When an Experience Shifts Your Universe

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you know those experiences where you can feel the universe shifting? they are rare and powerful. i most recently experienced one of these on our fast trip to frankfurt, germany.

if you have been a reader for a while, then you know my husband ryan avery aka “ravery” is a motivational keynote speaker. oh and he’s freakin’ amazing at it (all bias aside). we jaunted to germany last weekend for him to deliver a few speeches to members of entrepreneurs’ organization (EO)

it was a fantastic opportunity for him to showcase his mad skills, share value and for members to ‘vet him’ to bring him out to their local EO chapters around the world. ravery rocked it. he rocked it so hard that the building manager had to come in his room and declare “no more people allowed – this is a fire code” because people were sitting on the floor and lining the walls! yes, i’m bragging on him because he works incredibly hard and ensures he delivers the best content.

it’s exciting about the opportunities that we have and it was neat to be in a new city. however, the shifting moment for me was sharing the same air (like in the room, not making out jeeeez) with super successful entrepreneurs. here’s what their website has to say about the organization,

At its core, EO is a collection of like-minded entrepreneurs focused on business growth, personal development and community engagement. In addition to our mission, vision and core values, our global makeup is comprised of nearly 12,000+ individual member stories.

to even become a member of this organization, you must be the owner/founder/majority stakeholder of a business earning at least $1 million in sales. does that blow your mind?! i mean, sara blakely – the founder of Spanx is a member of EO (no, i didn’t meet her…yet). it completely blew me away and then it did something profound to me.

it made me realize that i was capable of this. you are capable of this.

looking around the conference, every person standing there (all 1,600+ of them) has to eat, sleep, drink, pee and if you cut them, they bleed. it’s not like they were born with an extra ‘millionaire elbow’ or something. they are human. we are human. and that is exciting!

no biggie – simply an epic party in a warehouse in germany

they take risks, they surround themselves with people they can learn from and all of them dream BIG! it was amazing to hear people’s stories and the amount of good these people are bringing to the world! one woman i talked with saw a need for doctors to visit the homes of the elderly (instead of them leaving to go to the doctor’s office) so she created a new medical structure for that! another invented a system to help clean water in third world countries.

for my social worker heart now in the entrepreneurial world, it helped me immensely to look in the eyes of these people and know we can continue to build a purpose-driven business. my biggest struggle with running our own business is that i often feel uncomfortable making money directly, instead of through a non-profit. this conference made me realize it is okay to make serious money while making a massive difference.

that has been my biggest block since entering this new self-employed world. it was empowering to see couples there with their children and creating their own reality. i grew up in the world of school>9-5 job>weekends off>save up for vacations>retire when you are 75. of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with that world but it does create an internal struggle when you begin to shift your perspective that indeed, that’s not solely the way to live life.

we still have a ways to go before becoming members of EO. however, surrounding ourselves with people who are more successful than us, still have good hearts and are making a difference restored a new sense of purpose and passion for both of us.

it was helpful for my brain to literally see entire families creating a lifestyle that works for them! we don’t know a ton of people that run the type of business we do or have the type of lifestyle we do so i loved meeting others who are rocking life in unique ways!

EO also knows how vital it is for spouses and families to be heavily supported when someone in the family is an entrepreneur, which i ultra love. we have been invited to teach our couples’ workshop in conjunction with ravery’s leadership trainings in some exciting places (more details as soon as contracts are signed, sealed and delivered)!

the scales in my soul have finally tipped more towards “okay, i’m on the right path” which i do not take for granted! it’s amazing what happens when you say YES and figure it out. public shout out to our families who made it possible for both of us to leave our sweet atlas for three nights!

thank you also for the good vibes on making our flight from germany to hawaii! i have never run so fast in my life but we made it! i don’t necessarily recommend flying from the US to europe for two nights and then to hawaii. it almost breaks your body clock.

atlas is making that face because i was sooooo sweaty and she didn’t love it.

with that, please know that if you aren’t loving your life – you have the power to change it. it’s okay to dream big and lead an unconventional life. chances are, there is an entire group of people aligning with your same ideals.

if there isn’t  – create one.

what experiences have you had that shifted your perspective? 

17 Comments

  1. Audrey

    May 10, 2017 at 9:50 am

    I’m glad you shared this realization, Chelsea (and I’m super glad you had it in the first place!). The things that seem out of reach are scary but sometimes they become even more terrifying once we realize they are, in fact, in reach. I give K most of the credit for his business, but in truth there were many, many decisions made around the dinner table between the two of us. And every single leap of faith was scary for the two of us. From starting the company (FIVE YEARS AGO THIS SUMMER!!) to going full time for him to hiring employees to bringing me on. (I was SO scared to a) quit my job and b) put all our eggs in one basket… business fails = no money at all for us.) But the struggle is also rewarding. And the support system and (professional) community that we get to operate in is the best. I’ve never heard of EO but now I feel determined to make us a member 😉 Earlier this week we started brainstorming how to grow the company more and it made us a little weak in the knees, but your post really makes me think we should go for it! 🙂
    Audrey recently posted…What I Read… vol.5

    • chelsea

      May 10, 2017 at 1:39 pm

      oh my goodness yeeeees let’s be EO buddies together!!! it’s an awesome goal to have and so fitting since you were just talking about how to grow the company more! do it. be THE best!

      i am so glad you are realizing that you give K a lot of credit (not that he doesn’t deserve it) but you are an essential part of the business, own that! every single leap of faith is totally terrifying and i’m learning that’s how we get the biggest and most satisfying rewards.

      cheering you on!

