Starting Over With A #FreshPerspective

Most goal setting theories or self help books tell you to “let go of the past” and “step into the future”. But, what if you could pause for just a moment before you do that?

You might be faced with a giant heartbreak, a crushing diagnosis, or a lofty dream that feels to big to wrap your arms around. But, if you can stop for a second and look back, you will see how far you’ve come.

I bet if you give yourself time to think about it, you will see how you have healed from a heartache that you never thought you could endure; navigated uncertainty that threatened to paralyze you; and in one way or another – accomplished more than you would have ever thought possible.

So, look back. Stay there for a moment. Breathe in and out and trust that even if the path ahead doesn’t feel clear, everything you have learned has brought you to this place and you have all of the skills and resources to rise to the next challenge.

Notes From California & Looking Back At The Last Two Years:

The California sun streams through a bank of windows as the sounds of Bob Marley and Jason Mraz mix with the call of coffee orders and the clink of dishes. On the sidewalk of one of Berkeley’s main streets, strollers and dogs bump up against each other as locals turn their faces towards the sun and saunter to their favourite Saturday breakfast spot. Déjà vu floods through me and it takes a moment to realize that it doesn’t just feel like I’ve lived this moment before, I actually have.

Almost 2 years ago I had just written about my big hairy audacious dream to embark on a volunteer trip around the world and was knee deep in the – Why didn’t you keep your big mouth shut?– whirlpool of self-doubt and fear.

I sat in this very chair waiting to meet GO Overseas co-founder Mitch Gordon. Nervous about pitching my idea and hopeful Mitch would know some people who would want to get involved, I scanned the room, took a few gulps of air, and then opened my laptop and decided to work while I waited. Even if I felt like a pretender in a sea of Bay Area laptops, I opted to act as if I belonged until I felt like that was actually true.

That half hour meeting stretched into a 2-hour conversation about the vision for the foundation and set the stage for my six months on the road. Even though I was in way over my head, somehow the right partners came together for the Adventure of Hope to become a reality.

From Vietnam through India, Rwanda, Tanzania, Spain, Peru, and Costa Rica, I did everything from working with cancer patients in Vietnam, to changing diapers at a Rwandan orphanage, to spending time with young offenders in a Peruvian city jail. In order to research the bucket list side of each country, I also stood mesmerized in front of the Taj Mahal, felt the sand squish between my toes on a Costa Rican beach, and watched the sun gleam through the ancient village of Machu Picchu. Each experience reminded me to keep believing in big dreams and shaped the Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation’s pilot program in India.

The Next Mountain To Climb

Now almost two years later, I’m back in the Bay Area – looking back at what we accomplished in India and talking about why we want to launch a North American pilot in San Francisco this September. In order to make this new dream a reality for the Fresh Chapter Alliance Foundation, we are excited to find the right angel investor and secure grant funding to make our work sustainable.

Does all of this feel daunting & overwhelming? Yes. But, when a breakdown feels imminent, I focus on the next meeting or the next deadline and try not to climb the whole mountain in a single step.

Even though I have never applied for grant funding, pitched major donors, or met an angel investor, I know how it feels to be in over my head – scared of failing & overwhelmed by what needs to get done – yet still willing to put one foot in front of the other.

Life is about growth and the only way to achieve this is by pushing yourself beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone and trusting that each challenge you overcome will set the stage for new lessons and more growth.

Sometimes it is only in remembering how far you’ve come that you find the strength to move forward. ~ @afreshchapter #startfresh