Kyle Hill carried his briefcase from random-potential-job to random-potential-job, with a broken leg, clutching his crutches in a full suit making his way down the Atlanta sidewalk with the summer sun pounding on his face.
Between the sweat stinging his eyes and the panic of “what are we going to do now,” he knew things had to change.
Just a couple weeks before, Christiana and Kyle Hill were like most adults going down the conventional checklist of “shoulds”, trying to do everything “right”.
They were both elite college athletes who graduated from Duke University, got married, and were climbing the corporate ladder in Atlanta.
Aaaaand they hated it.
So when they were given the opportunity to teach english in American Samoa in the middle of the Pacific, the couple jumped at it.
Kyle quit his job, Christiana put in notice to leave their apartment, and the next day, Kyle broke his leg, making it impossible for them to take the teaching job.
Kyle was jobless. They were losing their apartment in 30 days. Things were looking bleak.
But then, things changed.
Christiana found coaching and began building a successful coaching practice. Kyle found a football job to support them financially while Christiana grew her business.
Within a year and a half, Christiana’s business grew enough for Kyle to quit his job, to build their bus-home, to help Christiana in her business, and to eventually focus on following his own passions.
The couple was able to create true freedom for themselves and unleash their potential by following these three steps, that you can also implement for some major shifts in your life.
Step #1: Accept yourself and your passions
When you’re fighting who you are and what you love, you take the fulfillment out of your life.
There will always be tough times and hardships to bear.
By accepting yourself and what you’re passionate about, you’re more equipped to deal with the challenges life throws your way (and you have more fulfillment).
As Kyle said, “The harder we pushed for a conventional life, the harder it pushed back.”
Christiana was passionate about health, mindset, and helping people get to their next level.
Kyle was passionate about building their bus (that will now be their home), latte art, and creating a coffee-based ecommerce business.
The couple didn’t want to be strapped down to someone else’s calendar and trapped in one place. They wanted to explore and experience MORE.
By refusing to shame themselves for not conforming to a socially acceptable plan and owning their passions, they created a fulfilling life on their terms that’s exciting and expansive.
Step #2: Take responsibility for your freedom
Freedom without responsibility makes you ignore your needs, your goals, and your vision.
Freedom isn’t about going with the flow and neglecting aspects of your life.
Freedom is ALL about taking the ultimate responsibility for what you want and taking the action steps to reach your goals.
Like Christiana said, “Sometimes you have hard things happen to you, whatever it is, that determines where you are right now. But from here forward, you have every opportunity and every decision is yours to make whatever you want happen.”
Step #3: Build a support team around you
The #1 thing Kyle and Christiana contribute their success to is being a team.
Like everything else, early on they decided conventional gender roles didn’t have a place in their marriage.
They wanted to support one another as a unit and create their own path.
When you’re looking to unleash your potential, it’s important to drop any preconceived notions of what you should do and how you should do it (—including what your role should be).
That kind of thinking limits your options and opportunities, making you take a path of higher resistance.
Instead, investigate what role you need to play in your life or your business, and then build a support system around you that has your back.
Regardless of what your goals are, if you want to truly unleash your potential and live a freedom based lifestyle — meaning you do what you want, when you want, to fulfill the ultimate vision you have for your life — you have to accept yourself and your passions, you have to take responsibility for your own freedom, and you have to build a support system around you.
In the wise words of Kyle Hill, “It’s okay to enjoy the things you enjoy, and let other people know about it…I think some people are ashamed of their passions because they don’t fit into that convention or that norm. I just want people to know it’s totally okay to accept what you love and share it because you’ll be happier for it.”
If you want more tools to unleashing your potential click here for 100+ journal prompts from Christiana.