  2. Claire

    May 10, 2017 at 10:16 am

    This is totally awesome!

    This is one of those “revelation moments”, and they are so eye opening.

    I feel so excited for you and Ravery. It is so validating when you meet up with people who have already/are going through A similar situation you are in.

    You and Ravery are on an exciting path!!

    • chelsea

      May 10, 2017 at 1:40 pm

      they really are so eye opening, claire! thanks for being so excited for us 🙂 hope your path is leading to you exciting things too!

  3. Christina @ Hugs and Lattes

    May 10, 2017 at 10:33 am

    Yes yes yes!! I love everything about this post. Recently our church had a conference and while, yes, we talked about Jesus stuff, there was a teaching on chasing our dreams and I was so inspired! We are capable of carving out a lifestyle that fits our family, and gives us joy. I’m so excited for your little family as you all continue to be capable to chase your dreams. And yay for making it to Hawaii!
    Christina @ Hugs and Lattes recently posted…Celebrate Who You Are

    • chelsea

      May 10, 2017 at 1:41 pm

      how awesome that the conference at your church also talked about chasing your dreams too – yay!!! sounds exciting and love that it left you feeling inspired. thanks for cheering us along the way!

  4. jenniferhastonsays

    May 10, 2017 at 12:11 pm

    Great post, C!

    I love seeing you ably navigate the wife/speaker/mom/author/
    motivator/blogger (not in that order) roles. Thanks for being real and sharing yourself with us! EO sounds like an utterly awesome place, going to set it as a long-term goal to be part of that !

    • chelsea

      May 10, 2017 at 1:43 pm

      thank you jennifer and YAY love that you are setting joining EO as a long term goal too! it really is an amazing energy to be surrounded by highly energizing people! you are doing a great job as well navigating all of our new hats to add 🙂

  5. Elyse @ Just Murrayed

    May 10, 2017 at 6:28 pm

    I’m stoked that you’ve come to this realization. There is NO limit to the awesome things you can accomplish. As always, I love and applaud you for being real and always being willing to share! It’s always awesome how being around energizing people can change your perspective for the better. It’s a great reminder to myself to shed the negative of my life and surround myself with positivity so that I can allow myself to be the best person I can be.
    Elyse @ Just Murrayed recently posted…Living Our Covenant Marriage: Day-to-Day

    • chelsea

      May 12, 2017 at 3:26 pm

      thank you elyse! you are right that energizing people are the best to be around! glad it was a good reminder to shed any negative energy/people in your life! it’s often a hard thing to do, especially when it’s close people (speaking for myself)
      chelsea recently posted…When an Experience Shifts Your Universe

  6. Alanna

    May 10, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    I love this post so much. As always so much of what you have to say resonates so strongly with me. I’m in the process of making a big career change and I’d been struggling with the confidence to make the jump and was unsure what direction to go in. Recently I was applying for an internship that I am really confident I could do and in the process I had this huge realization moment that maybe I don’t have to do an internship in this. Maybe I can start my own project (dare I say business?!) doing this. It was really exciting for me and while I’m still very much trying to figure out how I want to approach it, I am feeling really energized about the whole thing. Thanks for the reminder tonight to keep trying and making leaps of faith. I’ll figure it out as I go and I know you and Ravery will continue to too!

    • chelsea

      May 12, 2017 at 3:48 pm

      i am SO happy to hear what i write resonates with you, alanna (because that makes me feel less alone and strange in the head) 😉

      and YES – say business! start that business, lady! that is so exciting and congratulations on making what i know is a scary decision but i know you are on the right track because you are feeling energized! YAY! feel free to send me an email if i can do anything to support you or if you need a random cheerleader to help remind you “YOU ARE CAPABLE!”

  7. Marilyn Jess

    May 11, 2017 at 5:16 am

    Conventional lives work for people who shun risk. Risk, IMHO, makes life an adventure. Kudos to all three of you for living the way you do. May I add…..I have a friend whose family has moved several times, to places far apart from one another. This includes Italy for three years, a work opportunity. There is no rule which says kids need to stay in one town, school, etc. Her three children, youngest now in college, became better people with each move. Travel is the ultimate education–connecting with similar people is priceless.

    • chelsea

      May 12, 2017 at 4:02 pm

      i am sloooowly learning that risk doesn’t have to have negativity and terror associated with it (for me, it always has). you are so right that it makes life an adventure! ravery talks a lot about ‘life school’ atlas so it’s great to hear this worked well for your friend! travel is definitely the ultimate education! we shall see…

  8. Sara

    May 11, 2017 at 8:16 am

    So excited for you and all the great things that you have ahead of you. Having something that you are passionate about, can make a difference with, and makes you money to be able to do the other things you want is a great combination. Still working on that myself, but it is inspiring to hear that is it possible.
    Sara recently posted…How to Raise Mental Health Awareness

    • chelsea

      May 12, 2017 at 4:11 pm

      thank you sara 🙂 it is absolutely possible so keep working to find that combination!

      i would recommend reading ‘the desire map’ by danielle laporte if you haven’t already. she helps identify what your core desired feelings are and then what to do with them to ensure your life is meeting your inner most needs!

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