Kill the Cow, Keep the Dryer

You know what these are, the things maybe habits or items we can't live without. Our sacred cows of life. I'm reminded of a girl and her industrial strength hair dryer, but I digress. Sometimes your sacred cow is as plain and as unknown as the nose on your face, something your eye is trained to ignore.

I would challenge you to ask a friend, spouse, or coworker what your ticks are. To be brutally honest my biggest tick was an "Adult" job 9-5 Monday through Friday. I don't know if I thought the world was going to end if I worked outside of those hours but I know my most productive times do not always happen between 9 am - 5 pm. Somehow I decided that people who worked these hours had made it. After much reflection I have decided Monday through Friday 9-5 doesn't work for me. So with one sacred cow down and the other soon to be down. I have a new standard of "arrival". I want to work minimally without my income being dependent on my presence in the office. When the cow no longer stands in the way you are free to redefine and adjust expectations.

The other was comfort. I liked a predictable ( insert safe) standard of living. I was terrified first with what would I DO if i no longer was a work-a-holic? What would happen if I stepped out to the unknown and fell flat on my face? I was too comfortable in my commitments like rent and car payments and a delightful cell phone bill. These demands were an unkind task master.

Challenged by an honorable man, I was given the task of following a rabbit trail into the what if's of the world. What if I didn't fall on my face? What if I succeed at my heart's desire? What if I did become an author? One of my dreams from a tender age. But it gets better! Not only did I dream of one day writing a book, I specifically wanted to write a book on the coast of Maine in a sea cottage on the beach. So my journey down the rabbit hole continued. What if I COULD write a book in a sea cottage on the coast of Maine with the ocean as my soundtrack and a lighthouse for my bearings. Life just looked better and better. Well first things first I had to believe I had something to write! Its difficult to be a writer without stories. But I assure you I have no shortage of words and even ideas, but a story??? So I have beaten back the beast of a sacred cow to try my wings outside of comfort and though the journey is in its infancy, I am delighted to say its been quite the success.
The land beyond your sacred cows is bright and full of promise and risk. But all of the best things take a bit of faith.