How do you feel about your job or your business or your profession. Does it light up your life?  Is your heart singing? 

It can feel really challenging, even frightening, to change or make a move.  I made a change from family law to commercial law as an established attorney. But I did so after being hit by a two-by-four on the side of the head, not so wise or kind to self!

I was primarily a family lawyer, which can be difficult and draining.  You are not dealing with people at their best. They are often stressed, anxious and have unreasonable expectations. Sometimes they try to put their children in the middle instead of considering their best interests.  Sometimes there are legitimate concerns of alcohol, drug abuse or addiction are involved.

Dealing with people who were going through a major life change wasn’t the problem.  It was a few highly successful family lawyers who were creating a toxic environment for us all, and the judges were allowing them to get away with behavior which should have been banned as unbefitting the legal profession. But it wasn't.

I was stressed and overwhelmed, and it was taking a toll on my health. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when an alcoholic client filed a grievance against me. I represented her in a hotly contested child custody case in which she imploded and turned to the bottle after years of abstinence.

The grievance was ultimately dismissed, but it was a costly, time-consuming, life-changing experience and I knew in my gut that I had to make a change.

I had a small commercial law practice and decided to focus exclusively on that.  I was excited and scared, with no guarantees, a solo practitioner and, a single parent with a young son.

It looked crazy to change from the outside.  When we decide to make a big change, sometimes the universe works in strange ways. The week after I decided to no longer accept new family law cases, I received more phone calls from new clients than I had in the past 3 months!  It was like the universe was asking me, “Are you sure? Are you really sure you want to do this?"

Some people might have used this as a sign that they were making a mistake and change their mind. I didn’t.  What I learned was when you follow your heart, your gut knowing, you are tested; you are presented with something that seems too good to be true and it probably is.

So, follow your heart and don’t wait to be smacked upside the head the way I was.  When you have an inspiration to do something differently, to make a change, to let something go, to start something new, everything that is not about your new way forward is going to present for you to let go of.

So, let go with gratitude, appreciate the journey you’ve been on, all that you’ve learned, even negative learning of what not to do, and acknowledge how you’ve grown from what you've done up till now. 

You have to let go of the old to make way for the new.  Your choices are going to have challenges. You're probably going to have some bumps and unexpected turns in the road.  Go with the flow and be open to all possibilities; it’s about letting go of the need to control everything and have certainty.

Listen to that still small voice inside. Listen when opportunities present that resonate with you that you would love to step towards because they feel right and take that step.  Every moment is an opportunity to choose to follow your inner compass and listen to your gut or not. 

Are you ready to embrace the road less traveled?  Is it calling to you?