On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to give thanks to myself. It’s not the normal thing you hear on Thanksgiving, but I’ll take a page from Martin Latulippe’s Instagram story this weekend and say thank you to me. Thank you for investing in myself for my own growth and development.

This weekend, my wife and I invested in ourselves by purchasing tickets to attend Soul Tribe Live in Halifax. This event was headlined by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love and Big Magic, among others. Not only did we invest in buying tickets, but we opted to splurge and buy the VIP package tickets on the day the tickets went on sale.

Our VIP package meant that we had front row seats for the Friday night keynote sessions, as well as for the Saturday workshop. As it would turn out, not only did we have front row seats, but we were right in front of the stage. And for this, I am grateful.

On Friday afternoon, we had the option of attending one of four breakout conferences. The one I selected was The Author’s Path with Chaz Thorne. Over the course of three hours, Chaz took us through his process of building a framework for finding your voice and writing your stories. This session alone inspired me greatly and has rekindled the flame that’s been smothered within me over the past few years. I look forward to seeing what develops next.

Friday night was the big show. Our host for the evening, Nancy Reagan, introduced us first to Anne Bérubé who delighted the audience with her talk, Unleash Your Sacred Fire. Following Anne, we were entertained by the guest of honour – Liz Gilbert. Her conference was a delight. It was humorous, moving, inspiring and instructional all at once. It was fun to see that the version of her that comes across in her writing is truly who she is in real life. The evening ended with Nancy Regan having an intimate interview with Liz on stage.

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Following the keynote speech, the VIP ticket holders were also invited to a meet and greet session with Liz. She took time to meet with everyone in the room, posing for photos and signing books. She once again reinforced my view of her from earlier in the evening – she was so very down to Earth and genuinely happy to be meeting all of these people who came out to see her.

Saturday consisted of a workshop with Liz Gilbert. The workshop started with a stranger smacking my ass and then she gave me her contact info at the end of the day. True story (hi Cyndi!) Liz took us through the process of writing letters to/from various parts of ourselves, in particular the ones that are often in conflict. By listening to these different voices in our heads, and writing out what they’re saying, she helped us gain better control over the voices, and empower ourselves to live creative lives. These were powerfully moving exercises.

All things said and done, I am so very happy to have invested in myself this weekend. I know that what time, effort and money I put into myself will come back tenfold. I am worth it. And I am so very thankful that I can permit myself these types of experiences. I love my DINK life.

Now, it’s time to let the Big Magic flow through me. I don’t yet know what will come of it, but I am ready to let go and see where the Universe will take me next.

And you, my dear reader – are you ready to invest in yourself? What have you wanted to do, but keep putting it off? What used to put stars in your eyes when you were younger, but you put off when you “became an adult” and didn’t have time to do it anymore? What’s holding you back from doing it? Is it fear? Be honest. Maybe it’s time for you to write your letter from Your Fear and let it tell you what it’s trying to do. The truth may surprise you – if you let it.