Living the Dream

It's finally happened! I didn't think I would be writing this post today. I didn't think I'd be writing this post this month. I didn't think I'd be writing this post this year even.....but I am! When I first moved to Katy, it was so that I could go to nursing school. I had dabbled in CrossFit on and off for about a year before I moved here, but it was nothing serious. When I finally really got into it and got my Level 1 Cert, it was more because I wanted the knowledge. I wanted to know more about this sport that I was growing to really love, and maybe, just maybe it would allow me to coach a little bit with CrossFit Katy. You know, be a back up in case of emergencies or something. But then things started to take off a little. Classes got bigger and more consistent, we moved into a box and added barbell work and other things that needed technical training. We needed more coaches and I was there to help and it was great!

Then nursing school started. I had to balance a huge class-load and lots of clinicals. I had to bury my nose in books and study for tests. I enjoyed it, but it pulled me away from the gym, away from the people that I worked so hard to better. It pulled me away from this CrossFit "Family" that I'd grown to love. After nursing school, I jumped back into the gym like never before coaching or co-coaching 15-18 classes a week, helping with programming, taking on personal training clients.....all while looking for a job in nursing. I remember thinking to myself over and over "If only....if only I could just train, I would be happy." Going to the Form3 Event in Austin, TX really solidified things for me.

"If you could do anything in the world, regardless of finances, what would you do?" I remember hearing Carey Kepler speak those words while we all closed our eyes and dreamed. I wrote down that I wanted to work at the gym and be in charge of our nutritional program that at the moment is in its infancy and I wanted to create and be in charge of a women's program. Then we were asked to write down what was stopping us, what we were afraid of and this is what I put....

As you can see, we had to write down what we were afraid of and then we were told we had a choice. We could choose to continue to be afraid, or we could choose to move forward.

I came back from that event motivated. I knew what I wanted, I wanted to work at the gym and I figured the only way to get there was to get a nursing job, work my butt off for a few years while still training a few classes a week and then maybe, the gym would be in position for me to leave my nursing job, or to go part-time, and coach more. It wasn't ideal but it was better than nothing. And then.....the amazing happened. I didn't get any job offers. Not one! I spent all my time at the gym, all the while applying to position after position and getting no responses. For a while I was devastated. Every month that passed without a nursing job pushed my dreams further away, but at the same time, every month that passed without a job allowed me another month in the gym coaching. Many people in my life have said that everything happens for a reason. I never really liked this idea because it made me feel like I wasn't in charge of my own destiny, but the more I think about it, the more I think maybe it's a little true. Maybe opportunities happen for a reason and then it's up to us to take them. The last few months at the gym have been great, so great that CrossFit Katy has decided to hire me as a full-time trainer!!!! I can't believe I get to type that today! Now instead of dreaming of the day when I get to step away from nursing and be a full-time trainer, I get to live it! I can't express how much this means to me. I can't thank CrossFit Katy enough for allowing me the opportunity to live my dream! Time to get started....