Story time.

I don't talk about myself often, but today I thought I’d share a story.

For many years I was a high achiever, pushing boundaries at work, handling a workload of 2-3 people, and producing crazy amounts of value for the massive corporations I was working for.

It made me feel important and smart, but also overwhelmed and without any peace in my heart because as I told myself “I have so much to do. I'm so busy.” I could not let myself just relax and be.

THERE IS A SAYING: “WE'LL REST WHEN THE WAR IS OVER.” WITHOUT REALIZING IT, I HAD ADOPTED THIS AS MY MOTTO.

It took me many years to understand that the reason I was trying to work so hard was to impress my father.

Every time I would get a promotion, I would call him and tell him about it and he in return would tell me how I would fall short because I'm not good enough for this new job.

THE PATTERN WAS ALWAYS THE SAME:

1. I tell my father I got a great job.

2. He points out where I will (not might, but will) fail.

3. I get devastated.

4. I get over it.

5. I nail the job and tell myself my father was wrong.

6. I get an even more advanced job.

7. I tell my father … and the cycle starts again

This went on for years until one day I noticed the pattern. I don't know why I didn’t see it sooner—perhaps I was blocking myself from facing it.

Was my father a bad guy? No, of course not. In his mind, he was trying to protect me by reminding me of my weaknesses.

Was it helpful for me? No, not at all because instead of focusing on learning new skills, I had to get over my self-doubt and fears and then focus on my new skills.

WHEN WE'RE UNAWARE OF A LIMITING PATTERN, WE FOLLOW IT BY DEFAULT. BUT ONCE WE RECOGNIZE IT, WE GET THE POWER TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT PATH.

I had a choice: continue with this pattern or stop it right here right now because it was burning me from the inside out.

Burnout is real. I knew that, but I never thought it could happen to me - until it did.

I’m sharing this story to show you that if something isn’t working in your life, you have a choice.

My choice was to upgrade my life, to bring more peace and balance into my reality—and I did.

Now, I teach others how to prioritize their peace and balance while continuing to achieve, because striving to be the best version of ourselves isn’t a temporary task. It’s a way of living.

NOT BECAUSE WE NEED TO PROVE OUR WORTH TO ANYONE—WE ARE BORN VALUABLE—but because learning, growing, and achieving are an endless journey. We are limitless, and it's fun to grow.

Take care of yourself and your inner peace. Identify limiting patterns and upgrade them.

You do have a choice!

Keep shining and keep smiling

Have a super powerful day!

Natalie

P.S. In the photo, I had just landed a super cool job at Citi Bank Dublin to redesign their internal customer portal. I was about to call my father to tell him about it, following the pattern described above.