OYL Champion Jessica L.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to truly have a breakthrough and break through?  The answer is that it starts with a decision.

Our decisions are often born out of pain, and when we get to the point where ‘enough is enough’ that is when the most profound breakthroughs occur.

Our champion, Jessica, made a  decision to change her life when she started in the Organize Your Life program.

Today, as a result of this decision she is building a successful business, has started running marathons and half marathons, and truly living her life on purpose. She has fully committed to the process and principles and continues to excel in all aspects of her life. We are so proud and  can’t wait to see the next accomplishment. Keep running girl.

Jessica Shares Her Journey

Chances are if you are reading this, you are an entrepreneur, or at least someone who has committed to taking their life to the next level. Like many people, I started my new business because I was frustrated with my life.

Frankly, I just couldn’t go on living the way I was living. I was overworked, underpaid and overwhelmed. So, when I was presented with an opportunity that could potentially allow me to replace my full time income, it didn’t take long for me to say yes.

When I took OYL for the first time, I heard Susan talk about balance, but I wasn’t at a point where I was ready to receive it yet. What I did do was begin to implement her tips on organizing my apartment, creating a schedule, and setting intentions to structure my day.

By the time the course ended, I had already begun to see the results of my efforts showing up in my life and I signed up for the course again and again. I immersed myself in what Susan taught. I wrote down everything she said and applied every principle, even listening to the recordings on my way to and from work. The more effort I put in, the more results I saw in my business.

The best part of learning the skill of being productive, is despite accomplishing more every day than I used to accomplish in a week, I had more free time than ever. I realized that this balance thing Susan talked about could actually be possible for me. When I realized this, it was like a “lightbulb” went off.

Balance is not something we achieve; it is something we choose, and we have access to it at any point, no matter where were are in our entrepreneurial pursuits. I decided I had created enough collateral damage. I cleaned up the messes I had made in my relationships and gave myself permission to have fun again.

The thing is, after having invested this much time into personal growth, my old version of fun wasn’t so much fun anymore. So, I decided to select a new hobby. I chose running, inspired by Susan. Because I was organized now and had a schedule, I scheduled in my morning runs. Susan taught, “If we don’t write it down and schedule it in, it won’t happen.”

I had always wanted to run a marathon. It had been a secret desire to have a NYC marathon medal; however, I didn’t believe it would ever be possible for me. But the thing is, getting organized makes the things you have always wanted but never had the skills to do possible.

I got on a marathon training plan. I scheduled in the runs and I signed up for the November 2015 NYC Marathon. It was a pipe dream to be able to run a marathon that day. Honestly, there was only a small part of me that believed it could ever happen.

But here’s the amazing thing: It really only takes small seed of faith and the willingness to take a small step every day. I believe when we set an intention and choose to act on it, the entire universe shifts, and we can manifest miracle after miracle to make it happen.

I did just run the NYC marathon in 2015. It was my 11th marathon in the last 12 months. It turns out, when you are organized, reaching a life long dream that once seemed out of reach is really not that challenging after all. I wound up starting my marathon career November 15, 2014. I ran my second marathon in Carlsbad, California in January 2015.

It was that very time in January 2015 that I realized that I was now organized, and I realized that my dreams could be bigger than I had ever imagined. And so, I imagined the biggest dream I could think of for running. I committed to doing 30 marathons by my 30th birthday, publicly! That meant 28 more marathons in just 18 months.

People ask me how it is physically possible. If that’s okay, I am going to get real for a minute. My stretch wasn’t the physical challenge. My stretch was being organized enough to schedule in 28 marathons! There aren’t exactly marathons in my neighborhood every week.

But the biggest stretch of all for me was paying for it. Endurance sports are not cheap, and paying for that many marathons was going to wind up costing about $5,000, which I did not have. I knew that the only way that I was going to make this come true was if I got more and more organized.

So I did. As much time as I committed to running, I also devoted to organizing my business and my life. I increased my productivity, my success in business, and my income. In fact, I was having so much success, I was able to relocate from my one bedroom basement apartment to a house. I am also now a full-time entrepreneur and fully self-employed.

One of my primary motivations for staying self-employed was that it allows me to the time and freedom to create my life, by my design. Now don’t get me wrong, I still work. In fact, probably more than most people. However, I also have balance. I have more meaningful relationships than I ever had before, I have a better degree of health than I ever have before, and I no longer have to request permission to take a day off to travel to a marathon, or for anything else for that matter. I am the CEO of my own life and it feels amazing.

This coming weekend is the one year anniversary of my very first marathon. It will be my 12th marathon. I had a special T-shirt made to commemorate the occasion. It says, “I can run because I learned to Organize My Life.” I believe that to be true. God willing, I will run my 30 marathons by 30. In fact, I will run 10 marathons the 10 days leading up to my birthday, finishing my 30th marathon on my 30 birthday!

I believe from the bottom of my heart that the only reason that I am a successful full-time entrepreneur today and am doing things I didn’t even have the ability to imagine two years ago, is because I got organized. Signing up for OYL was the single best decision that I have ever made. Taking this course has changed my life forever, and I will continue to take the course as long as Susan teaches it. I will continue to get more organized and create more abundance in my life. Thank you, Susan Sly!!

-Jessica L.

Susan Sly is a best selling author, speaker and entrepreneur. She has appeared on CNN, CNBC, Fox, Lifetime Television and the CBN. Susan is the mother of four children and resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.