Chasing my passion

Since I have had my surgery and have lost about 200 pounds I have been kind of floating. Feeling kinda lost. For a year I worked toward the goal of having the surgery and starting to get healthy, and then basically enjoying my success. And it was wonderful. I am proud of having basically accomplished what I set out to do for the most part. Yes I still have more weight to lose, but I am off all medications, my quality of life has improved 1000 fold. I can not begin to tell you how much I am loving my life, but at the same time I started to feel a little lost. It took me a little time, but I realized that I was feeling directionless in my life now.For the first time I was unhappy in my job. The job hadn't changed, I had. I am 50 years old and I just figured that I am at the age now where I really need to love what I am doing.  

So I needed to figure out where I wanted to go in my life now? What did I want to focus on? 

So I asked myself some questions.( Am I the only one who does that?)

What is my highest vision? 

What brings joy in my life?

What do I feel passionately about?

What is most important to me?

What makes me happy?

What would I do for free? 

There was really one answer to all of those questions. Helping others brings joy to my life, Helping others is something I feel passionate about, Helping others is most important to me, Helping others makes me happy, and it is something I already do for free. 

Sharing my story, sharing my knowledge, supporting and encouraging others to be their best self... these are the the things that bring me so very much joy. When I was in therapy before my surgery, my therapist asked me when I was going to open my own office... becoming a therapist means going back to school and though I love learning, I really wanted to find something I can start doing right now. 

So what about my life would allow me to help others who have been through the same things I have been through? I have been obese my whole life. I was an obese child and childhood obesity is important to me. Understanding how I was lied to (how we have all been lied to) by the diet and weight loss industry, and how that misinformation and bias has affected my life and contributed to my obesity fills me with passion. The passion to fight against that misinformation and the passion to help others who have been duped as well. Having dealt with abuse and understanding how that abuse contributed to my obesity, understanding addiction and how that has played a large part in my weight and health. Having gone through the weight loss surgery process, I want to help others going through the weight loss surgery process. I want to help others be successful at changing and improving their lives and becoming happy and healthy and fit, physically, mentally and emotionally. 

At first I thought I wanted to work with my Surgeon Dr. Sheih, but then a friend of mine suggested something that got me to thinking... what about starting my own non profit organization focusing on the things that I was passionate about?  Working with Dr. Sheih as opposed to working for him. But also working with other non profits like OAC: Obesity Action Coalition and WLSFA: Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America? It really made me think... and so OASIS was born. Obesity Awareness, Support, and Information of SW Florida. 

It is Mission of OASIS ( Obesity Awareness, Support, and Information of SWFla) to empower individuals to achieve success through informtation, eduction and support. OASIS believes to help others become truly healthy and happy one must take care of the total person, mind, body and spirit. We achieve this through being an oasis, a positive refuge where one can receive support and encouragement, while providing education and information and increasing awareness within the community regarding weight loss and weight loss surgery

and suddenly I found my passion again. Suddenly I had direction in my life again, Suddenly I want to wake up everyday and start working, I am excited about something again. I don't know how it is all going to work, but I do know that somehow someway it is going to work. Already I have some amazing fund raising ideas, I have a list of things that I need to do and one by one I am checking the items off the list. I know that it is not going to happen over night. I know that it will be a lot of work, and none of that matters... I am doing what I have always wanted to do, I am chasing my passion.