This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 3

As inspiring as this post was to write, it was also painful. The last time I did this exercise with Natalie was the first time I had ever been able to visualize my perfect day in such intense detail. It was so inspiring that I printed a copy of that blog post and it has been the cover of my yearly planner ever since.

Unfortunately Niko’s health didn’t allow me to fulfill the dream I had for us to relocate to Hawaii together. And I had to let him go earlier this year, so there’s a big hole in my perfect day right now, and it seems so very, very far from perfect.

Niko with hibiscus

But, as you learned on Day 1 of this challenge, there’s a new little guy coming home on Tuesday. Guess for this post I’ll have to call him “the puppy” because I haven’t chosen his name yet!

 

My Perfect Day

Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day… one I plan to duplicate many times now that we’re finally here in Hawaii! I woke to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and energizing rays of sunlight coming in the full-length sliders in our bedroom. The puppy was all bright-eyed and smiling because Mommy waking up means a morning romp on the beach. We had the beach to ourselves! We went for our morning walk up and down the beach, played fetch and enjoyed the fresh air.

Then it was back home for breakfast… another one of his favorite things. Mine too… I could eat breakfast 3 meals a day! Eggs, toast, fresh pineapple and guava juice for me, a breakfast bone for the pup and we’re off to the lanai. After taking him for business, it was time to make coffee… my morning must-have! A huge cup of chocolate macadamia nut coffee and I was ready to work. I grabbed my laptop and we were off to the lanai again. I LOVE sitting out there working while listening to the waves and watching my adorable pup sleeping peacefully next to me. Those are the kind of mornings dreams are made of.

I went through my clients’ accountability modules and questions to prepare for tomorrow’s coaching call, then did some writing for my my blog. Such a productive morning!

After a quick lunch, I jumped in the shower and got dressed. The puppy took his afternoon nap in his crate while I went to teach my classes. Tuesday is my local teaching day. I’ve secured a classroom at University here for 2 hours every Tuesday afternoon where I teach online business to local artisans so they can get established online and bring their amazing art to the world, giving them reach well beyond the Islands. Then I go to the Veterans center where I run a weekly workshop (volunteering on behalf of my charitable foundation) to help veterans and returning soldiers get jobs or start businesses of their own.

After a beautiful drive along the ocean, a stop at the local store and nice chat with Mr. Makai (the store owner), I was back home. Time to check in with my guests and plan dinner!

I also run an Entrepreneur Retreat & Co-working Center on my property and we have an awesome bunch of digital nomads staying with us this week. I LOVE this!!

my entrepreneur retreat center

See, there are people who create a lifestyle business and are digital nomads, traveling the globe. I preferred to get a dog and live in my favorite place, have a separate ohana house on the property for my parents, and start the retreat center. I’ve made it into a unique, enjoyable, go-to destination for these globetrotting entrepreneurs. And I get to meet amazing people, hear their stories and see photos of their world travels, and constantly make new friends. They can also rent the center to hold retreats of their own while they’re here. This was my dream for so long and I’m so excited and proud of what I’ve created here.

Group get-togethers for dinner are common. My Dad loves to cook and usually man’s the grill. Tonight’s dinner… fish, brown rice and green beans. That gets the puppy’s attention, too… he loves fish and green beans! As usual, dinner turned into a great celebration with my family and all our guests… and the puppy got some serious spoiling, too.

Later in the evening, puppy and I went back out on the lanai. I’m so glad I chose a house with an enormous covered outdoor space and ocean views because we certainly spend a lot of time out here. I checked in with my friends on social media.

hawaii sunset

Then the puppy jumped up on the chaise for our new nightly routine… watching the sunset over the ocean. God, I could’ve stayed out there all night. It means the world to me to have my own business and the freedom to spend so much time with him every day. We did stay for a bit, then went in to watch Hawaii Five-0 reruns on DVR (my favorite show).

He didn’t forget our nightly routine of snuggles on the couch before bedtime when we moved here, so we still have those too. And that time is precious to me. He’s been so calm and happy since we’ve been here. And he seems to like falling asleep to the sound of the waves as much as I do. It’s such a blessing to be here and have days like that!

I still miss Niko so much and I wish that I had been able to bring him to experience this beautiful place at least once . But he is here in spirit, in my heart, and I know he’s with us every day, just in a different way.

The Value of Knowing Where You’re Going

One of the fundamental steps in my coaching is to help you determine what success looks like to you… what you really want, where you want to be, what your perfect life looks like… because we can’t get you where you want to go unless you know where that is! Your destination will be unique and the path you take to get there will be unique to you as well.

This exercise is fabulous for clarity so, I encourage you to do this day of the challenge. If you do, leave a comment below so I can go read your post.