$45 Dollars Up and We're Out

So.  I am not a huge gambler.  I would consider myself a rookie to say the least.  The last time I gambled I won seven dollars and took off.  I figured get out while your ahead, right?  

Tonight I was determined at my husbands work Christmas party to really get the game down.  To really sink my teeth in and do some damage.  Blackjack..here I come.

I started with $40.  Yes, yes, I know...I'm crazy.

It actually went really well.  I had a whole table of people I knew teaching me the ropes.  Eventually I was hitting, staying, doubling down and....winning!  I got up to about $105 bucks...decided to play two more games despite my husband's plee for us to leave while I was ahead.  I ended up leaving with $85 big ones...a $45 dollar gain.

Boy was I on an adrenaline rush!  I was cheering..high-fiving...smiling at people I didn't even know.  I....was....awesome.  

On the drive home as my adrenaline high was coming down though it was a lot of fun, and though I came out ahead, that "rush" feeling was short-lived. 

I started feeling like I hadn't really won at all, but I couldn't quite figure out why.  Maybe it was because I didn't really earn the money, or create something that would continue to give me that "win" feeling.  Then I realized that I have had that adrenaline rush feeling over the last week and it has been constant.

I think when you realize that you are doing something you truly enjoy, it becomes pretty powerful.  

Over the last several months I just haven't felt like myself.  Have you ever just felt like you were going against the grain, but that is just the way it is?  Things I used to enjoy like learning about investing or real estate, I just didn't care for anymore.  I was burnt out.  I felt hopeless and I felt that 9-5 job was my future.  Recently I've snapped out of it and I'm so grateful for some friends who helped.

It is amazing how a conversation with someone can turn the light back on and really get the wheels turning again.

I feel like me again and I am so excited.

So how do we remember who we are even in times of discouragement?  How do we hang on to those things we love and push through no matter what kind of obstacles stand in the way?  How do we hang on to that adrenaline drive we feel when we are being ourselves and doing what we have a passion to do?  

I think one way is to keep those who lift us up and truly know us close to us.  By not being afraid to say "Hey, I really need a boost, will you help me?"  By being honest enough with ourselves to realize that maybe some people drain our energy instead of give us a boost and we should probably try to be around those who do the latter.

This being my first blog I will end with two challenges.  First, find that something that makes you stay up all night and get up early just because you are so excited to create or learn or experience.  

Second, don't be scared to double-down.