How cool is this? Carla Wilson, Executive VA, is walking across England – from coast to coast – with her childhood girlfriend, Caroline. This is a long walk…and considered one of the top ten hikes in the world: “190 miles of sheer hiking pleasure, from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, taking in three national parks: the Lake District, where England's highest mountains are found; the long green valleys of the Yorkshire Dales (of James Herriot fame); and the sometimes bleak but often dramatic landscapes of the North Yorkshire Moors.”
Carla and Caroline started planning – and training - for this trip nearly a year ago. They have had obstacles galore, including travel problems with the online service with which they booked their flight. But, in spite of them, Carla and Caroline left on Friday and started hiking on Sunday. They’ll be gone for nearly three weeks.
When I interviewed Carla just before she left, she was beside herself with excitement. She told me that, in addition to savoring the awesomeness of what she was doing, she was glad to have the girlfriend time with Caroline. On top of that, she was looking forward being alone with her thoughts and letting her mind relax into daydreaming some new goals.
When I asked Carla how her family felt about her being gone so long, she laughed. She said that her spouse was already missing her but her teenage son seemed glad to have his doting mom away for a while. But then her voice got more serious as she explained that her mother-in-law is very ill, and has been for a long time. Part of Carla's planning included a long conversation with her spouse about what to do if she should pass away while Carla’s gone. In the end, they agreed that she won’t shortcut her trip. Pretty courageous move, for both of them.
In the same serious vein, Carla told me that her trip coincides with the one-year anniversary of her cousin’s death from melanoma. To keep her motivated, Carla said, “I felt I needed to walk with a higher purpose.” So the women set up a website seeking donations for melanoma research so they “can help kick cancer’s butt!” They already reached 50% of their goal of $1900. Their donation page is http://tinyurl.com/carla-and-caroline
In addition, each day Carla is walking with the name of someone they know who has cancer. On one day of their trip, they’ll be walking for Theresa Hummel, who’s been battling cancer most of this year. She's the awesome mother of my colleague and friend Theresa Hummel Krallinger.
What about you? Victory is about life leadership. It's about making that stretch out of your comfort zone and step into your greater and more powerful self - the person you were born to be. So...
- Do you have an adventure that you dream about?
- Have you been putting it off because you don’t have the money, or the time, or you don’t think you can leave your family, or you’re afraid something “big” will happen while you are away?
- What if you stopped procrastinating and started moving forward…what would you do and how would you do it?
If you need some help, join me in the fall for one of several teleseminars I'm offering that will help you get started. The fall seminar schedule comes out August 1. Get yours delivered to you by email in the Victorious Woman e-newsletter: http://www.victoriouswoman.com.
In victory,
Annmarie
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