Do one thing every day that scares you

Leave a comment April 3, 2017 drworobec

You know those things in life that scare you? Those times when it would be far easier to play it safe and stick with what you know, rather than venturing out into the uncertainty of the unknown? Well, I’ve got a few of those times going on in my life right now. I love a challenge, and I’ve thrown myself into some exciting potential career opportunities and I’ve also set my sights on a lofty personal athletic goal. Both of these things scare me. To death. But I’m sure that you know, as well as I, that those are precisely the times when we grow.

Luck is where opportunity meets preparation, right?

Aug/2002; at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) in Toronto.

One of the scariest things I’ve ever done was to move across the country to get my Chiropractic degree in Toronto. That was 2002, and my twenty-two year-old self knew exactly no one in Southern Ontario. But I took the plunge, and that spring-boarded me to meeting my husband, many of my best friends, and a career that I love. It was a defining moment in my life, and one that changed my trajectory completely.

Nov/2007; signing the lease at my new clinic space.

Another pivotal, yet terrifying decision, was selling my clinic in 2010. I simply couldn’t be everything to everyone; and although the choice to sell the clinic I’d built from nothing and focus on my young son and my family’s priorities was the right one, it was both intimidating and life-changing. Ultimately, that’s what brought me here, to Burlington Sports & Spine Clinic, where I’ve found the perfect fit.

So, what’s ambition?

What’s courage?

May you have both. Do one thing every day that scares you, they say? I say you should also do one thing every so often that terrifies you.

It’s a “Want” Move

Leave a comment September 1, 2015 drworobec

Today is moving day. Well, actually it’s kind of a “pre” moving day. Today’s the day we take possession of our new place; we’ve rented a U-Haul and we’re moving a lot of the “stuff” ourselves. The movers are coming on Thursday to do the hard work with our furniture and larger items. If all goes well, we will be sleeping in our new home in two days time.

The process of this move has taught me so much about myself- about my values and my priorities and my emotions. It’s been an up-and-down roller coaster because it’s a “want” move rather than a “need” move. We’ve wanted this for years, we finally decided to go for it, and here we are.

Sigh. Almost.

We moved into our current home in 2011, so that experience is still fresh in my mind. And now, only four years yet a lifetime later, we’re moving into what we hope will be our “forever” house.

After I hit “Publish,” I’m going to unplug and pack up our computer. Next week’s post will be written from a new vantage point in new surroundings.

I’m excited.

I’m scared.

I’m so, so, so happy.

What they Wish they Would’ve Done…

2 Comments July 14, 2015 drworobec

Before she retired, my mother-in-law worked as a palliative care nurse for many years. If you met her, you would agree that if ever there was such a person fit for that job, it would be her. Her compassion and empathy overflows her being- she is a gentle soul with a huge heart and more generosity than you can imagine. And as a palliative care nurse, aside from the physical rigours of nursing, a large part of her job was listening. Listening to memories and reflections, listening to hopes and dreams for those left behind, listening to family’s last tears and patient’s last words.

She has told me many times over the years that when people are in their final stages of life, they talk a lot about what they wish they would’ve done. Regrets over things left unsaid, hopes left unfulfilled, and dreams left unchased.

What they wish they would’ve done…

That phrase has crossed my mind many times over the past number of years. And as my life grows and my responsibilities expand, the number of big decisions that I’m faced with also increases. With each one of these decisions, I turn to this phrase for guidance. I’m not a dreamer, I’m not an escapist; I’m pragmatic and realistic and practical. But this phrase helps me to see the big picture. When my emotions take hold and my sensitive nature floods in and overwhelms me, it helps me to step back, to see the forest through the trees, to think long-term.

I’m in the middle of one such decision right now. We are moving. Not far, still within Burlington, but to a different neighborhood that I’ve been eyeing for years. We only made the commitment to go for it, I mean really go for it, a couple of weeks ago, although we’ve been talking about this for a very long time. There have been pro lists and con lists and spreadsheets and soul-searching. Lots of tears, lots of conversation, lots of back and forth, lots of tears (again). But it always comes back to what they wish they would’ve done. I know that I will regret not doing this; and so it has come to be. The dream is being chased.

Right now, the burdens are heavy and the emotional toll is large. But this is the right decision for us, even though it’s hard at the moment. And terrifying. I’m trying to heed my own advice:

chase them