Dear Friends and Uncommoners,
Today I would like to share with you the Uncommon Life of Shannon Bruce, a former rat racer who took the plunge and is now flourishing as a successful Certified Professional Life Coach.
Shannon’s story is of particular interest to me as a lifestyle design because it really showcased a dimension of uncommon living that we don’t talk much about: the effect on those around you of your uncommon life.
In many ways, The Life Uncommon is a solitary and ego-centric path – not out of self-importance or vanity, but because the journey of finding and implementing our lives’ purpose is an individual effort. No one else can give our lives meaning, and in fact many of us are here because we have experienced other people trying to do that. However, no one is truly alone in the world, and while we need to walk our internal journey alone, we share our life journey with the people around us: our friends, family, loved ones, co-workers, and neighbors.
So when Shannon – who I wonderfully met through the HARO query I sent out last month – mentioned to me that one of the motivating factors of her lifestyle transformation was her daughter, my ears immediately perked up.
In 1999, Shannon took the first step of her long and uncommon journey by leaving her 6-figure salary in corporate America to pursue a career as an entrepreneur. She said, “I had reached a point in my career where the money wasn’t worth the sacrifice of living a fulfilling life. I no longer found joy in my work and knew that it was time to let go.”
Her goal was to discover Uncommon Vocation and implement it, however going through a divorce and caring for her then baby-daughter slowed the process and threatened to derail her efforts. Shannon told me that at one point during the ordeal she was concerned about how to provide for her child and was considering going back to the rat race to provide financial security.
Yet after long deliberation, she realized her choice was already made. “I realized that I could not compromise my values and my relationship with my daughter just for the sake of money. So I took the leap of faith and ended up pursuing my Uncommon Vocation as a Certified Professional Life Coach.”
Has Shannon regretted the choice she made eight years ago to beat her own Uncommon path?
“I am here to say that every leap of faith and all of the risks were worth it! Little did I know when I made that decision to maintain my own business that health issues with my daughter were coming up that really required the flexibility of me being a self-employed entrepreneur.”
And after eight years as an entrepreneur, in good economic times and bad, Shannon’s work has persevered and flourished. She now runs Inner Wisdom Coaching Services, a coaching and resource site dedicated to helping women identify their callings in life and making them happen. She offers individual coaching, several workshops and group coaching programs, including The Destiny Project and “The Personalities,” that provide support and varied presentation styles to help women rediscover their authentic life, while moving boldly and courageously forward to their greater purpose.
In closing, Shannon said, “Today, my daughter is thriving and I am extremely grateful to live a life of passion, purpose and prosperity as I continue to pursue my life’s calling. I’ve found the balance between my life and work and I’m blessed to have the privilege to partner with other women to as they pursue their dreams.”
Now that sounds like a very uncommon life.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Shannon for sharing her story with us today, and also encourage you all to visit her site and review her coaching opportunities.
Shannon will also be partnering with The Life Uncommon to provide a monthly column based on her work called “Uncommon Wisdom” – I am SO excited about this!
