Life Changing Moment #3:Becoming Fearless

It took burning out to realize that I was living a fearful life.

I was living a picture perfect life programmed by society: Go to school, listen to your parents, seek approval, meet expectations, get A's, receive recognition,  go to college, graduate, get a job, support yourself, get married, have kids... you know the spiel. I don't mean to dismiss any of the above. I just didn't like the fact that I didn't question this programmed behavior and in so never found myself and my own compass. I faked myself into a false sense of fulfillment.

However, due to my wonderful family, friends, and teachers, I acquired an AWESOME skill - critical thinking. I challenged ideas, I thought about everything - always. But I never had the guts to do anything about it until this 'Making point' in my life. I would have loved to major in dance, yet never did it because it was not looked highly upon and I felt I had something to prove because people saw me as an “intelligent” person. I graduated with an Engineering degree, while dancing in as many college teams and clubs as I could. I had great work offers – engineering related - straight out of college and so, off I went into a high achieving career.

I remember bringing up the idea to my parents about taking a break to pursue dance. I could sense their hesitation and fear. My dad frankly asked me why would I risk it when I had a great job and salary. I followed his advice for about three years. But soon enough I realized how determined I was, so I did it.

Below is a picture of me in my element with the 

NDM troupe at a Vitamin Water commercial shoot! 

The truth is - I was lucky. I was blessed to be at a point where I had saved some money. I learned the power of visualizing your goals, so that I had the strength to stop making decisions solely by fear. I was not fulfilled at my job, I knew the amount of money I needed to live, I knew that any materialistic thing will never make me as happy as having the TIME to do what I want and spend time with the people I love. I knew what I believed in, I had identified my priorities, my sources of happiness and unhappiness. Most importantly, I understood the power of action!

So off I went to an adventure in which for the first time, I chose uncertainty, insecurity and passion - I quit my job and went after my dream to dance! But I was not alone, I had the strongest tools of all – Wisdom and Faith! And I realized that it was not luck, but destiny that I had created by taking charge of my own life. Everything in my life had prepared me for this exact moment. 

Steve Jobs summarized the power of destiny, wisdom and faith best: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” 

So yes - it was about choosing to be fearless. However, there was so much more to this decision than just being fearless. Because you can't be rash and stubborn without knowing what you believe in. Next time... Knowing what you believe in.

What has living a fearful life led you to do?

Life Changing Moment #2: Taking a break

Life Changing Moment #2: Taking a break

After 3 years of working with my College Degree as an IT Consultant, I reached a breaking point. Looking back now, I would call this time in my life a 'MAKING point', for it has made me who I always wanted to be. But it certainly didn't feel like that back then.

Work was burning me out at an exponential rate. Although I loved my job and the people I worked with, I didn't feel fulfilled. I was also dealing with personal problems with myself and my family. All this pushed me to take a Leave of Absence from my job. It seemed like an impulsive decision, but I do have a rule that I should only act if I still feel the same way after 2 weeks. And so, I did! 

I took my 3 month leave and left for the only place I wanted to be at that moment - Home in Chicago! I reflected, talked to friends and family, wrote, cried, read, traveled, and finally came to the conclusion that I have been living my life by making decisions based on fear. I had an awesome career, I was well on my way to promotion and on the leadership track of the company, I was completely financially secure, I was in shape, I had just finished paying off my own car - basically, I was set!. Yet... I was unhappy! Why? Because I made so many decisions just based on fear!

Next time... my Life Changing Moment #3: Becoming Fearless.

Are you acting upon fears or desires? Share your story or just share a moment? :)

Life Changing Moment #1: The Secret

One year out of college and just starting our careers, my good friend, Eve Torres, and I watched The Secret together. It was a movie from 2006 that highlighted a concept called 'the Law of Attraction'. It is a belief that there are steps that one can take to "attract" everything that one could want and need. The three steps were: believing in an outcome, thinking repeatedly about the outcome, and remaining positive about the outcome.

We were inspired by the idea of visualizing your goals and dreams into reality. At that point in our lives, we had lofty goals and a wide open future ahead of us, but actually identifying our goals was something we had not done up until then. We also loved the idea of a conscious or subconscious reminder of these goals EVERY SINGLE MOMENT, that could act as a guide in our daily pursuit of these goals.

Eve created a vision board and posted it over her bed so that she would see it every day. My goal list consisted of bullet points (that is how I like to work hahahah) and I posted the list right next to my desk - which at that point in my life as an IT consultant - was where I was almost 99% of the time!

The remarkable outcome of that little project we took on was that at the end of the year, we both had achieved most, if not all, of the goals! I was so proud and so amazed that I have created that list ever since and now take pictures of my list yearly as proof that it works!

Maybe someday I will share my list. But right now, it is very personal to me.

It was amazing to see how easy it can be to achieve your goals or better yet - your DREAMS! It took a lot of hard work, but identifying them was the first step, reminding yourself of them the next, and taking action every day in one way or another is the final step. The intangible power of the subconscious is also so overwhelming and totally incomparable. Try it out if you haven't already! IT WORKS!

What are your goals? How do you make sure that you are pursuing them?

How To Find Happiness - Life Changing Moments by Amna Mazin

This month, I am writing a series of blogs about my path to follow my dreams and what inspires & motivates me daily. Please join me every Monday and tell me about the secret to your daily motivation in the comments!

How To Find Happiness - by Amna Mazin

I had a few good friends recently ask me about where happiness comes from and how I stay positive. It made me think about how I came to be where I am now, running my own business and doing what I truly love. So I wanted to share what came to my head and hope this helps plant some seeds or reinforce some positive habits!

I remember almost four years ago, at my first job out of college, I had my first annual review with my manager. He asked me what my immediate goals were with the company and my future goals in the long-term. When it came to my future goals, I remember saying 'I just want to be happy!' My manager looked confused and took my answer as if to be excused by inexperience and naiveté. However, looking back, I feel I knew exactly what I wanted and am glad I stuck to that goal. Here I am, four years later, and SO MUCH closer to that long term goal than I was at that point in my life.

Here is a picture of me with my coworkers during our work trip to Hyderabad, India.

When I look back, I have these moments that stand out in my mind. These moments changed the course of my life forever. Here are the life changing moments that helped me realize WHAT I BELIEVE IN and WHO I WANT TO BE:

1. Watching The Secret
2. Taking a break
3. Becoming Fearless

More next time!