Own It All: The Only Person Who Can Change Your Life Is You PDF
Preview Own It All: The Only Person Who Can Change Your Life Is You
Copyright © 2019 Andrea Isabelle Lucas Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc. Cover and Layout Design: Elina Diaz Mango is an active supporter of authors’ rights to free speech and artistic expression in their books. The purpose of copyright is to encourage authors to produce exceptional works that enrich our culture and our open society. Uploading or distributing photos, scans or any content from this book without prior permission is theft of the author’s intellectual property. Please honor the author’s work as you would your own. Thank you in advance for respecting our author’s rights. The information from The Four Agreements section in chapter 6 is credited to: The Four Agreements ©1997, Miguel Angel Ruiz, MD. Reprinted by permission of AmberAllen Publishing, Inc. San Rafael, CA. www.amberallen.com All rights reserved. For permission requests, please contact the publisher at: Mango Publishing Group 2850 Douglas Road, 2nd Floor Coral Gables, FL 33134 USA Praise for Own It All “Andrea Isabelle Lucas is a marvel and Own It All is a testament to her passion, strength, and ingenuity. The best part is: she’s ready to help YOU own it all, too. Read this book and be inspired and empowered.” —Sarah Knight, New York Times bestselling author of Get Your Sh*t Together “What’s the biggest risk you can take today? Whatever your answer, Andrea Isabelle Lucas will ensure you say yes to it. Andrea’s journey from broke and abused single mom to successful barre studio owner will inspire you, challenge you, and force you to put yourself and the goals you want to achieve back at the top of your to-do list. Whether you had a difficult childhood and are still seeking to forgive and recalibrate, are someone who came into the world with heaps of privilege and have enjoyed tremendous success in your career, or you are a woman who simultaneously feels like she has a foot in both realities, Own It All is one of those delicious and inspiring books you want by your side to refer back to anytime you catch yourself doubting your greatness or the opportunities before you.” —Alexia Vernon, women’s public speaking coach and author, Step into Your Moxie “Andrea is a passionate teacher of barre and life itself and her story will inspire you to attainable, real ways to own your life and your destiny.” —Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito, Exhale Barre founders, authors of Barre Fitness “This book is just so accessible—from the way Andrea connects her personal story to inspiring lessons learned to the worksheets that allow readers to translate her advice into actionable steps for their own goal setting—but I especially appreciated how the interviews with the diverse crew of role models, from style icon Kimmie Smith to US Congresswomen Kathlerine Clark to eighty-four-year-old fitness guru Esther Fairfax, added concrete examples of women walking the walk as proof positive that empowerment is there for the taking!” —Jen Malone, author of The Art of the Swap “Full of concrete, incredibly actionable tips for setting goals and actually achieving them, this book is a must-read for anyone who’s shooting for the stars.” —Sarah Von Bargen, founder of Yes & Yes To our future. Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1 Own Your Goals Chapter 2 Own Your Time Chapter 3 Own Your Health Chapter 4 Own Your Style Chapter 5 Own Your Career Chapter 6 Own Your Relationships Chapter 7 Own Your Past Chapter 8 Own Your Legacy Closing Words Acknowledgments Own It All: Community Own It All: Bonuses Resources About the Author Introduction It was an icy, black night in January. I ran through the thick snow covering my front yard, tore across the neighbors’ driveway, and pounded on their front door. I was relieved to see lights through the windows and hear the sound of a TV in their den, so I knew they were home, though I had no idea what I would say when they answered. My neighbors opened the door with curious smiles, but their expressions changed to shock when they saw my swollen face. “Oh my God! Are you all right?” I tried to reply as quietly as I possibly could so their kids wouldn’t hear me. I didn’t want them to come to the door and ask what was happening. I didn’t want them to see this…situation. I knew it would terrify them. “Please,” I said. “Can you take me to the hospital?” Ours was an affluent neighborhood where people drove luxury sedans and where kids went to private schools; a place where people smiled politely, wore cardigan sweaters, attended church, and chitchatted about golf—not the type of place where battered women bang on your door in the darkness, desperate for help. Everything about this moment felt surreal and detached, like this was a movie and I was watching a character onscreen. This couldn’t really be my life. This couldn’t be happening to me. Within minutes, I was buckled into the neighbors’ car. The drive to the emergency room felt like one of the longest of my life. My neighbor was so kindhearted and concerned, trying to fill the awkward silence with small talk. I replied to his questions with monosyllabic answers and nods. I could barely string two or three words together. I was so ashamed. I just wanted to evaporate. I couldn’t look him in the eye. All I could think to myself was, “This is so embarrassing. What must he be thinking of me right now? My life is so completely fucked up…” Finally, we arrived at the ER. My neighbor came inside with me. I remember bright fluorescent lights and the sterile scent of cleaning products, old magazines, and unhappy patients who looked like they’d been waiting a long, dreary time. I walked up to the front desk to speak with the triage nurse and fill out the requisite paperwork. “What happened?” the nurse asked me. It was a simple question, but it paralyzed me. What happened? Where was I supposed to begin? I managed to stammer out a few details. “I was home. In the living room. My partner came home and we ended up getting in a stupid argument. He just wouldn’t let it go, it kept getting more and more out of hand and then…” My voice trailed off into silence. “…And then he swung at you?” the nurse asked, filling in the details that I couldn’t seem to say aloud. I nodded. “Yeah.” Everything replayed in my mind. That first blow had caught me completely by surprise. He’d never struck me before. Sure, there had been some red flags about his temper, but things had never escalated like this. I would never have believed he could do something like this. After punching me full in the face once, I figured he would recoil and apologize immediately. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to…” But that didn’t happen. He didn’t apologize. He didn’t step back. He didn’t stop. The blows came down hard and fast, one after another. I instinctively curled into a ball on the living room floor, trying to cover my head. I thought if I just stayed perfectly still, eventually he’d stop hitting me. I could feel my cheeks swelling up, narrowing my eyes. He still wasn’t stopping. After I lost count of the blows, the horrific truth dawned on me: “If I just lie here like this, I’m going to die.”
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