What is Holding You Back? | JULIE

The lovely Julie is our Spotlight of the week. This is what we asked her:

What is holding you back, and where are you considering taking a leap of faith?

“Those two questions are intricately intertwined for me right now. The past year has been a time of big transitions. My daughter went off to college, and I took a big step to get my certification for a new career path in wellness and lifestyle coaching. Now I’m working to build a coaching practice and launch a blog to share tips to help people live more balanced lives.”

“I’ve always loved helping people and teaching. I’ve taught classes and workshops for all ages in art, creativity, cooking, dance…a lot of things. But this is completely new territory for me, to go into the world of blogging and social media—the way I understand we have to reach audiences now. I have a lot to learn, and I find myself holding back, wanting to be sure about every little detail. But they tell me to jump in with both feet, so I guess that’s the leap of faith I’m considering.”

“I think I’ve held myself back before now because I didn’t want to go down the wrong path and end up in a place where I felt stuck. I got my bachelors’ degree in graphic design, and back then, we did most of our work on a drafting board instead of on a computer screen. I was out of the workforce for many years while I raised my daughter, and I felt like I became a little obsolete in the graphic design world. But honestly, my interests in art and design changed during that time, and I became much more interested in teaching, and inspiring a love for art and creativity in children and people of all ages. At the same time, my interest in wellness and living a healthy lifestyle grew, and I learned a lot about nutrition, exercise, and stress management, and I experimented with it myself and found shortcuts to make it more practical and appealing to other people, too.”

“I’ve had to stop thinking that someday I would do what I’ve always wanted to do, or become what I know I’m capable of, but I’m facing the reality that it’s now or never. It’s easy to say to yourself that you don’t have quite enough education or experience, or this or that, and for a while, I thought about going back to school for a masters’ degree for…what? I don’t know. I’ve been learning and exploring and discovering my whole life, so I know I have a lot to offer people—now. Having the courage and the confidence to take this new leap requires daily effort and focus. And lots of support. Don’t forget that everyone needs support.”

Julie: Art and creativity teacher, Wellness and Lifestyle Coach, dog lover, dedicated parent. Lives in Park City, Utah.