What would it mean to you to create a life by design and not a life by default?  Maybe some of you have, but I am betting the majority of us are the latter of the two scenarios.  What does it mean to live on purpose, live with intention, or live to commit to goals and not just to create them?

These last few weeks, I’ve been attending a weekly coaching class talking about such topics, giving me tools to implement in my real estate career, and  to create a life by design and not just default.  To say that it has opened my eyes is such an understatement.  I’ve learned about the impact of my mindset, the way my heart and head communicate and have become ardently aware of wasted time and my own nonsense.

I can’t tell you exactly what brought me to choose real estate as a career at 42, other than I hoped to make some money; but I’ve had to dig deeper than that. I’ve had to really find my “why”. My “why” is my family, my loved ones, and wanting to give back to something bigger than me.  That particular thought alone caused a ton of reflection.  Suddenly, it’s like I feel the blood of my ancestors pulsing through my veins, and I think of my family ranching roots.

It wasn’t easy leaving the ranch a year ago.  I never saw myself doing anything but riding down mountain trails on my horse hosting people, walking side by side my folks as they grow older, and working with extended family and keeping family traditions alive.  But there is one thing I felt was lacking and have always known I wanted, and that was to live with purpose on purpose.  I wanted what I did to be transcendental, reaching past just my own selfish wants and needs; I wanted it to last for the sole purpose of leaving this world a little something good.

I was so fortunate growing up on the ranch in Montana; fortunate beyond measure.  I don’t mean in monetary terms, but more so in what really matters- the matters of the heart.  I’ve seen more mountain splendor than most will see in a lifetime atop the best horses God ever made. I’ve watched my grandparents dance at their 50th anniversary like two young school kids still madly in love until the day they passed. I’ve seen the sunlit wheat fields in central Montana aglow with the prettiest sunset built in orange and pink hues that stopped me in my tracks.  I’ve watched a cutthroat trout rise to a fly cast with art from the skilled hands of my uncle.  I’ve witnessed the bugle of the bull elk, and rattled in a whitetail buck for harvest. I’ve heard my daughter’s beautiful voice sing its song to a crowd that listened intently and with awe as her words floated on a summer night’s breeze.  I’ve seen my son learn to hunt, fish and trap and develop a deep love and respect for the outdoors.  I’ve shared days in the saddle with tough cowboys while we worked a herd as they willingly shared their knowledge. I’ve watched my mom turn a fresh colt into a steady steed.  I’ve seen my dad’s hands labor and mechanic on intricate motors and turn the pages of a worn Bible to share scripture. I’ve seen wild horses run through the sage, smelled the desert after a rain, and have known the tremendous love and respect of a good man.

Tangible moments. Heart moments.  Intimate transmission of memories from heart to head and back to heart all for the purpose of creating a life by design, not by default.  His design.

Real estate may not have been a choice I saw coming, but this last month has given me more purpose than perhaps I’ve ever felt, all while not yet making a dime. I thought I wasn’t living with purpose if I wasn’t witnessing and doing all the previously mentioned things, but I now see that it doesn’t matter what profession I’m in, but the purpose in which I’m living, and knowing my big “why”.

I refuse to be distracted by comparison.  I want to be captivated by the purpose.  So, learn to appreciate where you are in your journey, even if it’s not exactly where you want to be.  Whatever you do, do with your whole heart, whether that is a 9-5er, a fireman, a writer, a mill worker, a waitress, a coach, teacher, doctor, or a cowgirl.  There truly is a reason to every one of your seasons under the sun.  Appreciate it. Relish in it. Do it. And grow with it.

Happy Trails~

Heather