I have been in California for two weeks. Why did I come? I went on a road trip with my friend Angela from Ottawa, Ontario to Calgary, Alberta, and since I was on the west coast, I decided to visit my cousin and her husband in Huntington Beach, California. I would start from there, because I thought starting from warm, sunny California would be a good thing.

I needed to reset after the chaotic and challenging two-year period publishing the book. It had been my focus, my life, my goal, and when I reached it I was relieved enormously of course. But soon after, I began to feel lost in transition again and I say lost because that is the overriding feeling. Confused, indecisive about where to go, too tired to have the energy and drive to go anywhere, sad because there is a feeling that you’re lost something big and guilty because I was feeling this after I had accomplished a huge thing… I had written and published a book!

I tried to ride on the coat tails of the happiness and pride in achieving such a big thing, and the kudos I got from others. It was not enough to sustain me. There was something missing. I couldn’t figure it out and I was too tired to care really.

My friend and Barb and I thought that I needed another goal. Yes, great I thought, but what would it be? I didn’t know, there was nothing that was compelling me like the book. The book was a “must” not a “should”. I thought from the time I was a child I would write the book, I wanted to do it for years, and then I sat with the thought for quite a while wondering when the inspiration and drive for the book would come.

In this period of navel gazing, waiting for someone or something to let me know the moment when I would be so inspired, finding the right environment, I realized I was stuck in neutral and couldn’t go forward. That’s when I called in Barb to coach to help me. She’s also an amazing life coach and project manager among her many skills. Barb said she couldn’t help me write or edit the book, as that is not her skill set, but she could help me figure out with me the goals and intention of the book, and how to structure and lay out the book. Her gift and skills likes in the details, logical systems, and loads of patience.

We sat down one day together and she helped me create an outline. It was scary and exciting to have before me what I needed to do. We set up some timelines and deadlines. We talked about when and how I would write. I booked some time at my sister’s cottage to start.

And then it happened… I started to write! I had a vague outline and deadlines, some ideas, and the encouragement of Barb who was happy to support me with my dreams. It has been incredibly important to have someone who loves me, gets me and wants me to succeed in what I want to do with my life and under my terms!

I started writing for a few hours each day at the cottage. It wasn’t always inspired writing and great, it wasn’t on track often, I went on for too long about some things and was too short on other things. But the greatest thing that happened is that I started writing and continued writing for weeks, which lead to months, and then more months as my editor, revised, reworked and massaged with me the manuscript.Thank you brilliant editor Laura if you read this! I strongly believe that finding the right editor to work with you on a book, and a coach of sorts, are the most important elements to a book done well and done.

I took my first steps toward writing a book and wrote the book. I am taking my next steps toward a new future and I’m not sure what it will be. All I know is that I needed to take the next steps, I needed to travel and explore. It’s my way of resetting because with travel nothing is the same, every moment is different, and I am alert to it all. And in this mindful state, I can observe, jot down my observations through my blog and photos to remember and to share.

I hope you enjoy sharing in my journey where ever I may be. I believe that being lost in transition is normal and can be scary as we change from what we know to what we don’t know, and many who wonder are not lost.