Glad to have you back, here with me:

Have you ever set a goal and then somewhere along the way, usually about the middle of the way, you give up? I have.

I refer to this part of the road as “desert times.”   Maybe you can relate to this feeling. Here is one (of many) personal experience.

In January 2000 on a cold snowy night in Colorado, I made a comment to Michael, that “I became a doctor so that I could help people all over the world.” I also said, “I wanted for us to move to another country, because it would be good for us as a family to experience the fabric of other cultures.” You see as a teenager, I went to live with my father in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during my high school years. So it was natural for me to live outside of the USA. Michael looked a little scared at first, however he warmed up to the idea, and took the lead in preparing for the great voyage.

About 2 weeks before we were to leave to move to New Zealand, I just wanted to give up on the whole idea. Why? Well everything just got to hard, and I got scared. Scared of moving our 2

daughters, who were 4 and 6 years old at the time, to another country away from their family and friends. In addition, Michael and I knew no one in New Zealand. All we had was a job.

With terror in my eyes I said to Michael, “I don’t think I can do this.” Thankfully he said, “You can AND We are.” And we did! It has been one of the hardest roads (besides giving birth) I have ever traveled. However, the final destination was all worth it and I would never, ever, change a thing. Well maybe one thing… I wish, I would have replaced my worrying, with more faith and courage. Worrying is such a waste of time.

Below are some of my favorite quotes on courage. I hope my selection gives you the courage to go through your ,”desert pass.” You see, it is easy to set the goal

and it is fun to reach the goal. The tough bit is the in between part when it gets hard, scary, and lonely.

• “All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.” -Walt Disney
• “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying…I will try again tomorrow.” -The Optimist Revolution
• “Knowing you need to make a change isn’t enough. You’ve got to find the guts to do it.” -Robert Kiyosaki
• “He who never walks except where he sees other mans tracks, will not make new discoveries.” -unknown
• “Only those willing to risk going too far, can possibly know how far one can go.” -TS Elliot

Now, I would like to hear from you.

Have you ever gone through a “desert pass”? What did you do to reach your goal?

Your friend, Isabel