Paul’s Wife Updates Us on Her ‘Zest For Life’ Project

Two New Year's Days ago, my wife had an epiphany.

It came to her that she wasn't fully taking advantage of everything this amazing life has to offer. Or, as she puts it...

...a while back after enduring another semi-depressing New Year’s Day I created something called my Zest for Life Project. I remember the day quite well actually. Not only was I under the proverbial weather. It was also an overcast afternoon with a tinge of gloom in the air, the Christmas tree was still sparkling green and red which was only making me feel even more like a deadbeat, and marathon watching HGTV just wasn’t hitting the spot.

Rather than reveling in the idea of a fresh new year, I was re-living the past twelve months and quickly coming to the realization that if I didn’t take action….any action, I’d more than likely be doing the same exact thing next New Years Day.

After her project was born, I saw a change in her that truly surprised me.

Lou Holtz famously said "When all is said and done, more is said than done." In short, most people's intentions far outpace their actions. With Sarah, this wouldn't be the case.

Since then, she has quit all the jobs she didn't like, has just about doubled her income, launched her own website/blog that is on it's third iteration, started a network marketing business, took over her friend's marketing company so said friend can travel Europe for a few months, and has another job working for an entrepreneur lined up for later this summer.

Not only that, but she has crossed many things off the list of things she wanted to do in her Zest for Life project.

Go places by myself – check. I regularly go out for a glass of wine or a cup of coffee by myself and even to the movies. It’s actually quite liberating and not nearly as scary as I thought. Now I’m working on venturing out without any books, devices, or other safety nets.

Get my motorcycle license – nope

Get crafty - meh.  I ordered a few soap and candle making books that are currently gathering dust. I also took a few wine/painting classes but it was mostly for the wine. We also now have a hand-painted headshot of our dog.

Make a Cake Boss cake – nope

Get involved in Network Marketing – check. Genesis Pure has completely changed my life, my health, how I make my living, how I interact and respond to people, I’ve gained confidence and love organic foods and leafy greens more than I ever thought possible.

Read Sarah's full article here.

When she first started, I think her goal was to experience life to the fullest. Since then, I think it has become larger. Since she accomplished so many of the things she put on her initial list, it seems she is realizing she is capable of much more than she may have originally thought.

Plus, I think she is also developing an the important skill of being discerning. There are things on the list that she hasn't done, and probably won't do. When she wrote the list, she did some brainstorming and let all the ideas flow. Later, she mentioned that she wanted to follow through and do everything that she originally wrote, but there were many things that, upon second thought, she didn't really want to spend her time doing. She only thought she would want to.

I encouraged her to skip this, because it seemed to me that the project is about doing things that expand us, and make our hearts sing. Since there is limited time in a day, week and month, part of being happy for me is not only what I do, but what I don't do, avoiding activities that are doing the opposite of serving me. So, she's put some of the things on the backburner, or on the shelf, to possibly explore later.

From my perspective, this has been a great project, because as a great meme once said;

Life begins outside your comfort zone.

Her confidence has grown, and with it, her ability to do the things that she never did before. Though I think it may still be uncomfortable to do unfamiliar things, I can tell that since she has willingly put herself into the realm of the unknown, exploring new areas is easier for her overall.