I’ve been thinking about this day for a while, and what I would say in this blog to convey all my thoughts and feelings about it. It has literally been months since I first gave it any thought. Now that the day is finally here, I’m struggling a little on how to piece together everything I want to say.
A few months ago, I was skeptical if this day would ever arrive. I’ll be the first to admit that when things seem too good to be true, there’s a cloud of doubt that lingers in my mind about whether or not everything is as it seems. I think that’s human nature though. I’m happy to say that my doubt was unfounded in this particular situation.
So where am I going with this? You’re probably wondering what point I’m trying to make here. Bear with me, it’s coming.
Few people know what they want to be when they’re grown up. You’re first asked the question when you’re really too little to truly know what you want to do for the rest of your life. For me, I wanted to be an actress up until around the age of 12. I loved acting, performed in a variety of plays, and I was determined to follow the path of Canadian actress Neve Campbell who went to the Toronto Film School. And then, something happened – I became a teenager! Let’s just say there were a few years where I didn’t really care about any of this stuff. I abandoned school performances, started smoking and tried to look “cool” by not giving a shit about anything. I was soooo cool (can you sense the sarcasm here?). It turned out I was just like everyone I was hanging out with, lost without a sense of direction for the future, that is, until Grades 10 and 11. Even though I was defiant to most authority figures at the time, there were two special English teachers that saw a talent in me; a talent for elegantly arranging words; a talent for writing. I suppose I always had writing in my blood – I was that 5 year old who had a typewriter as a toy, hammering away on the keys much like my 2 year old tries to do now with my laptop. Of course, the words didn’t make much sense back then, but I mean, what kid gets kicks off an old typewriter? My point exactly! It was as if my path was laid out long before I could even understand what that meant.
In Grade 12, piggybacking off the encouragement of my two former English teachers, I decided to do my co-op at the local newspaper. I was interviewing my fellow classmates on their co-op journeys, writing articles about news-worthy community events, and I even remember an article where I had to drive behind a house that was being moved from one location to another across town…I thought that was pretty awesome (before the days of distracted driving laws, of course).
I had my own column “The Laundry Pile,” being a play on words of my maiden name Washer. It was then I knew that one day I wanted to be a journalist. Fast forward several years later upon arriving to Fort McMurray, I used that portfolio of published works to gain my first freelancing gig here in town, and the rest is history.
You see, for nearly 6 years, I have been living my high school dream as the Publisher of my own newspaper, snapd Wood Buffalo. How many people are as lucky as I to fulfill their dream by the time they’re 27 years old? Now, in the summer before my 33rd birthday, life is changing once again. As they say, it’s only when we leave our comfort zone that we are able to grow, and that time has now come for me.
Yesterday was my last official day as the owner of a business that has afforded me a wealth of marketing, branding and business experience. When making the decision just over a year ago to pursue my career as a Business Coach & Consultant, I knew something had to give; that there just wasn’t enough of me to spread throughout four separate businesses. As of today, snapd Wood Buffalo is officially sold, and thus adds another layer of business experience to my plate and a new chapter of my life.
With every new beginning comes an end, and as excited as I am for what the future holds, it’s a little bittersweet for sure. A big part of my life is now closing, but instead of viewing it as an ending, I’m choosing to re-frame it as a dream fully realized. After all, it was my dream to be a journalist, and now I’ve been there, done that, and gained more than just a t-shirt. I have gained experience that I will now take with me as I sink more time into my newest venture with Noble Choice Coaching, and adequately disperse energy amongst my other two businesses.
The future is bright and full of possibility, and I’m going to dive right in! So, here’s to the end of an era, and to new beginnings!
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