TED Talk Tuesday: SARK and How I Almost Became a Lawyer

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I just found out that SARK, one of my favorite artists/muses/inspirations/women in the whole world just did a TED Talk!  And I am Snoopy-dance happy to share it (and her) with you.

For those of you who haven't been introduced to SARK yet, SARK stands for Susan Arial Rainbow Kennedy.  She is a best-selling author who has published a whopping 16 books, she is the CEO and founder of Planet Sark, this amazing website that supports empowered living, and most importantly, a huge role model that encourages living creatively and authentically.

SARK's website is www.planetsark.com - you MUST check it out!

I can't even remember who first introduced me to SARK.  All I know is that she was a HUGE influence on my life.  I got her book, Inspiration Sandwich right around the time I was leaving Michigan to move to Hawaii.  Have you ever read one of those books that speaks so perfectly to you at the exact time you needed to hear what it has to say? That's what her book was to me.

SARK makes awesome posters like this.  How can you not love her?

You see, a year before that, my entire life was "set."  I had graduated college and was getting ready to head off to a prestigious law school.  I was well on my way to becoming that high-powered corporate attorney in New York City that I knew I was going to be since the fifth grade.  Things were working out as planned, and life was good.

Except, underneath all that puffed-up bravado, there was my little nagging voice that whispered that law school wasn't what I really wanted to do.  I pushed aside that voice, drowning it out with thoughts of how powerful I was going to be, how important, how rich.  I  pushed the fear aside with images of my corner office overlooking Manhattan skyscrapers.

But then my little voice turned into a roar.

The day I was supposed to mail in my non-refundable deposit to law school, I decided to walk to the post office and drop it off.  Half-way there, I started hyperventilating.  I broke out into a cold sweat, and started feeling like I was going to pass out.  I thought I was going to die.  I must have looked insane as I crumpled down on the lawn of someone's house and stared at the clouds through a big tree.

I now realize that was a panic attack, but at the time, I totally thought I was having a stroke.  Regardless of the label, that incident was my body telling, screaming at me, what my mind was not willing to hear.  I did NOT want to go to law school.

The next year was a really dark one for me.  I had to tell my parents I wasn't going to law school, and worse, I didn't have a clue of what I  wanted to do.  I had to shed all those labels that I hid behind for so long.  I was lost, and I felt like a total failure.

And then I found SARK.  Her writing was like a colorful, bright light that illuminated my bleak gray outlook.  She wrote about living juicy and being true to your authentic self, and her writing helped me not only accept, but celebrate my choice to be true to myself, no matter how scary it was.  Months later, I made the decision to move to Hawaii, which was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  And my life just started to fall into place.  My authentic life, this time.

Needless to say, I adore SARK.  Here is her recent TED Talk.  I totally hope you enjoy it!

Here are more awesome SARK posters: