Smart Women Are In Control of Their Ride

This summer, our family went to an amusement park in Park City, Utah, for a day of fun.  When you take the chairlift up to the top of the mountain, one of the rides offered is the Alpine Slider.  The Alpine Slider is a bobsled track that runs for about 3000 feet down the mountain.  As we approached the starting gate, there was a very large sign that read: “WARNING! YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR RIDE.” I laughed out loud!  My immediate thought?  “Well, I should hope so!”  And away I went down the mountain with my daughter sitting in my lap.  This got me thinking about how Smart Women are in control of their ride—I’m referring to this ride called a life full of energy, passion, and purpose.

I can recall periods in my life when I did not feel completely in control.  This idea can seem a bit like a fantasy.  After all, we have businesses, careers, families, and other activities that demand so much of us, our time, and our day.  When we finally get control of our time, it’s 9:00 at night and we are too exhausted to do anything!  And in some cases, even though we don’t always realize it, we allow others to be in control of our lives.  There are times when we are faced with a decision and we can become “stuck” or unsure that our ideas or choices could be the “right” ones for us.

Here’s the good news and bad news:  You really are in control of your ride throughout your life.   It can be full of energy and passion or it can be heavy and full of despair.  It can go fast or it can go slow.  Your life can be reckless or controlled and full of more of the things that you want to have happen.  You see, you are in the driver’s seat.   What’s essential before taking the ride is making sure that you decide where you are going and how fast you want to get there.

How about you?  Are you ready to take your ride to a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose?  Does it excite you to know that you are in control of your ride—your life?  Have you taken some time to ask yourself the important questions about where you are going and how fast or slow you want to go?  Have you given some thought to who is going with you on your ride?  This is a key part of my work with women in the Success Circles.  It’s a time for women to hit the “pause button” on their lives and see where they want to go next.  They reflect on what energizes them, what their passions are, and how they can weave more of this into their lives.  Here are a few key questions that might support you in your ride:  What would it take for you to feel completely happy and content?  What situations in your life right now are holding you back from taking action on your Big Idea, dreams, and goals?

That day on the slider, I was excited to be in control of my ride.  My 5½-year-old daughter, Jenna, was sitting in my lap and I found it comforting to be able to slow down when she was a little scared and speed up again when she said, “Go faster, Mommy!”   I invite you to take some time this fall to reflect on your ride through this life you are living.  Are you going in the direction and at the speed in which you would like?  If not, begin to think about how you might take more control over your time so that you too can enjoy the ride of your life—a life filled with energy, passion, and purpose.

© 2008 Joy Chudacoff

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