Author: briellestreet7

I am on a street right now that I know is Not My Street. In search of some inspiring words and a quote I had heard about accepting life before it happens, I got exactly what I was looking for in my email this morning. Hal Elrods latest podcast. I discovered a growth in my body during the last week, and the last couple days it became rather alarming. To prevent sitting around wondering what, I avoided Dr. Google and went to the doctor to get it checked out. I spent the day yesterday seeing doctors and still await more appointments and further answers. It was one of those weird rainy days. Although I shed a few tears from uncertainty, I felt as though the weather stepped in and took care of the rest. Throughout the day I found myself saying to my husband that whatever it is, if it is anything, I am accepting and am at peace with it. Like Hal said in his speech, there is no point in putting negative emotional energy towards something you can’t change. This is not my story, it is just part of my journey. This is Not My Street. I have unwavering faith that everything will turn out ok. I am 36, happily married with a 4 year old and a 2 year old and I have many life changing goals I am working towards. My visualizations right now are of me being healthy and happy, spending many many more wonderful years with my family. I am almost at my 1 year Miracle Morning anniversary. So grateful to the mindset I have as I am not sure where I would be had I been going through this a year ago. Though I have yet to pass a sign to tell me when the next exit is, by accepting whatever it is and having faith that a good road lies ahead it lightened the worry from my mind and took a load off my back. I ran around the house with my kids after dinner laughing and having fun, not stopping to think about any what if’s. Find gratitude in all situations and it will lead you to happiness even in the most difficult life circumstances.

I started my journey on Working Mom Street one night sitting on the couch in my living room with the lights dimmed, pumping one last time before going to bed. My eyes filled with tears at I hit send on a message that totally changed the direction of my life as a mom, wife, everything. I had been a stay at home mom for 15 months. While I was not searching for work, an opportunity was presented to me. It came at a time when life was hard. My husband, running his own company was always away at jobs. When he was home he was stressed and tired from being the only one 100% responsible for bringing in the income to support our family. This wasn’t the life for us. With much consideration and many tears shed, I ventured back into a world that felt unknown. I found myself on a street I’d never been on. I left the comfort of my home, my comfy clothes and my son. Being a stay at home mom is the hardest job you’ll love. I left the best “co-worker” I’ve ever had. Pregnant. It was a scary journey but I was brave and reminded myself daily that the only way to make all of this right was to give it my all. I sought success through morning sickness and sadness. I met wonderful people and made great relationships. The morning that I handed my daughter to my husband to return to work again, after maternity leave was to say the least, heart wrenching. I put make up on only to try not to cry it off, it didn’t work. I fought through the trudges of postpartum depression through discovery of personal development. I found triumph over tragedy when the company went public and the stock conversion happened. I had gotten comfortable living in a dream that my employee stock options would one day bring me back home to my babies. When the water was splashed on my face and I woke up, life changed. My story changed. It wouldn’t be the stocks that would bring me back home, rather it would be the lack of them that would. My fire ignited. I began my mission to return home, help other moms get back home, and better yet not have to turn onto Working Mom Street. You can carve out your own path and live your own dreams instead of helping someone else live theirs.

I took my greatest journey on Music Street last night. Seeing Sam Smith in concert was everything I wanted it to be. I danced, cheered, clapped and sang my heart out the whole night. My seat did not get to know me. I have a memory to last a lifetime. The audience was so full of life. I experienced a new kind of excitement. The moment Sam Smith walked on the stage I got goosebumps and my eyes filled with tears, tears of pure joy. I stuck around cheering for an encore even with my husband begging to leave before the mad rush. When Sam Smith came back on stage singing my all time favorite song “Stay with Me” I felt complete. After the concert we ran to our car as if we were being chased and beat the massive crowd. It wasn’t until I sat down for the drive home that I was able to take a deep breath and reflect on what an amazing night it was. A night I can’t wait to experience again!

I believe music can get you through many hard times in life and create some of the happiest memories. You just have to find the right music. The kind that fuels your soul and fills you with life. For me, it is Sam Smith. All I could think of when I first heard his voice and his music a little over 4 years ago was how beautiful it was. Just 3 weeks away from having my first baby, sitting around a campfire on the 4th of July in my backyard with some good friends it drowned out the fact that I was super pregnant, uncomfortable and would have done anything to enjoy a nice cold beer with everyone. I didn’t care. I was so amazed with the discovery of what I never knew would be the most impactful music of my life. From that day forward Sam Smith was played in our home almost non-stop. It got me through a 70 hour labor, when one of the nurses commented on my music selection I demanded it wasn’t changed! It was there with me when I learned how to be a mom for the first time. Everyone who came to visit us and meet our son commented on how chill our house was. You do know what was playing don’t you? Sam Smith of course. His music has remained a staple in our home ever since. I have so many wonderful memories connected to his songs.

Go out, find yourself on music street, close your eyes and imagine yourself somewhere on a scenic road along the ocean, drop-top down, sun shining on your face with nothing but the beautiful blue ocean surrounding you and your favorite song filling the breeze blowing on your face. Let music bring happiness into your life.

Desperately searching for a tissue I found just one black napkin. I recently had what was probably the deepest conversation ever in my entire life. My children just celebrated their birthdays, my son 4, my daughter 2. My dad, their grandpa, completely forgot. No call, no text, no card, nothing. After 2 weeks of being filled with feelings I wanted to shake and get rid of so badly, and still no word from him, the answer came to me. While I was driving home from work the other night, I listened to a podcast by Hal Elrod. It was all about letting go of negativity and judgment. While listening I decided that with this situation and with all situations in my life moving forward I will let go and said goodbye to negativity and judgment. I sent my dad a message leaving him with a choice to either be consistently present in their lives or not be at all. During our conversation there was no yelling, no arguing, just tears. He didn’t give me a definitive answer and confessed he wasn’t even sure he knew how to be a grandpa or if he was cut out for it. After having this conversation I left with the weight lifted off my shoulders and peace in my heart because I left better not bitter. Life is happier lived when you exit off Negative Judgement Street, notice the sun shining on your one black napkin and love unconditionally.

