Have you ever visited the Sea of Discomfort? I have. 

It’s not a physical place. Walk with me, if you will, along the shoreline. The air is humid, heavy with anticipation of rain but there’s a gentle breeze to cool your steps. There’s a storm out at sea, black sky and the occasional strike of lightning beautiful in stark relief. But the sky above you is a dark blue, laden with clouds holding their rain for another day. Interestingly, the storm out at sea doesn’t impact the shoreline we’re walking along. It’s calm and gentle. Listen to the sound of the water lapping at the shore. It’s warm and inviting. The Sea of Discomfort has a soft and gentle voice; a quiet reminder, whispering, “Things are changing! This is different. I want you to be prepared… Are you ready?”  It’s peaceful and non-intrusive, however, as you’ll soon see, it hasn’t always felt that way for me.

“Do you define success or does it define you?”

This is one of the questions that Rachael let fly as we discussed things that spark us. We were wrestling with the fact that how we define success has a huge impact on how we live our lives. The conversations felt energetic and zesty. Rachael pointed out that a healthy definition of success can be a great way to track growth and help hold yourself accountable OR it can be a measuring stick used to beat yourself up.