INSPIRATION THURSDAY - A Renaissance Soul

I’ve been working nonstop for the past few weeks—between 12-hour nursing sessions and attempts to exercise that are foiled by wildfire-smoke-filled air—and I was clicking between my four email accounts today with my left pinky because Little M wouldn’t nap unless he was on the boob. Surprise surprise. And Wimbledon was on, so I couldn’t veg in front of Dr. Phil (I know, I know, but it’s like watching a train wreck. I like to turn it on and cringe when there’s absolutely nothing else to do). And I only have four TV channels since they took away my Bravo (all you people who don’t have cable, you know what I mean. ANNOYING!)

So anyway. I was clicking around in my email, and came across BlacksburgBelle.com. I found the website because an adorable onesie caught my eye in the email, so I clicked onto SoRad’s website, then I noticed that there was a blog post about marketing, so I clicked on that, and I found this girl’s website.

I started reading her blog. And I came across this post.

And I started thinking, “Who is this girl?” This post. Is. Me. Exactly. I think April Bowles-Olin is my doppelganger.

Let’s pick this post apart. When her grade school teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she blurted out a bunch of things. Check. April says that she changed her major three times in college. I changed my major from theater to psychology to communication and studio art. She says she would have loved to stay in school to learn about more things. Um, hello… I never wanted to leave.

April then describes the debate between people who say you should be really good at one thing and others who think you can be successful at many different things if you’re passionate about them. I had this debate with a friend after college. She was of the camp that thought you had to practice one thing every day to truly master it. And I just couldn’t wrap my head around that concept.

More recently, I was meeting with a career coach who was suggesting I choose one thing and put 100% commitment into it. And the first thing I said was, “I can be 100% committed to whatever I choose, but I still need to do the other things.” There are just some things I don’t want to not do. April says, “But, I’m a renaissance soul. And, if you have a really hard time choosing between your passions, you might be one, too.” {Raising hand} That’s me!!

After talking to this career coach, I realized that there are just a lot of things that really inspire me. And I am very good at knowing what I can see myself continuing with and what I can’t. I know my strengths, and I was beginning to feel like my “allovertheplaceness” was my weakness.

I kept scrolling down, and her tips to turn many passions from a weakness into a strength soothed my soul. I’ve been feeling frantic about my decision to continue with everything, even though it’s been slowly coming together anyway. These tips corralled the chaos in my head.

April suggested to narrow my focus for now. (Right—like she’s talking specifically to me). When I first read that, I was a little apprehensive. Until I saw that she said to narrow it down to two to four things, not one. I can do small. I can do baby steps. I just can’t give up on some of the things I’m passionate about. She even talks about how your focus can change. Girl, how did you get in my head?

Next was the kicker. Tip #2: Don’t fight it. She says:

“I’m at my absolute worst when I try to fight and resist that this is who I am. My passions and interests are varied. When I embrace this, I get a lot done, enjoy my life and career, and feel fulfilled. When I try to fight it and pick one thing to focus on, I get bored and crave change. I also give myself a hard time instead of rolling with it.”

Shut the front door. This girl is me. Where did they find her??

And her third tip was to capitalize on your diverse background and many skills.

April. You are my hero. Seriously. You are this breath of fresh air in my life right now. You want to do it all and you are doing it all, and you still have your head on your shoulders. And you posted a picture of something that looks like a cookie but is not a cookie but still looks delicious in this blog post. I am madly trying to figure out where I can follow you right now. (Like Facebook and Twitter, but I would probably follow you to the moon).

Ok. Stalkerishness aside, reading this just made me become able to breathe a little easier. My dreams are starting to take shape lately. I have realized that Tmuffin’s tag line—which I came up with two years ago, before I even became involved in half of what I’m involved in now—was like a premonition. Tmuffin is all about goodies and tidbits. Whether I’m sharing tidbits (teaching childbirth education or babywearing or sharing about natural parenting) or selling goodies (the crafty things that I just can’t stop making), it’s all to make life easier for moms. And their babies. And I can do this crazy thing.