they don't feel how much love and passion I have for it. They don't see me every hour of the day, working, learning, improving, all with the specific goal of making my dream a reality. Most importantly, I learned it's not for them to understand any way, it's not their dream, it's not their passion, it's mine! The only persons permission I need to make my dream a reality is my own. It's natural for my loved ones to worry about me, want the best for me, and unfortunately that sometimes results in them putting their fears on my dreams. It's on me to remember their fear is coming from a caring place and if I spend my energy justifying my dreams to others, I'll have less energy to execute on them. If you have dreams, stop justifying, and start executing.