A personal reflection from my heart to yours. My story of staying present and showing-up fully.

You are exactly where you need to be.

I heard these little words from the loud silence of lazy crickets, chirping robins, and murmuring maples this morning.

This season of life is so full and brimming over that I almost couldn’t hear that little voice.

Let me back up…

Back in May I decided to say a full, loud ‘Heck yes’ to summer.

I’ll never forget the moment I was sitting in the passenger seat with my mom on an 8-hour road trip.

The very back leaf of my Present & Productive Planner Journal was open. You know, that’s the place with a secret pocket for notes, letters, and other little treasures.

One of my treasures is my lifetime bucket list. All those crazy wild dreams that burst into my brain when I think “wouldn’t it be incredible if…?”

A wild idea rooted in my mind.

What if this were the summer I finally started saying Yes! to my bucket list?

Before self-doubt could start to tell me all the things I should be doing – saving money, working on my business, my professional development – my heart nearly exploded with a giant YES!

Bigger and brighter than Fourth of July fireworks over the oceanfront.

There’s never a shortage of ‘shoulds.’

There will never be the perfect time to say YES! To a dream.

That one moment sparked a wildfire of adventure and new horizons for this summer. I’m calling it my ‘whole hog summer,’ only committing to something if I hear a giant “Heck Yes!” in my heart.

If it’s not a “Heck Yes!” then it goes to the back burner.

Living out this “Whole Hog Summer” mindset has brought all kinds of adventures into my life…

• Traveling to see friends old and new
• A bucket list solo camping trip under taller-than-life redwood trees
• Staying up until sunrise for spontaneous dance concerts
• Jumping back into distance running
• Throwing parties for friends whenever there is anything worth celebrating!

You can imagine, my heart is truly overflowing.

It also means I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone a lot. I’ve taken on some crazy new professional and personal projects that I never would have had the guts to say yes to… and I’m not at all sure of where this path will take me!

Saying Yes! To a dream involves so much uncertainty.

It means stepping beyond who you’ve been in the past, and into a deeper, fuller version of your future self. It means becoming the person your heart is calling into being.

Saying Yes! to a dream can be soooooo scary. Downright tremble-in-your-bones terrifying.

My mission with Present & Productive is to empower over-worked professionals with the skills and mindsets to say a whole hog “Heck Yes!” to their dreams.

It’s a mission I live out each and every day in my own life.

I’m fully committed to practicing what I teach. Even when it feels out of reach or too darn hard.

As I look back over the past three months, every time I’ve said “Heck Yes!” to a dream… I’ve also had a tsunami’s worth of fear, doubt, and uncertainty.

What if I’m not good enough? What if I invest all this time, energy, and hard-earned dollars into this dream… and it doesn’t work out? What if I show up and everyone looks right through me? What if there’s just a part of me that’s broken? What if everyone else can do it and I don’t?

It’s in those moments that I go back to my Present & Productive Planner Journal and remind myself:

You are exactly where you need to be.

Listen to your heart.

You are smack dab in the middle of the most awesome, creative journey ever: your one wild and precious life.

Maybe it was a whisper from the tree tops or an echo from the well of my heart. Either way, I’m so grateful that I took a pause at the end of this sweltering July morning to feel the sunshine kiss my forehead and gather myself for the month ahead.

Wherever you’re reading this right now – on your phone or maybe on your own back porch – I invite you to take a pause.

Deep breath in. Slow breath out.

Notice where you are.

Activate all five senses.

• Smell the breeze
• Feel the sunshine
• Taste the coffee
• Wiggle your toes on the grass
• Hear the cars rolling by

And gently ask yourself,

What’s waiting for you to say “Yes”!?