I can't remember how old I was.

And I can't remember the details around it,

But I remember the excitement that I felt.

Picking up a penny, and another penny, and a nickel, and a dime, and a QUARTER!

My Pop Pop (grandpa), used to take me for walks in the summer time,

To the park,

And by the swimming pool,

And along the sidewalks of my hometown of Lansford, Pennsylvania.

He used drop money whenever I turned the other way.

A penny here, a nickel there,

And he used to say,

"LOOK OVER THERE!"

Pointing with pure joy.

And I used to get SO EXCITED when I found them.

It was like my little treasure, that I'd fill up my pockets with,

Just for me.

I used to believe they were there only for me!

My Pop Pop was a coal miner, and worked hard for each and every penny he so generously and fondly offered up to me.

Part of me thinks that he enjoyed the beauty of simplicity, wonder, and connection on our walks too!

But now I'm grown up and I look back at these memories that I make with my own family.

There is something so amazing about seeing the awe and excitement of a child.

As a mother, my greatest joy is seeing the excitement on my son's face with each new adventure that we share as a family.

But I can't help but wonder how much of that shiny object syndrome still exists in my own life.

I often find myself turning one way, and then getting an idea or a concept, and completely going off path with another idea.

I find myself heading down a path that I didn't choose.

Part of me loves that childlike wonder that I still possess,

But the other part of me knows that as a high performer (meaning I want to have consistent joy, confidence, and full engagement in my life over the long term),

That I have to stay focused.

I have to think about what I'm willing to sacrifice, and what I'm not willing to sacrifice.

I want to be a TED Speaker, be on Brendon Burchard's Stage, go on an International Book Tour, be a Master Trainer for Beachbody,

But I don't want to miss time away from my family.

Living a life of freedom, inspiration, and connection is what I want,

But how beautiful will my life be if I have to spend time away from the ones I love?

I want to live as a strong and confident woman, who is powerful and agile like an athlete, because when I move better I feel better,

But I don't want to lose my happiness in the process. I don't want to be restrictive.

It's easy to get distracted by the next shiny object or other people's plan for you,

But when you have YOUR agenda in mind,

The decisions are easy.

When was the last time you stopped and thought about what YOU wanted?

I don't always lead with the WHAT, but I lead with the WHY, and most importantly now, the HOW.

If the how doesn't make me feel happy,

If the how doesn't challenge me,

If the how doesn't include my family,

Then no matter how shiny the treasure is, it's not for me.

Sometimes I wish life could go back to being simple.

Someone would take me by the hand,

Lead me to where I need to go,

Drop clues (and sometimes money, because dang, we work hard!)

Purely to see the joy in my face.

But seeing your hard work pay off.. in the right places... is priceless.

I plan to keep my childlike excitement, wonder, and awe, but still live a life of focus and purpose.

In my hometown, and when my Pop Pop's was my age, everyone's goal was to mine more coal,

My goal is to lead and love with purpose and presence.

What's yours?

*Did you know I'm a published author? For more stories, how to's and to figure out exactly what you want, and what you don't want.. you can purchase my book HERE!*