§ We came to this world to LIVE OUT LOUD!
Huge news! I’m finally doing it!
I have a huge confession to make: I sometimes feel like a complete loser because I still haven’t completed a dream I’ve had for the past decade.
Do you know the feeling?
You see, I’ve been working on a book for nearly a decade now.
Nine years ago, I was trapped in a kitchen changing diapers, making organic baby food, driving my older kids around and being a short order cook seven hours a day. I was craving major change in my life. I didn’t even recognize the woman I had become.
Where had the spontaneous and adventurous me gone?
I didn’t really see a way to create the life I wanted so I decided to find people who have taken major risks to follow their passion. I was dying to know their secrets and how they did it.
And I wanted to write a book about what I learned.
I interviewed nearly 70 people. I learned TONS! I was inspired by these amazing people’s vision, courage and persistence.
And I realized that I didn’t want to be sitting in my office in cold Massachusetts writing a book about other people who were living their passion and purpose.
I wanted to get out into the world and live mine!
And if you have been reading my blog for a while, then you know that I did just that. The ultimate mid-life reinvention!
At 40, with 3 young kids and a somewhat reluctant husband, we moved our family to a small town in the Andean mountains of Colombia. We created a life of greater simplicity, more family time and lots of travel and adventure.
It wasn’t always easy and there were many moments where I wondered “what on Earth have I done?” but seven years later, I can honestly say that following my heart’s deepest longing was the best thing I have ever done for myself and for our entire family.
And it has kept me busy and been a darn good excuse for not writing my book.
In fact, I was having so much fun and feeling so fulfilled, I didn’t have the slightest desire to write my book.
And then, a few years ago, I started to feel a stirring… not to write that book of stories like I had originally set out to do but to write about reinventing yourself and your life at midlife.
I started to feel such passion for the power of our hormones to be our greatest allies in helping to push us out of our comfort zones and to say THE TIME IS NOW!
Except there was one problem.
That meant I had to get real and admit that I was at midlife, grappling with my own mortality, dealing with pesky peri-menopausal symptoms and healing all the crap I hadn’t healed in the first half of my life.
It brought me face-to-face with my vanity and my vulnerability.
I’m pretty open and authentic in my writing but I tend to be more comfortable sharing once I have it all sorted out, not while I’m still in the muck.
But the beauty of these midlife hormones is that they have been whispering in my ear every night, “Let go of the crap that doesn’t matter. This is what you’re being called forth to do. THE TIME IS NOW!”
And I’ve decided to listen. I declare here publicly that I will write the book in 2019!
And I just hired a book coach yesterday to make sure that I do it. There’s nothing like investing in yourself to know that you will make sure to get the results you want. Or at least that’s how I roll.
So what about you? What’s your dream that’s dying to be brought to life?
The time is now!
As always, I would love to hear from you so leave a comment below or reach out to me by email at natalie@nataliematushenko.com
¡Feliz Martes!
Natalie
Congratulations! How exciting! You are quite the inspiration to so many. Thank you for continuing to share your story as it winds its way through so many facets of your life.
Go Natalie! I can’t wait to read your book 🙂 xo