If I knew then what I know now, I really wonder if I would have chosen this path to live my dreams. Today is the 10-year anniversary of my personal and spiritual growth business, Finding IT. I have a picture of me on the exact day that I left corporate America with my box full of hope and my heart full of dreams. I wrote on the box “Outta here Metris. Feb. 5, 2002 at 3:05pm.” I’m holding a ribbon that says “Spirit award” in one hand and my other hand is in a thumbs up position. I look so young (and was young 30 years old). I see the passion in my smile and the naiveté in my eyes.
I remember that day as if it was yesterday. I was put into a situation in which I had to choose to fight for my dream. I didn’t have to physcically leave my job in corporate America, but I knew in my heart and soul that I needed to spiritually leave. On Valentine’s Day, I sent cards to my network and this is what I had to say.
It’s Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2002
And I want to celebrate this day with you!
For years I’ve been busy preparing to follow my heart
And today living my dream full-time is what I’ll start.
A training and consulting company – InnerConnections my name
Focusing on spirit in the workplace will be my “claim to fame.”
So thank you for helping me feel so blessed, fulfilled and whole
Because in some special way you’ve helped me achieve this goal.
After many years of trying to focus on bringing spirit in the workplace and struggling, I changed my focus to living out my spirituality in my work, in whatever work I was doing. That is when I changed my business name to Finding IT and refocused my energies. I gave up what “IT” had to look like and instead let whatever IT was meant to be come to me.
I was recently inspired to enter a national video contest to share your expertise through Brendon Burchard’s Experts Academy. This was a perfect opportunity for me to share how I’ve lived out my own spirituality through my life’s work with this business.
www.janaebower.com/celebration
Making this video was overwhelming (yes somewhat in the production of it), but mostly in what the video represented to me. When you see the video and see me talking about one of my books that I wrote this past 10 years, what you see is the finished product. What you don’t see is all the heart and soul of the behind-the-scenes unfinished product and unfinished person that it really took to get to that finished product. What you don’t see is the faith that’s it taken me to endure this past 10 years through all the obstacles and heartaches. What you don’t see is the countless hours of pure heart and soul that’s gone into the business.
What I hope you do see is the incredible gratitude I feel for how pursuing my life’s work has been one of the most incredible blessings of my life. I’ve grown so much spiritually by having to live out my faith in whatever work I was being called to do.
Like the quote above, by realizing the dream I’ve realized who I’ve become as a person. My hope is that you will too realize who you are as you go for the big dreams in your life.
Join me in celebrating the journey of our BIG dreams. www.janaebower.com/celebration.
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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.
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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.