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Kristina Long

My Pursuit to Happiness


Sometimes people tell me I'm living the dream or that I'm courageous. I've been called brave, free spirited and lucky. I don't believe luck has much to do with my life but I don't mind the rest of those terms. When these things were 1st said to me by strangers, friends and family I was confused on some level. Living the dream, I understand. I'm literally living out my dreams. I've been traveling for a year now, it is awesome. Having amazing adventures never bores me, it's all really perfect even when plans go awry, and they do from time to time.

Now about this bravery and courage I somehow possess, I keep telling people I'm just an empty nester trying to figure out where I want to live next (a beach is involved in this mission), seeing and doing as much stuff along the way as possible. I can't do anything else. I'd be miserable if I didn't follow my heart. It doesn't feel brave it is the only way for me. I'm just being me. I'm going with the flow more than ever in my life and it's a wild ride. I've designed my life to have the freedom to roam the earth until I figure out my next steps. I most recently lived in Hawaii for three months. My next travel plans are excitedly unfolding.

I'm currently in Kansas City, MO until June 4th. I'm working on some BIG things. I'm launching my new website, life coaching business, blog and youtube channel (I'm pushing through on this one folks!) and getting ready to embark on a whole new way of living. More on that in my next blog, coming soon! The whole point of all of this is to inspire, encourage and help people to let go of whatever is holding them back and follow their dreams. I'm so grateful anyone is even the least bit interested in what I'm doing in life. There are so many other people to follow on the internet. I feel so very passionate about sharing my life as I fumble humbly through each day, not because I want fame or praise. I want people to know with work and commitment YOUR dreams can come true too. I haven't figured out every little thing in my life. I'm not perfect. I'm just like you. I have dreams and goals and I'm moving through them and sharing my process with anyone who will listen. I'm interested in helping other people see that life isn't perfect and sometimes we fail or just change our mind. Failure is part of success and is necessary to our growth. It is not to be looked down upon. If we let go of control, life moves along with joy, peace and excitement.

Life is crazy and there are pressures everywhere, everyday. I know all about misery and feeling stuck. I know all about following societal norms and never feeling like I fit in or was good enough at whatever I was judging myself over. I was in debt, I raised 2 kids as a single full time mother with no family in town. I struggled through addictions and a toxic relationship for years. I didn't like many of the bars and clubs I worked at for over a decade, I worked at many over the years. I desperately wanted a different life. I'm truly grateful now for all the experiences I've had in my life. I cried so many tears when things went wrong. I blamed everyone else for my problems and I had a lot of problems, this as they say, is history.

What happened, how did my life turn around? I was sober a year or so after a 7 year relapse however, a lot of my life

seemed so unbearable. I was going through a custody battle years after my divorce and everything seemed to be going wrong as usual. I had just been fired from a bar ( I wanted to leave, so I thanked him for firing me, ha ha) and was telling my mom that all I needed to do now was wreck my car to complete the circle of BS engulfing my life. Just a few hours later I rear ended a lady on a patch of ice down on the plaza in Kansas City, MO. A few days before I'd had a conversation with my friend Joe. He pleaded with me to stop being so negative, that I was perpetuating my unhappy life with all my blame and negativity. The night before I had watched the movie, The Pursuit of Happiness, with my kids. In the movie the main character changes his entire life around from being homeless to very successful.

As I sat in my car stunned from the accident, I thought about what Joe had said to me a few days before, I did say all I needed was to wreck my car. Was I part of the problem? I gave it all alot of thought. I remembered how Will Smith's character in the movie had persevered through so much, believing his life would change and it did. I decided I had nothing to loose by changing my thoughts. I mean, my life was already so frustrating, how could positive thinking hurt anything? Slowly I began to change my thinking and push through my court hearings, visualizing myself winning custody of my kids, I read mantra's and affirmations and bought nice court clothes to look and feel strong and capable of winning. I set goals and put one foot in front of the other everyday. I took responsibility for my actions and my life. My life has continued to improve. The changes have come very slowly at times. I'm definitely a work in progress. My life didn't change just from thinking positive thoughts but it was the beginning of believing my life could change for the better.

After a year and a half in court, I'm happy to report I won residential custody of my kids and we made it through the hardest time in my life together. I paid off $10,000 in debt, went to massage school and started my own business. I'm here to tell you anyone can change their life. We are all capable of living out our dreams. Bob Proctor says, "If you can hold it in your head, you can hold it in your hand." Thoughts become actions, and your reality. I hope you're encouraged by my story and my life. Check out my site and feel free to contact me for a complimentary 20 minute session to see if we'd be a good fit for some coaching sessions. I invite you to subscribe to my blog, follow me on all the social media outlets. Link's to Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and my YouTube channel are in the top corner of the page, let's connect. Soon I will fully explain my next plans for travel that begin June 4th!

Much peace to you,

Kristina

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