Chasing El Dorado

on opportunity and attracting it

I subscribe to the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day email. And I’ll never forget the day the word El Dorado appeared in my inbox.

el-də-’rä-(,)dō : a place of fabulous wealth and opportunity

Before that email, I didn’t know there was a word that captured so perfectly everything I craved about life. I immediately took it on as a personal mission statement: I would be the girl Chasing El Dorado.

I was a young associate at an accounting firm at the time, and I began to see everything through the lens of opportunity. I went back to school for my law degree because I expected it would give me more opportunities. When I graduated, I chose a consulting firm over a law firm — because it felt like the better opportunity. When the potential to transfer to my firm’s New York office presented, I went because, of course. I was the girl chasing opportunity.

But here’s the thing about chasing anything: it gets exhausting.

I had made all these big moves and reaped all the rewards that came with them, but your girl was exhausted. I loved chasing opportunity; it was thrilling! But maybe I could find the same thrill in smaller doses.

After a decade of chasing big opportunities, I had a new idea: what if I microdosed on it instead! My moment of clarity found me on a yoga mat in midtown Manhattan. My mission statement was evolving, I would be the girl Microdosing El dorado. Every month, I would choose one small thing to chase/commit to for 21 days. Sounds like habits, and felt like the baby steps of opportunity.

And it worked!

In my 21 days of running, I became the person who fell in love with running again. Which led to me running the most magnificent marathon of all time: the Marathon du Medoc in Bordeaux.

Along the way of 21 days of no-spend, I became the person who got creative with what she already had. Which led me to buy my dream apartment in NYC.

During my 21 days of not being late, I became the person who stopped over-committing. This gave me the confidence to start making bigger career moves, ultimately leading me to the opportunity of a lifetime at work.

And on my 21 days of yoga, I became the person who tamed her monkey mind. I signed up for my first yoga retreat in Tulum a month later, which led me to yoga teacher training, and eventually hosting my own retreats.

clockwise from the top: the Marathon du Medoc, buying my NYC apartment, making career moves, Tulum

These micro habits led me to a macro lesson on opportunity:

• It is bursting at the seams of life, and opportunity abounds

• It’s less about getting the “thing” and more about who I became along the way.

Chasing El Dorado, big and small, has been insanely fun. I became the girl who could see it everywhere and who has used it as a means to an end to live life to the hilt.

But I feel a shift happening again, like my personal mission statement needs a refresh. El Dorado still resonates with me, but what would it look like if instead of me chasing it, opportunity chased me?

….to be continued, as I figure out exactly what that looks like…

In the meantime, create a little inspo corner in the comments section: what opportunity are you living right now, and did you chase it or vice versa?