It’s like I just woke up, and I realized: this is it. We only have one world, we only have one life. This IS your chance. This IS your life.What you are doing right now, today? Tomorrow? The day after that? What are you doing? That’s you. That’s what you’re doing. Do you like it?

Are you ready to take yourself seriously?

I’ve been there. I AM there. We are all there. I go through it, over and over again – the fears, the doubts, the insecurities, the scareds, the what-the-fuck-am-I-going-to-do moments. I have weekends spent holed up in my apartment, alone in my room, because I’m not sure what to do next, because my heart is pounding, because I know that I’m just not content with what’s currently at play, and I want more. I’ve lived through rib removal surgery, I had the delight of fiances and not-so-more-fiances and broken bones and disasters and all of the rough-and-tumble. And in spite of it, because of it, because the world doesn’t care what you could have done, I swam nine miles and I said FUCK IT, jumped into the ocean; I built a website because I wanted to write about landscape urbanism and no one would “let me,” I gave presentations until people started wanting to hear what I had to say, I stopped plodding and started exploring, and somehow, I found myself skipping instead of walking, dancing my way into the wee hours of the mornings in New Orleans, Omaha, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Paris, Munich, Freising, Taipei, Seoul, Amsterdam, Portland, and many other cities I’d never been to–but I went ahead and went there anyways.

I didn’t wait for someone to give me permission.

I just knew, I KNEW that I wanted more than this. I wasn’t going to wait until retirement to learn how to love, to dance, to discover, to explore. I wasn’t going to wait for permission to be the weird, crazy person that I am. I’m not going to wait thirty years to pay back debts that hold me constricted in limbo at multiple jobs. I see a better alternative.

Today, I tell stories and paint pictures of the world as it exists because I want people to see how arbitrary and utterly strange the world we live in really is. How peculiar the barriers are. How much you’re capable of, if you’ll couple belief with imagination and action. How many things we can affect change on, if we’re really to push through the terrifying moments and embrace the awkwardness of looking stupid. Of putting ourselves out there. Of giving ourselves a chance.

Because you’re worth the chance. Because you’re capable of an incredible number of things, if you’ll give yourself the chance. If you’ll get started. But it’s not easy.

No one made a promise to you that it would be easy.

It’s hard work, after all. It’s not easy to hold yourself accountable. It’s not easy to become the person you could potentially be. It’s not easy to be good–and it’s hard as fuck to be GREAT–because of all the pressures in the world, MEDIOCRE is the easy excuse.

But it gnaws at you, doesn’t it? That feeling that you could do something else. That you might be capable of a lot more.

And the times when you’re tired, when you’re scared, when you think, Well… why should I bother. It doesn’t matter.

Wrong. It matters. You’ve got to do something.

And the number one reason you’ve got to DO SOMETHING, is because I believe–I know–this more than anything in the world:

If you won’t stand up for you, who will?

THE START SOMETHING PROJECT

I work with high-impact people who are tired of waiting. People with thousands of ideas, but stuck in the mire of tedium, and know that they want to start something of their own. People who are itching to build something, who are invested in their own growth, and just aren’t satisfied with their current situation.

I look for people who are committed and willing to invest in themselves.  Talented, courageous souls who are looking to unlock their own potential. People who aren’t satisfied with what they are currently doing–and know that they can do more. People who are committed to taking a chance, and aren’t afraid to take risks.

I will work closely with you to discover your strengths, figure out what’s holding you back, and help create a space for you to grow and excel. Because it’s important to me that you succeed–that you and I work well together–I will be very selective about who is ready for this challenge.

I want people who are inspired to take action. Don’t know what you want to do yet? We can tackle that, too. With encouragement, prodding, unveiling, and analysis, we’ll look into who you are and why you are where you are. And where you might want to go.

The full program takes between 4 to 6 weeks, where we’ll work through intense, enlightening, and clarifying one-on-one sessions; followed by prompts, exercises and homework for you to take action on your big scary project or dream.  This program is designed to help you figure out a way to change the current habits you have, test and discover new possibilities, and put the first steps into action by the time we’re finished.

Some nitty gritty details.

For four weeks, we will dive into who you are, what you want to do, and take micro-actions to build your project. The purpose of the month long intensive is to discover your inner strengths and passions, test the validity of your beliefs, learn what’s holding you back, practice putting things into action, build confidence through action, and begin the next steps of your project.

The workshop is a one-on-one intensive designed as four week-specific action sequences to get you started on your next project or dream. It’s like a university course, but with one teacher and one student, and a whole lot of work to do (and a whole lot of coaching and help!). Rather than spinning your wheels for another three, six, or even twelve more months, I’m here to help you get started NOW.

I’m looking for people who are ready to start and committed to action.

• Developing a workshop;
• Building new skill sets;
• Making your job something you enjoy more (I’ve done it!);
• Rebranding yourself and your story;
• Crafting a 6-month vision plan;
• 30-days of writing or blogging challenge;
• Taking on a new adventure;
• Creating ways to include exercise  and movement back into their life;
• Starting a side project that’s been nagging at them for years;
• Taking up a hobby;
• Setting up boundaries and expectations for themselves and others;
• Discovering more about themselves and their passions;
• Learning to listen to their inner voice;
• Experimenting with new ideas.

I’ve worked with senior-level executives, mid-level careerists, and early-bird start-up entrepreneurs. The common thread(s) are intense curiosity, and eagerness to learn, dissatisfaction with a current situation, and a willingness to take action even in the face of uncertainty to make things happen.