Today marks the ending to more than just the 31 Day Ultimate Blog Challenge. It also marks the end to a very special housesitting project on Vancouver Island.  Today was the last day I could walk out the back door and skinny dip in the pool. TMI? In todays blog post you’ll learn a lot more about me, than in any other post I’ve written here on my business blog. I can’t help wondering if I should do a little bit more of this. Just writing from me, to you. I’ve got plenty of tips and tricks up my sleeve. Enough to fill several blog post challenges. But the part I’m really challenged with is “knowing how much is too much” for personal sharing. I’m going to give this a whirl.

11 months ago most of my belongings went into storage, with the intention of coming back in a few weeks, maybe 3 months. Instead I’ve been sending the storage company money every month & traveling around the west coast of Canada caring for family pets & watching peoples home’s while they’re on extended vacation. It’s been “interesting”. I know a lot of my friends think it’s all glamour and glitter, but it’s really quite lonely & I’ve flung myself into working at a feverish rate, just to keep myself from noticing how lonely I’ve really become. Most days I start (admittedly it’s a lot of “busy work”) around 8:30 a.m. and rarely shut off the computer before midnight. I put in long, long days. And when I do take time away (like tonight) I ask myself “Why?”.  Am I getting closer to my goal? Do I even remember what it is? Or am I just working like this just to keep my mind active?  I don’t know the answer yet.

Most days I would tell you I haven’t accomplished anything. I’m either very humble, or blind.  Today while saying goodbye to the horses, the ranch, the swimming pool I loved so much; I had a really good think. I really did accomplish something. In fact, the crazy thing is that almost every single image in my digital vision board was a part of my life this past 3 months. Including attending WDS in Portland, OR.  Seeing some of my amazing friends.  Being by the ocean, mountains, seeing wildlife grow up in the spring (tiny little Canada Geese, the most adorable baby deer, tiny little sparrows, and garter snakes hardly the size of a small pencil). We entertained my parents for several days, a  young man from Ireland and later a girl from Germany. We lost a family pet, and I grieved deeply.

And then went on to study marketing (again) and online business. And listened to more and more people with similar challenges until I found a really simple & affordable solution I could package up and sell (a dream come true for me ~ to find something that will keep me from the dollars for hours business model). What really thrills me about this one is I can still spend quality time with entrepreneurs in the newbie stage, listening to their stories. It inspires me to create more, and brings new life to the content of a new book I’m working on.

As much as I’ve been ‘beating myself up’ for not doing enough, being enough, living fully; I’m now reflecting & see a slightly different reality. I’ve changed in this past year. I’ve seen things I never would have without taking this path. Had I known in advance I don’t think I would have locked my things in that storage locker and driven away. But I’m glad I did.

I can’t help but wonder what the next year has in store. I’m excited and nervous again. One thing is for sure. It won’t be the same as yesterday!