52 - Oh Dear!

Although, I guess the good news is I’m 52 and I have never felt better in my entire life. So that's good.

This past year has been life-changing. And as everyone knows, I just LOVE a good life-changing situation. Apparently, I require one every year!

On my 51st birthday, I had one very clear goal: get out of pain. Fix it. Whatever that entailed.

That entailed two hip replacements.

Today is actually the one-year anniversary of my second hip replacement, and I am completely pain-free. I can walk. I can work out. Damn, now I teach!

And starting to teach was A WHOLE THING. Hello, imposter syndrome. Seriously. Who was I to be teaching this class??? But I basically gritted my teeth and kept going.

And now? I love it.

Am I a perfect teacher? NO

Do I lose count? YES. But I improve every class. 

And when someone comes up afterward and says, “Great class!” I get the same thrill I used to get when I'd hear, “Great show!” in my TV days. ;-)

I spend an absolutely absurd amount of time making playlists. But I LOVE it. I’m bopping around the house, singing, dancing, moving songs around so the music matches the movements. Creating the “vibe” brings me so much joy. 

And maybe that’s one of the coolest things about getting older. You can still surprise yourself and find completely new things that you love.

Which brings me to my annual birthday goal.I love setting one big goal every year.

At 49, the goal was to open the studio by 50

At 50, the goal was to figure out how the hell to actually RUN the studio and own a business 

At 51, the goal was simple: get out of pain.

Mission accomplished.  And now…

52: Take Hiatus to the next level.

Because for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m operating at 100%. I’m energized. I’m excited. I’m strong. And I’m ready.

Before we opened Hiatus, I became certified in Integrative Functional Nutrition. But honestly, I wasn’t really ready to help anyone else. I was pretty busy dealing with myself.

But now I feel ready to share some of what I’ve learned—and what I’ve learned through my own experiences—with drinking, getting sober, losing weight, nutrition, starting over, opening a business, dealing with setbacks, getting out of pain and basically reinventing yourself when life decides the current version needs an update.

I want to help people get out of their own way!

I think sometimes we look at people who have done something and assume they had some giant master plan—or they got lucky.

I definitely did not have a giant master plan, and luck has been pretty shaky.

I accomplish my goals by setting a deadline and doing at least one thing every day toward the goal.

It can be tiny.

When I decided I wanted to open H24, the first thing I did was research the wellness world in Lewes.

And by “research,” I mean I Googled it.

The next day I Googled, “How to start a small business in Delaware?” 

And then I did the next thing. And the next. And the next.

That's really it.  It's not easy, it takes a clear mindset,consistency, discipline and determination.

BUT you don't have to know how you're going to get all the way there. You just have to make the next move. Eventually, all those little moves start turning into something real.

And maybe halfway through you realize you don’t want the thing anymore.

Fine! Change the goal. Pivot. Start something else.

But make moves.

Don’t stay stagnant because you’re waiting for the perfect time, the perfect plan, more confidence, more money, someone’s permission—or some magical sign from the universe.

Two things I’ve told myself my whole life:

Don’t be your own biggest roadblock.

And...

Nobody is coming to save you.

I know. Very uplifting birthday blog. But I actually find that incredibly freeing. Because. You get to save yourself.  You get to make the move. You get to start over. 

I absolutely believe in manifestation—but maybe not in the “think about it really hard and wait for the universe to deliver it” way. For me, manifestation is deciding what you want and then actively making daily moves to achieve it.

As soon as I decided I wanted to open a yoga studio  I told people that is what I’m doing.

Did I know how to open a yoga studio? Nope.

Did I know anything about commercial leases, HVAC systems, booking software, infrared heaters? Also nope.

But I was opening a yoga studio. I wasn't “trying” I was doing.

The way you speak to yourself matters. So I started acting like someone who was opening a yoga studio. You know “Dress for the job you want”?

I think it applies to your whole life.

Be the person you want to become. Then do one thing today that person would do and the next day…do another. If you're in a rut and this speaks to you, you will benefit from Tea with Patty. Details coming soon. ;-)

So here I am 52!

Two new hips.

One studio.

A fitness instructor certification.

An alarming number of Spotify playlists.

But for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m coming into it at full strength. And I’m really freaking excited.

52. Let’s go.