About Jane
Living4ward emerged from a passion to provide connection points for others to embrace full living in spite of life! Mac Anderson says "people are like sticks of dynamite; the power's on the inside but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit." Our internal batteries function best when we stay connected to essentials that help us release the energy within us. It's about choosing a lifestyle of living4ward. Consider these questions: Where are you currently in life? How are you living forward? What is keeping you from experiencing full living? How does your life reflect your attitude?
For more information, visit http://www.takethenextstepcct.com/about.php.
My Story...An Introduction
Long ago in a far away galaxy....wait! That's another story! My story began in the early morning of a cold December morning. As I think about some of my life experiences, it is fitting that my first crib/cradle was a dresser drawer lined with a pillow and quilt! (That is a story for another time.) I would be the first born of three children and experience a life of mobility growing up. The first 18 years of my life, I moved with my family 18 times. We lived in 11 cities, 4 states and one foreign country. I attended 9 different schools including 4 different high schools. The longest my nuclear family lived in one location was 35 months. Growing up, I was consistently on the outer edge of “the in groups!” My school attire was different, my language was different, and I did not participate in some of the activities popular in my day. I also had the double distinction of being a PK (preacher’s kid) and Army Brat!
That early part of my story built a strong foundation for my life journey. The challenges and changes I experienced early in life helped develop and hone such skills as flexibility, adaptability, curiosity, taking initiative, and staying true to my core belief system and values. Making the choice to stay true to my core values didn’t always result in popularity. However, it did result in building confidence, embracing my gifts and skills, and standing on my story. With a strong and solid family foundation, I chose the direction of living4ward in spite of life.
Those themes have continued as an adult. I believe living4ward is built around four core essentials: reactivating your passion, readjusting your attitude, reapplying your gifts and recapturing your life. Anyone can choose to live4ward around those essentials in the context of their life story. For me, my context is based on my faith and relationship in Jesus Christ. Embracing that is a choice and provides fuel for living4ward in spite of what comes along in life.
There are many “books” and “chapters” in my life. In my desire to encourage others to live life by the slice, I wrote and published The Bread Box, Life by the Slice. It is a guide for readers to create a mindset for “living life by the slice.” I share personal narratives as slices of inspiration for living a vibrant and purposeful life. Readers are invited to create their own slice of life with fun activities after each personal story. Each person has the capacity to store life experiences (i.e. "the bread box") that can be used as energy for living4ward.
In addition to my speaker services, I also offer coaching and training services. Find out more here. I don’t know everything. What I know, I know well. What I don’t know, I seek to learn. I leave this quote from Maya Angelou with you: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” If I can resource you in your journey, contact me at jane@takethenextstepcct.com.