Closing a Chapter. Starting a New One

         Today marks the final day of practice for me in Spruce Grove.  I close the doors to my business the day after tomorrow.  I'll still have a laundry list of things to take care of before I'm fully done, but it is a bittersweet experience for me to say goodbye.

        I have serviced Spruce Grove for about 10 years, and have a lot of amazing patient's I will be saying goodbye too.  I have come to realize it is the impact and interactions with my patient's that I loved, and will miss most.  My time as a business owner taught me much, and I committed to it fully for the last 8 years.  I chased that dream and I tried, something I know a lot of people don't get to experience.  Ultimately I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do anymore.  It wasn't feeding my soul the same way it once was, and became more of a burden.  I think a lot of it was ego to begin with, and as I've grown over the years, I realized I didn't need to be an entrepreneur to have some sense of self worth or success in life.  At the end of the day it is just another business, and life will move on.  

        It took a lot of stress for me to understand that there is more to life than the hustle.  For so long I kept striving for more.  More accolades, more achievements, more feathers in my cap, all to make me feel like enough.  It was ultimately an empty feeling.  I'd get a brief boost of endorphins from the achievements before I felt hollow again.  Truth of the matter was that I was chasing the wrong things.  Now, you're probably reading this and wondering if my black belt is part of all that.  I can confidently say no, because my Kung Fu is more than a piece of cloth tied around my waist, that's not why I do it.  I do it because firstly I enjoy it, but also because it is helping me become a better person.  Bonus that I train with a bunch of awesome people.  I've also come to realize that the things that I should be chasing in life, the things that are fulfilling, is nurturing the relationships of the people that are important to me.  I was busy doing everything, that I was neglecting the things that really mattered.  I'm learning to slow down, and in doing less, I'm actually achieving more.  Spending more quality time with the people I care about, and being present.  Before I was quite the socialite, always having a full social schedule, slowly burning myself out.  Trying to be everything to everyone, and losing myself in the process.

        So, as I close this chapter of my life, I embrace the next one.  The snake year helped me to shed old patterns, and the year of the horse is helping me to move forward with new energy.  I look forward to becoming a dad and growing my family.  I'm overwhelmed and just so grateful for all the people that have stepped up and helped us out.  Sara and I feel very loved and fortunate to have so many people in our lives that are helping us out.  I know we'll both have a lot of support for when baby comes.  I'm embracing a slower pace.  I used to fill my time with whatever because I was an anxious person, now I feel more comfortable sitting in stillness and enjoying the quiet, peaceful moments.  Having a less busy mind has greatly improved my Kung Fu, for I feel a lot more relaxed in my body, and my mind is more open and has more clarity to receive.  My eye for detail has really been keen, as I can pick up on things a lot quicker, and understand what the possibilities of what is going on could be.