the past few months have been some of the best of my life: i lost my job, i gave up my gorgeous apartment, and i discovered that i am allergic to alcohol!

"best months of your life? that sounds like a nightmare!" most might say to me, but no you read correctly the best months of my life!

i went to ireland with my mother and sister a trip that i will remember for the rest of my life, i finally visited a friend in san francisco after 5 years of "trying to go", i joined crossfit and actually go to my classes, i'm living my life, i'm getting good nights sleep daily without the interruption of anxiety every hour, and i'm happy! and let me tell you being happy is priceless!

right now i'm in the process of making a dream come true, creating the life i want, and did i mention i'm happy! yes, i took a huge risk making the decision to not return to the corporate world, to leave a high paying sales job in the "glamorous" world of fashion to build something from nothing...the secret to single.

i've gotten a few crooked stares, a chuckle here and there, and the all to common "that's not a job, you can't do that" when it comes to the path i have chosen. those people obviously don't love me or believe in me but that's ok, nobody is obligated to. but for every negative remark i get i have 100 positive thoughts of my own to fight it off, not to mention a handful of ridiculously supportive folks in my life.

let me give you a little taste of what life was like for me before i started following my dreams:

wake up 6:30am
out of the house no later than 7:30am, if the angels were on my side i managed to leave with a sip of coffee and a bite of toast
in the office at about 8:30am, attempted to throw on some makeup and enjoy a few minutes of peace at my desk alone before the chaos started in the office
by 9:00am my hair, makeup, and clothes were perfectly in place along with a 4"-6" pair of heels
9:01am the first "did you close the new store last night with a $5,000 initial order?" phone call comes in and the stress level instantly increases
9:02am-6:30pm is spent running from meeting to meeting, with new projects piling up on my desk, unrealistic sales goals added to my plate, and an inbox and voicemail that constantly hit the max
when i wasn't in the office i was traveling for work, there were months where i was home maybe 4 days due to traveling

notice there was no lunch, bathroom, or breaks in that list. hence why i had a filing cabinet that looked like an aisle in duane reade; fully stocked with dayquil, emergen-c, alka seltzer, perfume, hair spray, nail file....not only was there a great deal of pressure on me with my work load but i was also given hell for my appearance. i was told:

"you're curly hair, yeah, that doesn't work. you need to have it straight" (so i got a keratin treatment that ruined my hair, i will never have the beautiful curls i once had),
"you have to wear makeup"
"you're selling $3,000 dresses, so you need to look like $3,000, not $2" (my response "that's funny because i feel like a million dollars")
i had to get 2 surgeries on my uterus and as soon as my anesthesia wore off i heard my phone going off: 3 missed calls, 5 text messages, and 7 emails...my boss freaking out over a dress she couldn't find and demanding i reached out to her immediately. i was supposed to be on bed rest for 2 weeks i was back in the office 4 days later still unable to stand and not healed.

it wasn't all miserable. i did meet some really amazing people, i learned a ton, my wardrobe was killer, and i got to go to some pretty pimp events. but none of that was worth my sanity, my health, my time, and most importantly my happiness. so when i was let go because my boss claimed i was trying to take her job i thanked my guardian angels because it allowed me the opportunity to escape the abusive relationship, take time out to heal, and enter a world of love and happiness that i created for myself.

this has been one of the scariest experiences of my life; leaving the structure, walking away from the money, and entering the unknown. but i've never felt as empowered, motivated and have i mentioned as happy as i do now. growing up i was always told to chase my dreams, don't ever let someone tell me i can't do something; i forgot that message for a few years but it's engraved in my brain now and i'm going to make it happen. so while i'm not living the "typical" american life i'm living my american dream!

live what you love

my mantraband is my daily reminder of just that

being this happy is such an awesome feeling and my one wish is for everyone to be able to experience the purest form of happiness, the happiness that comes from within. the amazing folks over at

mantraband

have been so kind and want to sprinkle happiness with me so we've teamed for an awesome giveaway! i love a good giveaway!! one lucky reader will win a mantraband of their own! while mantrabands are beautiful on the outside it's their positive and happy messages that make them a must have!

here are the rules:

1. follow @jlsolivan and @mantraband on instagram

2. comment on the mantraband giveaway picture on my instagram page with your favorite mantra and hashtag #whatisyourmantra

3. for additional entries tag a friend, if they participate you get a 2nd entry