Flip it! Flip it good!
How does one keep herself entertained while driving some 2,000 miles from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to Tempe, Arizona? Why with an hour-by-hour update into her shiny new Flip camera of course! And I have to tell you that this project was more of an on-the-fly idea than anything else. Yes, a week or two before my trip, I did head to Best Buy to visit with Jim (the super-awesome sales consultant in the camera/video department) to buy my first video camera, ever. But it wasn’t until I was two minutes outside of Eau Claire and hit my first (and only!) detour that I thought an hour-by-hour update would be the most amazing idea. And it truly was! I had so many ideas, connections and insights running through my mind during this four-day drive! And I captured them! On 89 videos. Yup, I had an 80-plus-hour drive. Jealous?
Having trouble watching the clip? Check it out on YouTube!
You’ll have to forgive the awful camera work. Did I mention this was my first video camera? And that I was driving?
But here’s what’s important:
- You become the best version of yourself by putting your current situation into perspective. Yes, it was incredibly difficult to head out into the world on my own; to say goodbye to my husband, our dogs, our home. In fact, I almost called the whole move off just three days before I left. I cried. I negotiated. I almost got Brian to cave in. And then I put things into perspective. I realized what a gift to be encouraged to go any where and develop my dream lifestyle. As they say, it’s all a matter of perspective. Put your current situation into perspective. Can you find the gift?
- Know that you have the option to make changes to your lifestyle. You really do have the power within you to change your life. Do not settle for a mediocre existence. To quote Oprah, “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” Tony Robbins adds, “Ask intelligently.” So when it comes to making lifestyle changes, think through how you really want your life to be. What do you want to do on a daily basis? How do you want to make people feel? What is important enough in this world to spend your 80-some-years on? How are you going to do that? Put a massive plan together and start.
- Develop an amazing, amazing support system. When it comes right down to it, people are awesome. It’s just that some are much more awesome as part of a support system than others. Only let those few people who know you better than anyone else into your lifestyle-changing circle of trust. Make them call you out on your nonsense and your excuses, be strong and encourage you when you’re broken or lost, and cheer you on as you grow and become the best version of yourself. Ask them to take on this responsibility. Let them know they’re in your circle of trust – that your heart is in their hands – and that you need their help to work through this change.
Amazing the difference an hour makes! (Can you believe that was just the first one?) Needless to say, it was an intense four-day trip from one side of the country to the other!
About Sara
Sara Hefty (B.B.A. and H.H.C.) teaches workaholic women how to have it all and flourish without burning out, binging or being spiteful. As an expert in transformational health coaching, she holds women accountable for letting go of unwanted weight, being brilliantly nourished, grounded in truth and feeling confident, happy and playful every single day.
As a woman with her own weight loss story, wide-ranging family heritage of cancer, and a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, Sara’s appreciation for convenient nutrient-dense food, personal growth, inspiring design, financial responsibility, and social entrepreneurship led to her “Pursuit of Ownership: Health, Home, and Legacy” model of heart-on-fire-hot empowered living.
Sara is the founder of PROJECT LUX and SaraHefty.com. She currently lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with her husband Brian and hound-dog Raja.
