Reflections...

It’s my birthday tomorrow... 36 years old! I have been thinking for a few weeks about writing a blog post about it and just put some reflections out there. I have to admit it is not an original idea. Simon Cowell recently celebrated his 50^th birthday and wrote a public letter to his younger self.

Now I am not going to do the same, don’t think that I have reached that stage of my life yet where I need to give “advice” or “encouragement” to my younger self, but felt the need to do some kind of inward reflection.

Probably need is not the right word, but it stands for now as I cannot really decide on what that word is going to be. So, tomorrow, Sunday 18^th of October 2009 is my 36^th birthday. I never have been one to feel age as something detrimental or scary. Also never been one to wish that I was 18 again or go back in time to change this or that.

Throughout my life I have had many successes, some failures, made some fantastic decisions and some appalling ones. Made many mistakes, some silly and negligible, others more serious and dramatic. But, and this is a big but, I don’t really regret any of those mistakes, no matter what they were...

You see, the person I am today is a direct result of all the good things and bad things that happened to me or that I have done. Some bad things were done to me and that left me really upset, sometimes depressed and even almost destroyed, but, I have always came back fighting and smiling.

Around this time last year it finally daunted on me that I needed to make radical changes. Not only in my professional life but also in my personal life. I am not going to say that Coaching saved my life, because it hasn’t, as with all the advice and guidance I give to let you know that all change is down to you, the same applies to me.

I made all the changes, and dealt with them all, but the fact is as time went on I took a greater interest in Coaching and started, coaching others, and applying the same principles, tools and techniques to my own life in order to achieve the objective I set myself to achieve and apply the change required.

I consider myself an extremely lucky person. You see I “work” doing what I love and that is a special gift that anyone and everyone should enjoy. And this is only possible because I made a decision to radically change my life and follow my dream.

Yes it was scary, difficult and at times daunting, but this is something that I really wanted and all the sacrifices and obstacles that have come my way were in a way, worth it. Things are much better today than they were 6 months ago and they will phenomenally better in 6 months time! That I know for sure!

In the last 12 months, I have left a highly paid job, that gave me the company car and a nice financial and stable life, but I felt miserable, undervalued and, in a way, taken for a ride. So when the opportunity came, due to financial difficulties of the company, I accepted early redundancy and left.

I finished my qualifications in Coaching and NLP and was ready to take in the World. Along the way made some poor decisions in people to follow and listen to, but also found some amazing people that gave me advice, guidance and mentored me towards my success.

I now have an established number of clients about to launch my website with my free report to help others and am currently finishing writing my first book. I have days where I work 18 hours solid, and I am happy for it, because I truly believe in what I do and I absolutely love what I do.

I have an outstanding group of friends and family around me that love, respect and admire me and are there for me whenever I need some help, support or guidance and they know they can count on me come what may.

Yes I am single again. A few months ago I had thought I had found the Woman that was going to be my life partner. Sadly it was meant to be and the relationship ended before it had a chance to really begin and develop. I wish it hadn’t finished but it is one of those situations out of my control, and like I said I live a life of no regrets. The future with her could have been amazing, but life does go on!

I will not lie to you, some days are difficult, others less so, but when you live the life you are suppose to live, nothing is impossible and there is no such thing as an unsolvable problem!

So, what does my life has in store for me for the next twelve months? Well have plenty of business projects to keep me occupied and dreaming and acting big. Have a solid group of people around me, both in business as well as personal terms, that will allow me to reach all my goals.

Will I reach my goals in the next twelve months? Well I do know that if I continue to apply myself hard and do all that I am capable off I will achieve many of my goals and realise a few dreams.

I will wake up every day happy and grateful for where I am and who I am. You know, when I am happy and grateful I feel free to follow my dreams and be successful in life. When I am free and successful it means that I am following my Life’s Purpose and living life to the full.

When I am living to my purpose I am happy and grateful!!!! See it goes full circle and it is a self fulfilling prophecy! When you wake up happy and grateful because you are living you purpose, the universe, has a way of giving it back to you and to me it has and will continue to do so!

Reflections over, many more things probably left to say, but not necessarily today. Time to go and relax for a bit and then have a shower and get dressed and meet up with my friends and go and enjoy an amazing night in Manchester to celebrate my birthday!

Have a brilliant day!

Speak soon,

Paulo

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