Scott Dinsmore’s goal setting workbook that I used in July 2014 that lead me to start my blog…

One year ago on September 15th, I launched Southern Senora blog.  It’s exciting to think back on when it started.  I pinch myself that I finally went ahead and started this blog after much hesitation, a little fear and soon discovered how much fun this has been.  Then something happened right around my blog anniversary date that really made me grateful that I took this step…

A few years ago I considered getting into the photography business. I had a few moments when I would get real encouraged and then…blah…the feeling would escape me.  The reality is that I enjoy photography so much I just didn’t really want to get into the true business side of it at that point. I love taking photos – something I believe I inherited from my father. I have his Leica camera in a place of honor in my house – loved seeing him with that camera and his leather pouch with all his equipment most of my young life. He was a civil engineer so you know everything he photographed had to be precise!

I put the photography business idea back on a shelf after doing a self-assessment at the beginning of July 2014.  Let me back up a bit.  In June, I was searching the internet for a goal setting exercise for my son when I landed on Scott Dinsmore’s site called “Live Your Legend” – Change the world by doing the work you love.  On his site I was able to download a goal setting and action plan workbook.  This sounded perfect for my son.  Heck, it sounded perfect for my whole family!  So I downloaded it, made copies for everyone and discussed it with the family.  They all thought it was nice but I don’t think they took it too seriously.  Me, on the otherhand…I got serious about this workbook!

I took a few days off to extend the Fourth of July holiday and decided to do some soul-searching.  My little sister, Kanista and I have always shared our New Year’s resolutions with one another to hold each other accountable.  We didn’t get around to it in 2014 – at least not in any detail.  So, I was floundering a little bit and remembering driving to work one day thinking – “what am I doing?”  I mean, I was driving to work, doing my work, but what was I accomplishing?  I think that was the question that really got to me.  What was I accomplishing?  And, in what direction was I going?

I woke up on July 2, 2014 and headed to IHOP for breakfast alone.  I had my notebook and Scott Dinsmore’s workbook and I got to work.  Several hours later, it was all clear.  I wanted to start a blog.  Better yet, I wanted to start a Hispanic Lifestyle blog!  I even had a name for the blog that popped into my head as I worked through this process.  I kept thinking how fortunate I was to have found this website, how much detail and thought was put into it and how I was benefitting from it!

One of the goals and a few action items I wrote out July 2014 that lead me to Southern Senora blog.

Then…on the morning of September 16th, I checked my Twitter account – mind you, this is something I don’t do on a regular basis.  The first post that popped up was someone saying “RIP Scott Dinsmore.”  WHAT?  Was I seeing things???  I thought it was a sick joke!  I started searching more #ripscottdinsmore posts and they were so many.  WHAT had happened?  At that point, all I could find out was that Scott and his wife were hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro and he was killed during the climb by a boulder that had fallen on him.  He was 33 years old and he was in the middle of a year-long world tour as part of his Live Your Legend work.  I was beyond sad hearing this.  As I was celebrating my one year blog-anniversary with my family that evening, I shared this with my husband and children and they couldn’t believe it.  They have been so supportive of my blog and knew this was weighing on me as we celebrated.

I didn’t know Scott Dinsmore but his workbook, his website and his TedX video had been (and continue to be) so encouraging to me.  His mission was to help everyone to “find and do work you love.”  I just know that last July 2014, this young man named played a pivotal role in helping me get my blog started.  #RIPScottDinsmore and #thankyou.