§ We came to this world to LIVE OUT LOUD!
Do the People You Spend Your Time With Build You Up or Bring You Down?
When I was asked years ago whether the people I spend the most time with bring me down, I was stunned with the realization that those closest to me were negative, critical, judgmental and complained all the time.
It was a sobering realization.
And it was terrifying!
Did it mean that I had to drop my friends and limit my interactions with my family?
I’ll save you the long story, but the short answer is NO.
I didn’t have to drop my old friends and family, but I did need to create more space for positive, supportive, fellow dreamers in my life.
People who lifted me up, inspired me and supported me to bring my dreams into existence.
The first person to support me was my first therapist in my 20’s and then the women in my therapy group… and then as I delved deeper into healing, I began cultivating friendships with others who were on the journey to wholeness.
The biggest shift came when I began training to be a coach over twenty years ago. Hundreds of people committed to thinking big, dreaming huge dreams and making them happen!
Wow! That was a game-changer. The part of me that suspected that I could have my cake and eat it too (but was too afraid to share it with the world for fear of being ridiculed), started to get stronger, and stronger, and stronger.
I started studying the law of attraction and making miracles happen in my life.
I had a dream to live abroad and to raise my girls to be citizens of the world. But it didn’t seem doable. My husband loved his job in Boston. My local friends didn’t seem to really understand why I’d want to move half-way around the world with young children.
Yet my soul yearned for freedom. Freedom of the unknown. Freedom to discover who I was without the constructs of the cultures I was raised in. To open my mind. And to make sure my girls’ minds were opened at a young age.
The year I became pregnant with my third daughter, I decided to undertake my dream project: the write a book about what it takes to make a major life transition.
As I interviewed over sixty people, form their twenties into their late seventies and early eighties, who’ve made major life changes to follow their dreams, I realized that my dream wasn’t to sit in cold Massachusetts writing about others who made their dreams happen.
My dream was to make MY DREAMS happen!
The people I interviewed all had to confront obstacles and make difficult choices on their journey. Yet, as they followed their heart, they felt alive and true to themselves.
I wanted that for me. If they could do it, why couldn’t I?
This is the power of surrounding yourself with others who dream big and live their dreams.
My third daughter was born and as I nursed her, I visualized the life I wanted to give her and her sisters. The life I wanted for our family. I had just turned forty and I felt the urgency of moving forward.
I will again save you the long story, but within eight months of the decision I made to follow my dream, we were living in Colombia, South America. We hiked through the rainforest as our youngest slept, strapped to my back. We enjoyed a slower pace of life. We learned to dance salsa. It even turned out to be a blessing for my husband’s career, opening it up to opportunities he had never imagined.
My life experience has etched into my brain and into my heart the importance of surrounding myself with people who live life with passion and purpose.
So, when I found myself in a funk in January, I knew what I had to do. Check out my video below to find out what I did to bring myself out of that funk. My deepest wish is that it sparks something in you and helps you too.
I love connecting with you! Leave a comment below or send me an email at natalie@nataliematushenko.com.
Happy Tuesday!
xoxo,
Natalie
