As a child, I grew up watching the “Super Friends” every Saturday morning. My favorite Superhero was Wonder Woman. When we were bored, me and my friends would spend countless hours reenacting this cartoon. I would always choose to play Wonder Woman. Little did I know that my fascination with her would unconsciously transfer into my adult life. She has to be the catalyst for why I seem to have this idea that I can do anything and everything!

WonderWoman-Linda Carter

Since I was young I’ve had multiple interests. As a teenager, I remember saying I wanted to work in the medical field, work in psychology, become a teacher, and ultimately a reporter. I don’t know what sparked the desire for most of those interests. I know I wanted to become a reporter from the time Oprah hit the national scene. The others are a mystery to me.

I’m also fortunate to have a diverse set of skills and talents. What I know now is this can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I can do a multitude of things. A curse because I can do a multitude of things. Yes, you read that right. It’s not a typo. The ability to do multiple things can make it difficult to choose which direction to go. Consequently, it can make you feel stifled.

I’ve never felt the need to choose one talent over the other. At least not until recently. I’ve always tried to do it all and now that’s taking a toll on me. The past few weeks I’ve felt stagnant. As I’m trying to transition to the next level in business, I’m overwhelmed with options. There are several things I do well, and also happen to enjoy. I’m finding it difficult to integrate everything. What do you do when you love a lot of things?

Even looking at the list of jobs I mentioned earlier, they’ve all played a part in what I’m doing today. I’ve actually worked in each of those areas. I became a Hospital Corpsman when I was in the Navy. While working in that capacity I obtained a specialty in psychology. For years I worked in a setting that allowed me to counsel people. After the military I went to college to become a news reporter. I worked in that field for nearly 10 years. As for the teaching, I’ve been teaching people all of my life. Of course, I offer workshops through my business. But in my personal life I’m always trying to share knowledge with everybody around me. My personal philosophy is each one teach one.

As I’m trying to solidify the next steps in my life, I’ve learned a few key lessons.

1. You can’t give 100% effort to any one thing if you’re spread too thin. Sometimes you have to choose an area of focus and then totally commit. Once you establish yourself in one area, you can then venture off to other areas.

2. I’m not Wonder Woman. I don’t have super powers. We have to know our limits. Once you reach the limits, you have to pull back.

3. Perfection is an unrealistic goal. If you wait to reach perfection before you do anything nothing gets done. Just start where you are and know that it’s enough. You’ll have what you need when you need it.

4. I don’t have to do everything at the same time. Choose what works for you in the particular season you are in your life. Determine what’s most important in this season in your life and design a life that supports that. Set a list of priorities and then establish timelines for when you want to pursue those goals. You don’t have to do it all at once.

5. Enjoy the journey – stop worrying about the destination. Too often we make the end game the main focus. It’s not so much about reaching a specific goal. It’s about the work that goes into accomplishing the goal, and the feeling of satisfaction you get once you accomplish it. So, these are just a few of the key lessons I’m learning in the midst of this process. Just outlining my thoughts in this blog has helped me get more clear about my next steps. Thank you for being my sounding board!

Now, I’d love to hear from you. Do any of these lessons resonate with you? If so, which ones and how?

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2 Comments

  • Kathy Cochrane Posted June 6, 2014 11:39 am

    OMG Latrina! I read your message and other than the career specifics I really thought you were talking about me. I am just learning to appreciate the journey, every moment of every day. My biggest regret is that I didn’t even consider such when I was raising my three children. I wonder today how they may have been different adults had I been more focused on every day with them rather then running around trying to accomplish so much in so little time. Professionally I have placed all my focus on one thing- my pet sitting biz- and will only consider volunteering for orgs that are also directed toward animals. That has really made me feel less disjointed, but I still feel the pull toward urban policy and development, race issues, LGBT concerns, homelessness, domestic violence etc. All of those issues are near and dear to me- but I have had that pulled too thin feeling and I note that I accomplish less when I try to do more. Once I decided to focus on what I know is my purpose right now- everything fell into place, personally and financially. I love walking, being in the bright sunshine, stopping to smell the flowers or listen to the creek flowing all while loving someone’s dear doggie. Pretty perfect! The downside is that I have been working on my website for 9 months and won’t publish it until it’s perfect! So there we have it!
    With respect to you- I have experienced your grant writing workshops and you know I learned more than in my nonprofit finance class at GSU (for a lot less money too) And I am thoroughly enjoying all of the info you share here at Plant Food ROCKS. I haven’t eaten meat in 8 years, fish or dairy in 6 months and have been really looking at vegan as a solid way of life. It is true that as a vegan apprentice I have been making so many things that I once would have purchased full of “junk” I don’t want in my body. This is the best journey, as you have also discovered. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! ROCK on!

    • Latrina Patrick Posted June 17, 2014 3:43 pm

      Kathy, I’m so sorry for my delayed response. For some reason I haven’t been getting notifications of comments on my page. I need to check into that. As for your reply –thanks so much for sharing! I’m so glad to know I’m not alone. It’s funny you thought this blog was written for you –that makes me feel awesome! With everything I write and do I want to impact people so I’m glad this resonated with you. I didn’t realize you’ve been experimenting with a vegan diet…that’s great! Please keep up the great changes you’re making in your life. That’s so inspiring to me! Your support is appreciated –you continue to ROCK on too! 🙂

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