Making Things Happen: Chicago

"Right now, I'm currently posted up in the window seat about oh, a bajillion feet above the clouds. There are so many emotions going through my body right now and my brain is slowly but surely processing the experience I had recently at Making Things Happen. As I sit here and reflect and smell these delicious doritos that this cute little blonde next to me is eating, I can't help but think of how grateful I am for the last couple of days. That, and how hungry I am. Thanks blondie! :)

My flight coming into Chicago was one of the scariest rides of my life. Granted, I tend to be a bit dramatic when I fly because the whole having no control and the thought of being in a big, heavy metal device that somehow floats in the air thing pretty much just freaks me out.

I got onto the plane and saw that I had a seat in the very back, middle seat between two really big dudes. "Oh, this looks fun," I thought. They decided that since I was already uncomfortable, they'd take both arm rests too. So, there I sat, anxious, excited, nervous, and curious as to what was before me in Chicago. The flight was bumpy and the turbulence was by far, the scariest thing of my life. At one point I had to put my hand on the seat in front of me so I could grab something to calm me down. I looked at the man next to me and said, "Man, my husband should be glad he isn't here because I'd be grabbing his arm for dear life! Hahahahaaaaaa." The man just looked at me like I didn't speak and continued looking out the window. (Friendly, fella he was.)

As the plane shook and teater totted it's way down to the runway, I thought, "I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die". However, I survived (Dramatic, much? You're welcome.) I am so glad I just survived this plane ride. The anxiety, the fear, the unknown just riding on my shoulders at that moment was a reflection of the way I've been living my life. My landing into the windy city was a perfect depiction of the way life has been lately... just "plane" rough."

---This was my insert into my journal two days ago 

Now, I'm here at home in my office and I'm trying to put into words what happened on Monday. I honestly wasn't even really sure what I was expecting, to be honest, but what I do know is that my heart is full, my fears are faced, and that light has been lit under my bottom. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to jump. I'm just, ready. 

Y'all…

Y'ALL.

What an experience. 

What an eye-opening day. 

The stories that were told in that room were so empowering, heartfelt, and most of all, INSPIRING. I feel so grateful. Lara, Gina & Emily were everything you'd hoped they would be. Those women are mentors and they really do care about each and everyone of us. They powerfully fostered growth and clarity in our businesses and lead all of us with an incredible amount of integrity and purpose. I felt so connected and challenged the entire seminar, which is exactly what I needed.

There were so many tears involved and yes, I was one of the big criers that day. The tissue boxes that were placed in the inner circle definitely did not go unused. I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but for some reason I was so overwhelmed with my emotions. We were forced to admit our faults, our mistakes, our fears, the things we wanted to be better at, and because I'm so hard on myself and because of all the heartache that has been going on in my life…I completely lost it. Like, sobbing, can't get a breath in, lost it. 

Some of the girls probably thought I was an emotional basket case but I felt like I needed to share what has been so heavy on my life and on my heart as of late. It felt SO good to get it off of my chest and share it with these amazing women. Everyone was so sweet and SO understanding and supportive. It was so wonderful seeing all of these talented women sharing their lives, their stories, and their dreams and offering their prayers for one another. It was a selfless room of supporters and women who all want the best for their lives, themselves, and their businesses.

Making Things Happen wasn't as geared towards "business" decisions , it was more focused on YOU as a person. As soon as you get real with yourself and dig deep into your heart and GUT, that's where you find your passion, and that's where the FIRE resonates to achieve those dreams you want to come true. They help you dig deep to find this place and that is where success comes from. It comes from making these easy decisions that people make difficult for themselves every single day. They peel you down as if you were an onion, layer by layer, getting to the heart of the problem that is keeping you from all the great things you want in life. It's crazy to think of how personal this seminar is and how it makes so much sense once you walk away from it. Your business IS personal. Your business, the way you interact with your passion, all of it...it all stems back to YOU and your personal life. If your personal life isn't positive, you will let all of those negative things bring you down, thus bringing your business down. It's so simple. It was such a lightbulb moment for me. It is NOT possible to live in denial, to hide and be naive to the negative in your personal life and have a successful business. It's not healthy, and it's no way to live your life.

We were faced to write down our fears and STARE at them straight in the face. Point blank. This wasn't easy for me. And y'all, I knew I was fearful, but when I wrote it out...I just thought to myself, "WOW. No wonder you aren't where you want to be. You're holding yourself back Shalyn because of these things on this paper." It was then at that moment I knew I had to make a lot of changes. Changes you know you need to make, but never do because they don't seem to be "that big of a deal." Well, they are. From the smaller things, like reading a blog everyday that makes you feel insignificant or not good enough. To smaller things like being on Facebook for hours a day focusing on other people's lives instead of your own. To smaller things like leaving your phone in the car when you go grocery shopping and being IN that moment and not being on the phone the whole time waiting to see if your instagram got a new like. Granted, yes, instagram likes are fun and they make you smile, but are those really what you need to be focusing on? No. 

Making Things Happen made me realize that being in the moment, having face time with the people you love, not making social media an important role in your day, and going out and LIVING life without wanting acceptance from others is where you gather your inspiration. Not comparing yourself to others constantly, or wanting what someone else has...GO OUT and LIVE YOUR LIFE and DO YOU. Gather your inspiration from YOUR life, YOUR experiences, YOUR relationships, YOUR loves, and living YOUR ideal day. BE an example of YOU and not of someone else. 

Surround yourself around the things that make you happy. Sounds simple doesn't it? Why do we make excuses? Use a fun song to wake up to in the morning. Journal more. Write out how you are feeling on your good days and your bad days. Reflect. Hope. Reach. It's all up to you to take your dreams and make them a reality. 

My flight taking off from Chicago was a little bumpy, and later had a layover in Denver. Take off there was also a little bumpy, but my landing in Austin? 

Smooth, and Calm. 

I like to think that my landing in Chicago being bumpy and rough and my smooth landing in Austin was a clear reflection of myself and my thoughts before & after my experience with MTH. I'm no longer fearful, and I'm ready to do this. It's pretty awesome, I tell ya. 

I encourage you to try The Challenge. I'm currently trying to implement these changes into my life, and I already feel more valuable to myself, to my business, my family, my friends, and my clients. I feel less cloudy headed, and just, CLEAR, VIBRANT, LEVEL HEADED and REFRESHED. These are simple changes that you can make y'all and I promise you can tell the difference. 

There were also a couple of exercises we did that I'm excited to share with you, but it would be too much for one post, so I will break it up into separate posts. I promise it will be worth it. If you ever get the chance to go to MTH, I highly, HIGHLY encourage you to do so. It's life changing.

Make Things Happen. 

Do it. 

Do it. 

Do it. 

I'll be back Monday to cover more of my trip with Rhi, Leah, and Kristin.