I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Restoring Hope event that was hosted by Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines. The celebrity speakers were Michelle Hargrove from Restoration Inc., Michelle Williams accomplished gospel singer, also former Destiny’s Child member and Coach Felecia T. Scott – Certified Empowerment Coach, Speaker and Essence Contributor. Now, this event was definitely for the girls but boy did the adults (which consisted off GSNCCP staff, parents, and Girl Scout Troop Leaders) get a treat when we had a break out session and separated from the girls. We did a short coaching exercise with Coach Felicia that really shed some light on our lives and I think I can speak for everyone that was in that room, it seems like we all had that… “Aha Moment!” when everything was said and done! So what did I learn from Coach Felicia?!?! She definitely showed me that I need to get control of my life! hashtag ——-> #GetYoLife

First thing she said that stood out was”NEVER let anyone’s you are be greater than your I am” Get it?!?! Don’t worry, I did a double take and had to say it again! NEVER let anyone’s you are be greater than your “I AM”! Meaning, you are so invested in who people THINK you are that you lose sight and forget who you are yourself! Did a light bulb go off in your head? I know one did in mine. I need to resurrect Jen, because she somehow got lost in the abyss of her hectic life. She also stated that it’s time to live the life you’ve imagined and where you ARE defines what’s NEXT! So the next thing we did was describe what we would like our ideal day to be like realistically. Welp, I had to grasp some realism and started my list. So below you find a realistic version of what I’d like a regular day to be like in the day and life of Jen!

My Ideal Day: Wake up around 10:30 am Mon.-Fri., first thing I do is check my phone, take a shower, eat breakfast (which I usually don’t eat), Work At Home, Wear Sweatpants & T-Shirt (at home) and Business Casual Wear when I need to make public appearances and meet clients, have a rewarding job that fulfills me, work with a great team doing a job I love, a successful small business, run errands during my lunch hour or write a blog post and engage online, eat home cooked meals for dinner every night, have a clean home 24/7, awesome husband & children, Lots of dedicated family time, My vehicles would be a Lexus IS 300 and Honda Passport and I would go to bed at 11:30 pm daily and do it all over again the next day. Also, travel on the weekends and longer periods when I take dedicated vacation time off.

The top three things of importance to me was: Flexible Job, Communication & Family! Now, Coach Felicia asked what’s keeping us from achieving our ideal day and to look at everything we wrote down to see how much of what we wrote is actually happening right now and the things that need to happen, build a bridge from where we are to our ideal day and make it happen! Funny enough I have about 88% of my ideal day happening right now! I need that other 12%! I’m content but, I will always strive to do better and live out my dreams to the fullest. So where do I start… Welp! In the words of Coach Felicia “Don’t give away your life, invest it!” Investments gain returns! How will I invest my time and stop letting people waste my time. Let people and things that are negative and serving you no purpose go! #PreachCoachFelicia

People should be in process! They’re getting what they want out of you! You know what, she’s right! I’m always griping about being taken advantage of and what people are getting out of me and then I get resentful! Tip: The MOST valuable thing you can give someone is your TIME! So, Coach Felicia suggested that we document our time everyday. She also stated that people are the biggest risk takers of all and to make wise decisions. Calculate risk with caution and break down our goals in manageable pieces. In the next SIX months I hope to “Focus” on what it is that I really want, streamline my work life balance and restore myself. I’ve wanted this forever! So, now the question is what will I do differently to achieve everything that I want. The BEST part of this whole thing is that I don’t have to do it alone. We teamed up in groups and exchanged information to be supportive and hold one another accountable to achieve our goals.

“We need community to help change, that’s where the change comes in!” ~ Coach Felicia (That statement is true on so many levels!)

I have already reached out to my partners and am so excited to start this process. I am so thankful for Coach Felicia and to have had the opportunity to meet her and do this exercise. In case it doesn’t seem like it, this exercise took us at total of 15-20 minutes. We were all in our feelings, and making declarations! We were all empowered and motivated! So, yes… I’m building a bridge because I don’t have that far to go from where I am to where I want to be! Visit CoachFelicia.com for more information and you’ll have access to her articles on Essence as well. Check out the video below posted by The Triangle Tribune to see what type of fun we were having and also check out the event recap the Triangle Tribune published.