Struggle Defines My Success
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Michele Jennae What happens when you realize that most of your struggles in life you have brought upon yourself. That’s what happened to me! I never planned to fail, but I most definitely failed to plan.
Not for want of trying. I read the books and attended the seminars. And truth be told, I made great strides, accomplishing things that status-quo thinking says is nigh impossible. But something wasn’t right in my world.
I had missed the memos to self. I couldn’t plan for something I hadn’t really defined.
Turning Point
I went back to work in 2024, and it was amazing! Not the job itself – but the fact that the Universe never fails to redeliver an ignored message.
THWACK! The job was awful; the culture was toxic – the most toxic environment I had ever been in. I never thought that a job could cause PTSD until this one.
While I worked there, I showed up every day with words of encouragement for my colleagues. I could see their genius. I also saw their light dimming by the day. Despite the punitive leadership approach and my growing anxiety, I refused to let my spark die. I decided that I could do more outside of this job than in it.
Hello Universe. I hear you. Not even a 25% raise could keep me there. 3 months after the bump in pay, I said, “No, Thank you. I’m done.” No notice. No safety net. Burn the boats.
Leap of Faith
I decided to reignite my Blue Flame. Come hell or high water I was going to follow the call that had been chasing me my entire adult life. Yes, my Blue Flame was following me. Like any good courtship, it wanted to be chased too!
I decided to rebrand and relaunch, for better or worse, one last time. This time for keeps.
My Blue Flame is inspiring and motivating people to live their best lives, through speaking, writing, and coaching. How could I do that if I wasn’t living my best life? No wonder I had been so miserable.
I had to find a way through my challenges – old, unreliable copper cable with no upgrade insight; the nearest networking hotspot almost an hour away; a market seemingly closed to my spiritual and holistic approach to personal transformation.
I got Starlink. I committed to the best and nearest Chamber of Commerce and became an ambassador. I began finding my people.
Challenges are Guaranteed
Nobody said it would be easy. If it were easy, no one would need my coaching! If it was easy, it’d be as useful as doomscrolling Facebook, or eating chocolate bon bons instead of preparing nutritious food, or waiting to win the lottery, usually without ever buying the ticket. Wishful thinking and pipe dreams.
We weren’t born for easy. Easy is boring and uninspiring, and honestly a death knell.
Challenges aren’t just guaranteed. There’s no charge. They just show up and do their thing. Like an employee you can’t fire.
The best way to deal with challenges is to 1. Expect them, and 2. Redefine them. It is my goal to be shaped by challenges, embrace them even, as part of the journey. At the end of the day, I will become who I am, more because of how I handled challenges than because of an easy road.
Can I have it all?
Yes, and no. I don’t want “it all” but I can have all I want when I consider that what I really want is love, growth, accomplishment, and belonging. They are mine for the receiving! Connect With Michele www.edgbrio.com
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