Every so often I wonder how I ever traveled down superwoman street a second time . I believe it came from telling myself the moment my son was born that there was no way this could happen to me again. I had flattened out the bumps in the road. Squashed them. Saying this over and over, I truly believed it. I would hear stories of other moms who had such easy labors and how they pushed only a couple times. Only a couple times! Instead of letting jealousy fill me I used affirmations and focusing on seeing and believing that for myself. Today was my daughter’s due date, she was born just 2 days early. The morning of the day she was born it was storming so badly outside the wind was blowing the rain sideways and at one moment I saw 10 branches fall from a tree simultaneously. The craziness of that day was in the storm and it told me everything else would be ok. I checked into the hospital just over 6 hours before she was born. Unlike 3 hours of pushing, I pushed only 3 times. Only a few hours later my husband and I were on the phone with some close friends of ours who were shocked with how great we were doing. I was traumatized from my sons birth. Not again. 2 years ago today I left the hospital with my daughter not even feeling like I had just had a baby. I am certain I passed on some of my courageousness to her as she has been fearless since day 1. When you travel down a hard street in life you are left with two options, to let it fuel you with the courage to do it again trusting it could never be that hard again or you can let it stop you from experiencing so much good. Courage from doing the hard stuff over again leads to the greatness of fulfillment in realizing rough roads smooth out. Have you let a hard street stop you from something you want, something you must have? Tear down the signs telling you that there are bumps ahead and fill your tank with belief. Try again. Soar down the street wide open, windows down and feel the greatness of conquering it blow on your face.

Before kids, I would take one day every weekend, crank up some tunes and clean my little heart out. I loved it, it was like therapy. One of the best parts was getting up the next day, walking across the clean wood floors, smelling the freshness in the air and feeling the feeling of great accomplishment. I kept this up through my first pregnancy, I was very active. But, as soon as that bun came out of my oven my cleaning slippers fell off. Days turned into weeks and dust collected. My “do it all myself” attitude was now more than ever my enemy. I debated many times hiring someone to clean our house but could not justify it, coming up with many excuses that were silly like “our house isn’t that big I should be able to take care of this, if someone else comes in here to do this they will laugh at me and think I’m incompetent.” It took getting a bigger house 2 kids and several more months before I was willing to toss my excuses and pride out the window and get out of my own way. This became a must for me. One Sunday morning some friends told us about Stacey. She has made our home feel brand new again 3 times. For a small price to pay I traded in my worry and stress for an exciting drive home from work, kicking my shoes off and walking on the carpet in my bedroom that she somehow makes 2 inches taller with her magic vacuum, the towels folded just so and the toilet paper folded like you are at a fancy hotel. Above and beyond, I have more time for what matters most, time with my family. Life is so much better spent enjoying your time and eliminating the things that are stopping you. You can rename it anything you want, but please find your Stacey Street and don’t wait another day to turn on it!

Growing up, I was always so afraid when we had to pick partners in school. It didn’t matter the class, it was probably by far my least favorite thing and I dreaded it. I remember finding myself on courage street on a gorgeous sunny day, perfect for a kid free lunch date drop top ride with my husband in our 69′ Firbird. Excited to hit up a patio and just enjoy the day. The moment I sat down I saw someone I know through social media but have never met in person. This person is someone I really look up to and has been very inspiring to me. At that moment and the few that followed it was as though I became glued to my chair. I had so many things I wanted to say, and the longer I sat glued to my chair thinking about it my words got scrambled. I watched as they left, I even made an attempt to say something as they walked by, but my voice came out as a wisper. It was as though I was Ariel from the little mermaid when she lost her voice. My big sunglasses covered my tears, tears that were soon wiped away. The table was quickly filled with a new group. Two people who welcomed a third with big hugs. It was great to see and it really helped lift the mood. We spent some time talking about what happened. My husband helped me grow from this experience. Instead of letting it break me, he helped me see how to benefit from it. I explained how part of it was him being there made me nervous. He is the best salesman I’ve ever known and with that he always knows what to say. He really got through to me, broke it down and explained not to let the fear control you but to realize that every person in the world has had the same fear at least once before. Why miss out on a great opportunity simply because you were just nervous. It all boils down to courage. Not the absence of fear or despair but the stength to conquer them. That day I could not find my strength, but I vowed every day to be stronger. As I sat there kicking myself, thinking and talking about the impact meeting this person could have had on me, I found the reason why this happened. I will triumph over this. The next time I am in this situation, I will be able to look back, remember how I felt, and get up out of my chair before the glue sets in.

“It’s true that everything happens for a reason, but it is always our responsibility to choose the reasons.” – Hal Elrod

Later on that evening my husband came to me with a video. Those 3 minutes further changed my life and my way of living. It really opened up Courage Street from a one way street to a highway. It was a gymnastic gold medalist talking about how growing up when she wanted to quit her parents always told her that she could quit, but not today, not until she had a good day. And, when she had a good day they would remind her that she could quit. She laughed and explained how she would tell them she didn’t know what they were talking about and that she never said she wanted to quit. I did not quit that day and I added a new chapter in my life changing journey. I will teach my kids and everyone else I possibly can that they can’t quit until they have a good day. When you find yourself on courage street and the road gets bumpy don’t turn onto quit street, good street is just up ahead.