I did marketing for a catering company in the late 80's and early 90's between Brown undergrad and Columbia graduate school. Once I suggested to the kitchen that we put grilled chicken (or steak) on a salad -- on a Caesar salad (my fave). They were like, "What!? Grilled meat on a salad?!" I said, "Yes maam and sir!" My kids laugh because I swear I invented the grilled chicken caesar. They laugh at me, a lot, and I laugh at myself a lot, too. It keeps me young, as do my 5 kiddos - and brand new siberian husky puppy.
In my early 30's I had an intuition to eat more meat, more eggs, more fat, and lay off the pizza, pasta and pancakes (which is mostly what I ate, along with lotsa veggies). So I did this -- for a few years. I always listen to my intuition. Always. Then with time, I felt more in balance and could incorporate more of "the 3 P's" back into my diet. Only years later did I realize that I had been doing a famous "diet" that was popular at the time (I don't read news media, intentionally, to keep my vibration high and create more peace and love in the world). Again, my kids laugh.
I have many, many stories like this (I used eat pretzels with white chocolate in the 70's -- now you see white chocolate pretzels everywhere) . . . and they don't all involve food, he he. In 2002 we opened our first Prana Power Yoga™ studio. We were immediately very successful and opened four more. 14 years later that market is now saturated and I'm happy it is, because more peeps are doing yoga, which was my intention.
I have noticed that I tend to be a first - mover. I have very little fear because I had to do that personal development work at a very very young age because of a challenging childhood (please see my blog called "Good News? Bad News? Who knows.") - so sister usually JUMPS. And thinks later. Or don't think at all, some you might say, he he.
Last Thursday I arrived at my global health and wellness company's "Q School" in Tennessee. I was over the moon excited. It's a privilege and an honor. That night, as I introduced myself to Missy, who assists the creator of the school in her many endeavors, she was like, "Oh hi! Taylor . . . wait, Taylor?! Taylor Wells? Who?! Did you, uh, . . . register?"
Oops.
Now I'm a Virgo and sister crosses her t's and dots her i's. I used to read all the reading in college and grad school, and highlight -- it ALL. I was one of "those" in the class. So to not even be "on the list," to see the surprise and confusion in this poor woman's eyes, was tantamount to that nightmare people have being in front of a room of lotsa people with only their underwear on.
But thanks to Missy's amazing character, integity and grace and ability to go with the flow in a difficult moment, along with a lot of personal development work and letting go, I was able to shrug, laugh, and -- blame my husband. ;) He was, after all, supposed to make the travel plans and set me up in this school. We are a great team, complement each other amazingly well, and that's his domain.
I was ever after dubbed "The Q School Crasher," and loved loved loved my name. I'm psyched it will stick (it will). It was on my name tag after that night, along with my new state, Rhode Island (we moved June 23rd). I wore both proudly.
I wrote Missy a text thanking her for everything and her amazing response to what could've been a difficult moment (she had to order food for each meal, etc. and didn't know I was coming) and she said some really nice things and then said, "You were my first crasher!" To which I responded, "No surprise, because I have a tendency to be a first - mover, and this is no different."
What are your tendencies? What are you creating - again and again? Take a look -- a good look -- and if you don't like it, change it! Restart! Begin again. We're all beginning again, in some sense, all the time. In fact, every single morning we get a FRESH. NEW. START.