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My sliding doors moment (that I didn't even realize)

Writer's picture: Danielle HughesDanielle Hughes

On this day "X" years ago

I used to be a pretty big poster on Facebook back in the day. From sharing what was happening in my life, to dating stories, to apparently crowd-sourcing career choices. For those of you who know me, you know my memory is garbage. I'm basically Dory in Finding Nemo, with a 10-second retention level. So thank god for those Facebook memory reminders that tell you everything you did and posted 2, 5, 8, and 10 years ago.


This could have gone very wrong

Because my memory is a sieve, I forgot that I apparently took to Facebook four years ago to ask a pretty important question.


At the time, I was still eating and breathing CrossFit and counting my Macros, so I was all about motivating others to do the same. (I still love CrossFit, I just don't talk about it as much (you're welcome), and as you can tell from my fed girl waistline, those macros are no longer being counted! Now, I just count wine bottles and ice cream cones.)


I even had a blog called Master This, which was focused on my fitness journey post-40, so this ask wasn't as big a stretch (no pun intended) as it might appear now.


What if?

It's crazy to me how this unofficial poll — which garnered almost 30 responses — might have completely changed my career path.


What if everyone had said I should focus on food?

Would I be successful?

Would I still have a business?

Would I have more visible abs?


More importantly, would I have listened to them? To alleviate the suspense, almost everyone, save for a handful, said to focus on copywriting.


At least I didn't catch my boyfriend in bed with another woman

(Granted, I don't have said boyfriend, but still. Also, currently accepting applications.)


For those of you uninitiated in the Sliding Doors universe, it's a 1998 movie with Gwyneth Paltrow where literally missing or making a subway (or Tube, since it takes place in London) changes her life. I haven't seen the film since it came out, so I don't know if it holds up, but the premise has always stuck with me. This idea of a split second completely altering your life is fascinating. Who knows if this could have gone the other way? Perhaps I'd be floundering, or worse, back in a corporate role.


Listen to the market

As my coach always says, if you listen to the market you can never go wrong. In other words, people will tell you what they need and what they want. In this case, my market — or my audience — said to focus on copywriting. And I listened.


Perhaps this was my gut all along.

Perhaps I would have vetoed them if they said food.

Perhaps I positioned the question in way that drove them to make such a decision.


Regardless, it's clear to me now that I made the right choice. Everyday I get to help people be more them! Like, how is that a job? But the market told me that's what it needed. So I made it a job. And that job has now become my calling.


Foodie for life

Let's be honest, my love of food isn't going anywhere. I'll always be an eater at heart (and stomach). But there's nothing more satisfying than seeing people realize they can truly be themselves. That they can take off the shackles of pretense and "professionalism" and actually feel more comfortable in their skin and with clients. That 'being them' makes them more profitable and personable.


It shouldn't be a revolutionary concept, and my hope is that one day my job will be obsolete because everyone will just be their own authentic selves always, but for now, I'm so glad my sliding doors landed on writing.



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