Paris, the city of romance, food, fashion and dreams... the city where I felt more like a woman than I've ever felt before.
I was in awe and disbelief that I was actually there. I'd endured 14 hours of travel to get there (though I'd gladly have endured 24), and even though I only spoke a few words of French, I felt like I was right at home.
Immediately after checking into my apartment, I ran the streets of Paris, from the famous Avenue des Champs-Elysees up to the Arc De Triomphe, and honestly, there are no words to express how I was feeling. But now every time I think back on those streets, the history, the culture, the people... I smile to myself.
And the ironic part is, I never really wanted to go to Paris.
Where I come from we never dream of such things, let alone actually do them. But last year I enrolled in an International Business and Coaching Certification program and one of the Live Intensive Events was in Paris. Again, it wasn't something that I'd been "dreaming" about, but the closer it got and the more the other program members started talking about it, the more I realized that... I wanted to go!
For me, the past few years have been a time of massive growth and this was the next step. This trip to Paris meant an up-leveling and an opportunity to further inspire other women just like me who live with fabricated limitations and who are ready to break through them.
You see, last September I turned 30 and I was at a crossroad of who I wanted to be and who I was going to become. I had become so disconnected from my voice my wants and needs and even desires that I found myself confused.
But there's something that naturally happens with women when we reach our 30s -- the need to defy time, bordering on a state of rebellion. It was there that I found myself kicking and screaming for the life I wanted to live. No one was going to make this life happen for me; I had to do it myself!
The problem was I never trusted myself enough. I always lived in the world that if you don't hope for much, you will never be disappointed. That was the safe place I resided.
I realized I cannot help others on the highest level I strive to until I step up and take it to the next level myself.
I knew deep down this was my year. So Jan. 1 at 12 a.m. I started my year with a three-mile run. As fireworks went off, I ran. While everyone celebrated around me, I was anticipating my future goals. I was setting myself up mentally for success. I continued this run 2x a week. Every time I ran these three miles I would cross a bridge and when I would reach the halfway point I would visualize Paris. The cobblestone pavement, the Arc, the bridges over the deep dark reflected rivers (where I would see pictures of all the beautiful ferries and Parisian architecture). Every time I hit that bridge for 3 months, I'd imagine my open arms embracing the Paris air and fulfilling one of the many dreams I now allowed myself to have.
One beautiful night while in Paris standing on the bridge facing the Eiffel tower as the wind blew through my hair I realized that my dream was now my reality. No one could ever take that moment from me. It was forever mine, and it was a sense of undeniable freedom as I stood there watching the sun set.
The time I have committed to my personal growth and being a part of a community of strong, beautiful, diverse women has allowed me to see and recognize my strength to become the woman I desire to be. I am not trying to be someone or something else. I am stepping up to be the woman I truly was meant to be, the best version of me. This experience and all of my experiences have made me even more qualified to help others. To help them see what they are made of and to see how transformation is possible for them, if they too are ready to do the work and receive the support.
Because I continue to defy the odds, break down barriers, speak my truth and become a force for others who want to shine bright, I forge ahead to my next adventure and to fulfill my dreams.
To your dreams!