Angela Viesti
Jul 28, 2017 · 4 min read
Butterflies are symbols of transformation and resurrection.

Life-Changing Actions Begin with Life-Changing Beliefs

The anniversaries of two of my life’s biggest milestones happen in July. This year is the five year anniversary of becoming a home owner and the one year anniversary of quitting my job and taking a leap of faith into the cannabis industry. Both events, at one point in my life, seemed impossible and resembled more of a dream than a possibility.

There were several things that had to change in order for each of those milestones to happen and it started with me.

The dream came first, then after some resistance in believing I could achieve the desired result, I became curious and that curiosity lead to small action steps that eventually lead to massive shifts. I had to stop saying “I can’t” and start listening to the wisdom of those who told me I could and began searching for a way to make it happen.

In 2012, when I was 26 years old and earned a salary far lower than the median household income, the stars aligned and I purchased the condo that I currently live and work in. I owe many thanks to my aunt (who is now also my adoptive mother) for instilling in me the value of good credit early on in my adulthood and pushing me to make this move with her guidance and many years of experience and wisdom. (My five and a half year tenure at an accounts receivable management company — aka collection agency — also influenced me to build and value my credit score). I’m blessed with a generous family who stepped in to help when I needed it the most throughout my life, and especially when I was starting out on my own.

Leaving my job didn’t afford me the same amount of push and support from my loved ones, and not that they weren’t supportive; I just had to push myself in this case. I made my mental health a priority in the fall of 2015 and also decided to explore my longtime dream of working in the cannabis industry, which set me down the path I’m on today. I had to shed the belief that I needed a traditional education to be of value and come out as a cannabis advocate to everyone I knew or came in contact with.

Over the last year, I’ve become a different version of myself many times over; I now know that I thrive when I remain in motion and deteriorate when I become stagnant.

But stagnation is not always a bad thing; stagnation can influence breakthroughs and unimagined pivots on the path of life. Stagnation is the yin to motion’s yang.

My most recent encounter with stagnation was a season of reclusive self-examination and questioning my ambitions. I began feeling detached from the story I was telling; it was outdated and repeating it felt false. I went through stages of feeling like a failure, a fraud, a coward, and an unwelcomed visitor who showed up at the wrong address. Then I reflected on who I was only a year earlier: I was passionate and had a lust for life coupled with hope, and the possibilities seemed endless; how could I have spiraled downward so quickly since then? What changed?

I changed. And I could change again, if I decide to.

Ideas bounced around in my head like an aggressive game of dodgeball until a path started to clear in front of me that lead to my latest pursuit: Studying to become a certified holistic health coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a certified holistic cannabis consultant at Holistic Cannabis Academy, simultaneously. The IIN certification is a one year program (ending next July, coincidently) and the HCA course is a go-at-your-own-pace program with about 15 modules (they also offer a cannabis practitioner certification for those who are already certified wellness professionals, which I plan to complete once I earn the credentials). I was always resistant to studying online due to my history of procrastination, but I have the power to change that perspective and behavior, too. And I’m already doing it.

Choosing to invest in myself and my future sparked a fire under me that’s inspired creativity and new business ideas to develop into a promising vision. It’s my intention to share this journey, laced with knowledge, perspective, and valuable insight here on Medium and I hope you’ll join me for what I know will be a year of transformation and growth.

Written by

Student of Life. Healer. Creator. Cannabis Advocate. Intuitive.

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