Putting My Dreams into Action

I can’t tell you how good it feels to stop procrastinating and finally be working on my dream.

I just wrote the introduction to my book – it’s raw and unedited. Heck, according to my book coach, I will wind up rewriting it after I finish writing the actual book. But it’s such a big step for me that I wanted to share it with you. Here goes…

“It was a cold, grey winter day and as I stared out the window over a sink full of dirty dishes, I couldn’t believe that this was my life. I was 39 years old, my third daughter had just been born and I was spending about seven hours a day in the kitchen. Short order cook, diaper expert, cleaner, laundry maven and driver were my true job titles.

I was nearly 40 years old! Where had the time gone? And how is it that so many of my dreams haven’t yet materialized? Would they ever? Is this what life would be like for me?

Now don’t get me wrong, I was actually living what was considered by those who knew me to be a great life. I was in a long-term marriage (even though we were both so exhausted we hardly had time or energy for a conversation). We had three healthy girls, a comfortable home in a great neighbourhood and a circle of close friends. I had my own coaching and consulting business and could choose my work hours. I even managed to squeeze in a quick workout most days.

And yet, despite all this, I felt like I wasn’t really living my life.  I felt bored, listless and completely uninspired. This was somebody else’s version of success but it wasn’t mine. I felt guilty for not appreciating all the great things in my life but the truth is that my soul wanted to be free.

My soul hated the endless to-do list, the mind-numbing housework and routines of daily family life and the constant rushing to fit it all in and to get it all done. She wasn’t a huge fan of cold weather or my Seasonal Affective Disorder either.

She remembered the younger, pre-kids me, the one who travelled the world for work and pleasure meeting up with her husband in exotic locations for the weekend. The one who painted huge canvases and meditated in the middle of the day if she felt like it. The one who dressed like she knew that she was hot. The one who dreamed of an unconventional life where she could show her kids the world and raise them to be free to be themselves. She yearned for adventure and for the uncertainty of not knowing what tomorrow would bring.

I suspect that as frustrated as I was on that frigid morning, my soul already knew something that I didn’t. She knew that in about eight months, I would have moved heaven and earth (otherwise known as my stability-liking husband) to relocate with our family of five to a town in the Colombian Andes and radically transformed our life to one of travel, adventure, a slower pace of life where we had time to connect deeply to each other and the kids and to learn how to dance salsa. All while giving the kids a great education and enjoying all the material comforts that life has to offer.

This is the power of a woman’s mid-life hormones!

Hormones get a bad rap in our society but I’m here to tell you that if you start paying attention to the hormone-induced rumblings of your soul, to the little voice inside that says, “This can’t be it”, you will be rewarded with a life beyond your wildest dreams. A life that feels like it’s authentically you. A life in which you get up in the morning excited for the day ahead, passionate about your work or projects and feeling like a million bucks inside and out. Not to mention, looking hot and feeling that aliveness that comes from a woman in her sensual power.

I know it’s a big promise to make but I do it because I have lived it and I have worked with thousands of women over the past two decades, helping transform lives and reawaken the goddesses we have within. It’s actually a simple process of getting to know your deepest, truest self by learning to identify and listen to the small voice within until it roars and taking small, doable steps to make the changes that will transform your life into your personal version of an epic adventure.

It won’t be easy and there will be times you want to give up. You will definitely need to put on your big-girl panties and muster up some serious courage and chutzpah.

The rewards of this journey, however, are beyond measure. What could be better than living your own authentic version of a successful life on your terms while enjoying the relationships and experiences that make your heart sing?

I invite you on this journey with me, knowing that you are safe and supported. What you have here is an opportunity to be living a radically different life by the time you finish this book.

In the words of the great poet, Mary Oliver, “What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Lots of love,

Natalie”

I would love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me by email at natalie@nataliematushenko.com.