Do you remember the movie Titanic? You know, James Cameron’s 1997 romantic disaster film?
It’s funny how scenes resonate differently depending on where we are in life. When Titanic was released, I was 24, in love, and mesmerized by the story of Jack and Rose.
She made him feel like the king of the world, and in return, he gave her… well, everything by making the ultimate sacrifice. (As in, he died.)
It’s the stuff fairy tales are made of, and what many girls dream of – especially when we’re young… and in love… and 24.
Twenty years later, I’m still fascinated by the movie, but it isn’t the romantic gestures or even the love story that draws me in.
No, what resonates with me today is entirely different. It’s towards the end when the passengers realize it’s time to sink or swim.
They decide to live–or die trying–and their effort is accompanied by a symphony from the musicians who literally play out the last moments of their lives.
Now, you can look at this decision in a couple of ways.
Did the musicians choose to die happy, doing what they loved? OR, were they so sucked into their ways, they put on blinders? Were they ignoring the obvious peril by continuing to do what they had always done – without processing the risk?
Spoiler alert: I think it’s the latter.
You may not be in a do-or-die position today or experiencing a sink-or-swim situation. BUT if you’re living a life that leaves you unfulfilled and/or dissatisfied, it’s time for a change.
Especially if that means stepping outside of your comfort zone.
I’d like to say I was Beyonce-brave when I moved 8 hours from my home. I wish I could say I was Cardi-confident, moving at age 46 to improve my autistic son’s quality of life.
But I can’t.
I was scared to death, and some days I still am. I wasn’t financially ready (are we ever?), and honestly, I wasn’t as emotionally prepared as I pretended to be.
But hard is not the same thing as bad.
When you know down to your core that it’s time for a change – and when your intuition says your hesitation could harm your child – you act.
Sometimes stepping into the unknown is the best decision you can make.
I’m in the trenches and can speak from experience. Take a deep breath with me and look at your life.
You don’t have to wait for your ship to come in or start sinking to take action and live the life you desire.
Author/blogger/Heather Note: In full transparency, I stopped writing for the day at this point. You know those moments you need a full-on, Kim Kardashian ugly-cry? That’s exactly what I did.
If we’re still rolling with the Titanic metaphor, this isn’t the first time my ship started sinking.
I’ve learned sinking ships build character.
Sometimes we play the music all the way down, and other times, we think we can’t fit ourselves onto a piece of driftwood (even though we totally could have) and make a sacrifice. And other times, we manage to find ourselves an inflatable boat and weather the storm.
I’m not sure how those can be analogies for you and me, but they’re various Titanic outcomes, and as much as they don’t make sense… pop culture eats it up.
Moving on.
One of my earlier sinking ships involved my health, and I wish I didn’t wait so long. All the signs were there, from the lights flashing to big waves and concerned crew members. But it took a traumatic health scare for me to TAKE ACTION and figure out how to change my life.
If you’re new here, the recap is: I found the Keto Diet, and it worked, but it also sucked away quality of life. I learned the rules so I could break them, applied a healthy serving size of REBEL, and created an alternative way to eat Keto. (All without slaving away in the kitchen and obsessing over every bite.)
Maybe your sinking ship is health-related too, and if it is – get your hands on a copy of my new book Rebel Keto.
If it’s because you’re the parent of an autistic son, moved a billion miles away, and feel overwhelmed… please email me because we need to be friends immediately.
