Do you know where you were and what you were doing five (5) long years ago today? I do! This is the 5th anniversary of what I thought at the time was the worst day of my life! That is the day I walked in my salon and day spa and told my team that “Tomorrow we will not be open. As of right now (5:00ish pm) we are officially closed for business.” I had tried everything I knew to do. Just prior to making that announcement I had placed one final call to my bank and asked for additional money to downsize and move to another location…the answer was no and that sealed my fate. Or so I thought!
Here’s the great thing about life…YOU get to chose how you live it! Only YOU can determine if it will be the worst day of your life. Only YOU can determine if you will let that one day in time – that one day out of the many thousands of days you will be on this earth – ruin the rest of your days. I admit it, for several months I was in a (sort of) funk and state of depression. But most people didn’t even know it. I went to work everyday and thanks to some great people at work and my wonderful family – I survived!
And now, five long years later I live my life like it was the best lesson of my life instead of the worst day of my life. Unless you know me or have heard my story you would not know that I lost a business and still pay for it to this day. By pay for it I mean – I still pay a monthly loan payment for my SBA loan. A payment that in many cases is more than the mortgage payments my friends and family make. Â But I refuse to let that ruin my life.
When you wake up tomorrow decide how YOU are going to live your life! Make this decision with both eyes wide open, an open mind and an open heart. Do not let one speck on a large canvas of your life ruin your life. Who wins when you let it consume you? Definitely not YOU.
Below is a slideshow of some of my favorite quotes…
This post is so inspirational. I also had a moment like this about a month ago, although slightly different. I woke up one morning and said I was not going back to work in retail. I called and quit my job. I then went on the hunt for something I would love to wake up every morning and do. I found it three weeks later…luck of the draw or fate? However you may look at it, I am not living the life I want to live in a job I like 🙂
Congrats on changing your path Becca! What a difference it makes. Wishing you the best!
This so true. In my darkest hour my husband was changing his life so that by the time we met (a year later) we were ready to be together. That sentence came out weird. lol It’s late and I’ve worked all day. But essentially I didn’t know him and a year after trying to get my life around, he had done the same thing and that’s when we met. It was perfect.
What a great story for both you and your husband!
Great post. Ironically I remember where I was AROUND this date five years ago as I was ending my marriage – one of the “worst moments of my life” as well. However now that I look back I see it was a “necessary loss” and he and I are both much better apart than we were together. Life has a funny way of working itself out like that.
Life sure does have a funny way of working itself out – there is no doubt! Glad to hear you can look back and know it’s for the best.
5 years ago i was getting out of a bad relationship and into a new one, which is my husband today.
I love a happy ending! Like they say “when one door closes another door opens.” Congratulations on the transition from bad to good!
I was happily married to my late husband…I was so sure we were going to grow old together but unfortunately Cancer took him from me.
So sorry to hear that Maria! Thank you for sharing.
Five years ago my husbands career relocated us to Okinawa Japan and I was just getting used to living in such a different culture. It ended up being a fantastic experience! Thanks so much for sharing your story. Your positive attitude is inspiring!
Wow – Japan! I can only imagine the culture shock at first. But I bet it was amazing!
I am a firm believer in the power of finding the silver lining and overcoming adversity. 5 years ago, I was one of 900 all informed our divisional HQ was closing and I found myself in the job market for the first time in 12 years. I was, well, scared. But I was scooped up by an incredible company and never looked back! I commend you for surviving and thriving!
Layoffs can be so devastating, but I know many people who have gone on to do better things or what they truly wanted to do because the layoff ended up being the kick in the pants they needed. So it always comes down to how you deal with your situation.
Not sure where I was 5 years ago today. Probably working and just getting through life. Five years ago in March, we got our hearts broke in a gazillion pieces. We were foster parents and got a call that a baby had been left at the hospital and no family member wanted the child so it 99% positive that we could foster to adopt since it had been 2 weeks! We went to visit the little girl and were on cloud 9. Then the very next day, we got a call that the grandmother changed her mind and she wanted her. So we lost “our” child within 24 hours! Hubby was done….But we stayed in the system. Then comes May 20th, I get a similar call but that the parents were not mentally able to care for the child so she was probably going to be placed in foster care and they wanted us to think about fostering her. Hubby said no as he was still hurt, but I prayed about it for 2 days then called and said “If she needs a home, then we will give her a home.” On May 23rd, we saw our daughter for the first time. She was a little over a month old. She was born at 29 weeks and had breathing issues. Short version: She came home on June 14th, Hubs deployed August 3rd, he was home for R&R in April 2009 for her birthday and her ADOPTION! On April 17th, one day before her first birthday, Ashlee was officially ours! And our lives are forever blessed!
Wow Sabrina! I can’t even imagine that heartache – so glad you were able to adopt!
This is such an inspiring post! Love your speck on a large canvas metaphor! How true! Happiness is a choice, I always say and it’s up to us to move on or fester in our misery.
Great slideshow, BTW!
Thank you Veronica! Quotes like that keep me going. I save them from people’s posts on Facebook all the time.