I got fired! I was waiting tables, trying to figure out what I would do with the rest of my life. I had been miserable with my job for months, but stayed because I was making pretty good money.

One morning, one of my guests asked for the oatmeal. She said she was in a hurry and told me to “speed it up.” Being concerned about her time issue, I explained that we make our oatmeal from scratch and that it would take approximately 20 minutes to cook. She said, “O.k.” Nine minutes later she started snapping her fingers and shouting across the restaurant, “where’s my oatmeal?” I walked over to her and explained, again, that the oatmeal is made from scratch, when ordered, and takes approximately 20 minutes. She shouted, “Bring me my oatmeal now!” I proceeded over to the cook’s station and requested the oatmeal. They told me it wasn’t fully cooked. I said “that is how she wants it” and served it to her. I got fired that day.

My life was over! Although I wasn’t sad to say goodbye to a place I was allowing to suck the life out of me, it was still my life, and now, it was gone. I had always been an “achiever” and a “go getter.” What had happened? I was humiliated. My life, as I knew it, was over! What was I going to do? I felt so depressed. I wanted to crawl into a hole. I suffered for many weeks. I panicked. I cried. I threw things, moped around, called myself a “loser,” and cried some more.

Then I had a breakthrough! After a month of agony, it hit me - Like a ton of bricks! There was so much more to this scenario then “getting fired.” I had been unhappy long before getting fired. I was settling in my life; not doing what I wanted. All of the pain and dissatisfaction I had been experiencing was about the choices I had been making. I didn’t have to work at that restaurant if it wasn’t making me happy. But, I chose to. I had been obsessing about my problems for months, feeling sorry for myself, blaming others and getting nowhere. I could have spent that time deciding what to do about it, moving past my problems and creating the life I wanted. I have a choice about how I think, how I act, and what I choose to do with my life. I hated working at that restaurant. Getting fired meant freedom. It was an opportunity for me to create the amazing life I had been putting off.

In a moment, I went from feeling sorry for myself to being excited. I got out a piece of paper and began brainstorming. I had so many ideas. Suddenly, my problems seemed conquerable. I made a choice - I would start my own company. I didn’t know how but I was going to figure it out, I was determined to be successful. 1 year later, I was up, running and making money. I learned about marketing, sales, accounting, and customer service. I was doing it! I made tons of mistakes and learned from every one of them.

The realization that my entire life could change in one moment simply because I shifted my thinking was the most powerful insight I ever had. My life hasn’t been the same since. From this insight, Bootcamp for Your Mind® was born. With the appropriate thinking and the appropriate actions, your dreams can become a    reality…period. No matter what the problem or obstacle it is that you face, you have a choice about what your life looks like. I choose for it to be amazing!