“I say the universe speaks to us, always, first in whispers. And a whisper in your life usually feels like ‘hmm, that’s odd.’ Or, ‘hmm, that doesn’t make any sense.’ Or, ‘hmm, is that right?’ It’s that subtle. And if you don’t pay attention to the whisper, it gets louder and louder and louder. I say it’s like getting thumped upside the head. If you don’t pay attention to that, it’s like getting a brick upside your head. You don’t pay attention to that—the brick wall falls down. That is the pattern that I see in my life and so many other people’s lives. And so, I ask people, ‘What are the whispers? What’s whispering to you now?'” — Oprah
Mid life is a great time to reevaluate how you want to spend the next phase of your life. It certainly was for me! As I approached 50, I knew that I needed a dramatic change in the direction of my life. I was not happy!
Whispers
The first thing that I wanted to do was to leave my job. I had been there for 8 years, was working a lot at a very high pace and felt stuck at a job that didn’t really feed my spirit or my pocketbook with the abundance that I craved. There was really no hope of me making enough money to comfortably pay our bills and as inflation was eating away at my paycheck, I was always worried about making ends meet.
Since I worked from 9-2, this job had served me well by allowing me to be home in the afternoon when my daughters were young. This was a huge priority for me and a choice that I happily made-bartering a career for the privilege of parenting my 3 awesome daughters. And even though I started to beat myself up for settling for less than I knew was possible for me, it was the right thing to do for me and my family and I have no regrets-except one.
I held onto the ledge for too long!
In spite of the fact that I kept hearing whispers that it was time to go-to move on, I was a wimp.
Thump on the head
But little by little I began feeling my power, maybe out of necessity-maybe the thump on the head. So I started a home staging business in 2005 and I was able to use my expertise as an interior designer as well as my many years in the Real Estate business to make some money while doing what I loved.
And even though one of the stories I made up in my head was that my boss wouldn’t like this- he was incredibly supportive and to this day is one of my best customers. (So much for our false fears holding us back from our greatness.)
But until my business got off the ground, I needed to run my business and work 9-2 in order to make ends meet which turned into working seven days a week-running as fast as I could to make up our financial shortfall.
I was physically, spiritually and emotionally burnt out and felt as though I had no life….because I worked all the time and I was scared to death not to.
Brick on the Side of the Head
And then I got the brick on the side of the head when my husband lost a lot of hours at work and I didn’t know how we would be able to keep our house. I was becoming more and more depressed and resentful and felt that I could just not work long enough or hard enough to get ahead-or even tread water.
Things looked bleak and although I tried to stay upbeat, I was sinking….And I knew what I had to do….but I was still afraid.
I kept hearing voices in my head saying “let go of the ledge and do something wonderful-something that makes your heart sing and find a way to make more money in less time spent -now is the time”. The universe was talking too me-LOUDLY. I knew others had done it so why not me? After all I was a college educated business woman with lots to offer.
Brick Wall -Falling, Falling
But now I was even more afraid, because it was all up to me and I was holding harder and harder onto the ledge. I mean the brick wall was crumbling and I was going down!!!
And then one day, I just got so sick and tired of feeling this way. So at a time when I felt financially as if I were walking on thin ice, I hired a coach to help me. Pretty radical, huh? And she was not just any coach. She was a ROCKSTAR coach (and not cheap). But I just knew that she would help me!
And slowly I let go of the ledge and left my 9-2 job and held the belief that my staging business would thrive…..and it did.
And as I let go of the ledge, I let go of my attachment to the outcome I let go of making worries about money a priority and I trusted her guidance and my willpower to bring me back to who I was and what I really wanted. And it has been the best money I have ever spent.
It was still scary but incredibly freeing.
And it opened up new doors for me and new possibilities.
This is when I realized that I wanted to do something that I had always wanted to do- to help women work through fear and limiting beliefs, own their magnificence and create their smokin’ hot second half. So I invested even more in myself and studied coaching at Coaches Training Institute and the rest is history!
And letting go of the ledge has been the best thing ever. It has allowed me to create 2 lifestyle businesses (coaching and home staging) that are in line with my truest values and make more money in less time spent. I now get to spend more time with my family, work out more, get better sleep and structure my days as I please. Life is great!
So what is whispering to you, trying to get your attention? What ledge are you holding onto? How can you let go?
If you would like to set up a complimentary discovery session on how you might let go of the ledge, email me at marianne@mariannecherico.com.
And Let’s get Fired up!!!!!
