“You’re lucky to be alive.” I’ve heard that statement a million times. See when I was born, I was what they called a “blue baby” because I would literally turn blue and have seizures. In 1968, I was one of the youngest kids in the country to have open heart surgery at 14 months. Growing up, everyone told me “You’re SOOO lucky to be alive.” Even today people tell me You’re lucky to be alive. What I didn’t realize is that my subconscious took these words to heart. Because, I’m lucky to be alive, I don’t deserve to be happy, I don’t deserve to be abundant, I don’t deserve to enjoy pleasure, I don’t deserve…. Unfortunately, I owned the words. When I was 31, I lost my husband Pete to complications after a heart attack. I asked God “why not me, I’m the one that had heart surgery, why am I still lucky to be alive with all this pain and grief?” I not only lost Pete, but as a step-mon with no rights, I lost his two young boys as well. But hey, I’m still lucky to be alive, but why don’t I deserve to be happy? So, I kept chasing joy, got married again but was so miserable. After divorcing my 2nd husband, I began working on myself and uncovered my limiting belief of “I’m lucky to be alive, I don’t deserve anymore!” WOW what a load of shit I had allowed myself to believe for over five decades! Now I ask myself why did God keep me alive? What is my purpose? What lights me up? What is my passion?

So, guess what? I found it and it was right under my nose, but I keep it hidden from my buttoned-up professional life. I come alive when I bartend. My sassy, sarcastic, fun-loving side shines bright when I’m behind a bar serving customers. When I’m slinging drinks, I stop being the stuffy buttoned up businesswoman and let my social skills fly! But I also love the challenge of running an efficient and accurate machine. Managing pour costs, serving up cocktails quickly without waste while keeping customers engaged and having a good time. Once I embraced my inner passion of fun, my business side improved too. I let go of the stuffy, buttoned up businesswoman and brought the fun of numbers to my clients, creating easy and painless processes to run their businesses, saving them thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours each year.

The joy I discovered while bartending gave me a new motivation to pursue my purpose. To put it simply; Find your fun! I am no longer wasting my time on this earth. Life is too short to dread the paperwork; I make it fun and painless! No longer do I question my existence. I’ve set myself free to embrace fun, love, and most importantly life. I am no longer just lucky to be alive; but deserving to be alive and thrive!