Jana Polidori
11:59 started in 2003 when my husband and I were a young married couple with 2 small children living in Canada. Life was overwhelming and at times, I felt like I was drowning. My husband traveled constantly and being a stay- at- home Mom, I was responsible for the kids, the house and being available 24/7. It was busy running the girls to dance, soccer, cooking, cleaning, laundry and the list goes on. As I reflect, I know how lucky I was to have that opportunity.
One day I was to talking to an elderly neighbour who had lived a challenging life. I was expressing my feelings of anxiety and what our next step should be. We had big decisions to make about the future and it was scary. She calmly looked at me and her response changed how I thought about life from that moment on. She told me the universe would never let you down. If the deadline is midnight, it will take you right to 11:59 and will never fail us. I knew that I needed to trust the process of events and either way we would be taken care of.
My husband and I now live in the United States and my girls are grown and living their own amazing lives. My husband owns his own business and I am an artisan bread maker. Trust me, we are a family that has had many 11:59 moments over the past 18 years."
I want to focus the next part of my life on spreading positivity, optimism, love and gratitude.
Christine Muschalla
The 11:59 concept resonated deeply with me from the moment Jana shared the idea. Not only did I immediately appreciate the positivity, determination and hopefulness that it represents, I also felt a kinship with the notion of making a major life change to follow my own dream and have the grit to stick with it.
Although I started my career in business, I’d always gravitated to teaching. Finally, after years of wondering if I’d missed my opportunity to become an educator, I made the decision to go after it. In my 40s, with two busy daughters and a husband whose work involved extensive travel, I dug in and reinvented my professional self. It wasn’t easy and I had many of my own 11:59 moments.
More than a decade of teaching later, I’m so glad I made that commitment to myself. My elementary students continue to teach me as much as I teach them, and helping them succeed academically, emotionally and socially means the world to me. My wonderfully supportive husband and our grown daughters recognize how much 11:59 – the mindset and the business itself – has contributed to my own peace of mind.
Like the rewards I feel from teaching, for me the best part of my involvement with 11:59 is learning about so many of you. Your 11:59 stories inspire me. I’m so grateful to be part of something that helps people find the strength to not only get through difficult times, but move forward and flourish.
