WELCOME TO THIS IS 45
I spent most of my 45th year on planet earth living all over the world. I lived months on end in Prague and remote parts of Morocco with some shorter escapes to Spain, Italy, France, Austria, and a disputed area of Western Africa. I spent most of the Monday-Friday work week alone, by myself, in foreign cultures during the pandemic with little social interaction. Lots of time to reflect. Was this the coolest experience of my life or the hardest test of living in solitary confinement I will ever experience in my life? Is this a test of my will power or a secret test of my spirit to see if I can remain sane?
I can’t remember if it was the afternoon I watched the village women doing laundry in the river in remote regions of the Atlas mountains in the Moroccan desert, the time I accidentally translated my intended “the oven needs cleaning” to “the children are in the oven” by mistake to the Czech housekeepers in the Czech language (oops-LOL!), or if it is was when a local gentleman wearing no shoes offered me a blanket on a cold day on a high seawall 2 hours away from Marrakech, but somewhere along this journey, I thought how did I get here?
Yes, the reason I had this opportunity to live overseas was because my husband had a work project that was based in Prague and Morocco so technically that is how I got there, but that wasn’t what I was thinking at the time. I was thinking HOW did I go from being a very successful Dermatology PA in Santa Monica California with my own startup skin care company, surrounded by professional colleagues, patients, friends, celebrity clients, everyday faced with lots of new challenges, racing against the clock, resisting the social pressures of L.A. to “keep up with the Jones”, to now being so far away for so long, with no real agenda, and nobody demanding my time and attention. Do I miss my “old life”? Should I get on a plane right now and go back and pick up where I left off? Or should I stick this out, support my husband, and figure out the next chapter of my life? Of course, I missed everyone and I loved being a Dermatology PA for 17 years. But my eyes have been opened. The people I have met, the experiences I have had, the person I have become. As I watched sunrise over the lagoon on the coast of the Western Sahara desert on my last day of this journey, day #200, I tried one more time to speak my pathetic French to our driver, and my future became clear. This is Freedom. This is living. This is 45.
10 years ago, I would NEVER have considered a journey and experience like this. I would have been afraid. I mean, I had responsibilities. Who can just drop everything and live overseas for 7 months? And that is when it hit me, how DID I do this? How was I at a point in my life that this was actually possible? How was I able to pull this off financially without draining my savings or relying solely on my husband's income? How did we navigate pressures of marriage over the past 20 years, and along this journey, and go through MANY ups and downs both in the USA and abroad and come out with a stronger relationship on the other side while so many of our friends' marriages have failed by this age? How did we manage to manifest our USA dream and relocate from 20 years living on the west coast of the USA back to the east coast where our hearts will forever live? How did we do all of this while living overseas in very unusual conditions? How did I do it? How did WE do it?
The secret is intention. 10 years ago, I created a vision for what I wanted my life to look like by the age of 50. I knew the life I wanted for myself, I wasn’t totally sure how I was going to get there, and I took a LOT of detours along the way, some very expensive and emotional detours, but here I am. I have arrived! I have 2 homes in the USA, in my favorite states and both near family. I have the ability to live overseas for long periods of time and create new experiences for others. I have an amazing husband. And I have the ability to help others everyday overcome their own challenges and create their own path to success.
Today, I am celebrating conquering my dreams. I have navigated the world of Love, Money, and Freedom and found my destination.
It is my mission to pay it forward and help others do the same. I have so many stories to share. If you want to learn more about how to get out of debt, how to pick yourself up after failure, how to compete in a competitive workspace, how to overcome imposter syndrome or analysis paralysis, how to enhance your relationships, how to gain more control of your time, how to grow your career or business, how to achieve financial freedom, and last but not least, how to travel in style, follow along with me!