Love Yourself Back To Life

WHY LOVE YOURSELF BACK TO LIFE?

You dream of living a successful life. You’ve invested in your career and family only to realize you feel emotionally empty. You are at a crossroads. You know something is missing, but you don’t know what it is. What if the answer was already within your reach?

My aim is to guide you in seeing your life and your struggles through new lenses, shining the spotlight on your inner world and eliciting insights and awareness. The idea is to help you release what’s blocking the flow of your success, awaken your full potential, and love yourself back to life!

Before going into the content, let me explain what you would be expecting from this blog post & podcast episodes.

I am a podcaster, and I will be releasing a new episode once a month.

Please note that I may use terms like the universe, infinite intelligence, higher power, infinite mind, spirit, god, universal power, inner wisdom, and so on to refer to that power that created the universe. If you don’t connect with any of these terms in your own mind, just substitute something else that works for you. After all, it’s not the word itself that is important. It’s the meaning behind it.

As another disclaimer, I’m not a psychologist nor a psychiatrist. I’m an entrepreneur. And I love creating things out of thin air. It can be related to business or personal. Like a composer who creates a symphony, I can take abstract thoughts and convert them into deliverable assets.

In relationships, I see beyond the tangible. I can guide you to view your life through new lenses, giving you a new perspective on any challenges you may have.

In this article, my stories will include the good, the interesting, and the personal part. However, to respect the privacy of the people involved, I may, from time to time, change the person’s true identity.

Today, I can proudly say I’m living a successful life. It wasn’t so a few years back. Although I aim to stay positive, there may be times when I will be sharing some deep personal feelings.  In any way, I don’t mean to blame or criticize others, and I hope no one gets offended in the process. It’s like a movie where the actors must bring you through their journey to arrive at the end of the story. Except in my stories, there are no villains.

I believe the universe sent me these people I met along my journey on “purpose” to learn and grow. All my shares are without any judgment. None of us are perfect.

Only through the struggles did I learn to discern between what I was willing to stand for and what I was no longer willing to accept. This lesson alone has been priceless for my growth.

Overall, my quest was to find out who I am and what my purpose is in this world. The journey led me to find happiness. So, I’m going to share what it took to finally “love myself back to life.”

You may check out my podcast on https://nadiafleury.com/001-love-yourself-back-to-life/

Of course, if you have a burning question and can’t wait for the next podcast or article, please reach out to this email address:  ask@nadiafleury.com.

MY ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVENTURE

A QUEST TO FIND EMOTIONAL AND FINANCIAL FREEDOM

In January 2012, I chose the unbeaten path. I quit my high-paying job to fulfill my dream of owning a skincare business. I named the brand Avesence, and I did my best with the resource I had at that time.

Instinctively, I knew the fastest path to growth was to team up with others. But the lack of money stopped me on my track. I resigned to do a lot of the work alone.

THE LACK OF MONEY AFFECTS RELATIONSHIPS

What I never anticipated was how the lack of money affects a relationship. It has a way of bringing the worse in people. I can say this, “You either learn to work together or fight to a stand-still.”

Let’s just say during the first three years of the business, our relationship was going like a rollercoaster.

LEARNING TO DO EVERYTHING WILL SLOW YOUR PATH TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM

The thing is that, no matter what I did, it never seemed to be enough. I got so caught up in trying to learn everything that I forgot to live. I felt that I didn’t deserve to be happy until I was financially successful.

YOUR ENVIRONMENT IS STRONGER THAN YOUR WILLPOWER

Just recently, I did realize what was taking place at that time was a classic clash of two people with two different agendas. In the book “Good to Great,” the author, Jim Collins, mentioned the importance of knowing who sits on the bus and where. And more importantly, who doesn’t belong on the bus. It applies in business and personal relationships.

Notice when you hang out with people who don’t support your growth. Pay attention to what they say and do, especially when you start venturing out of their comfort zone.

There may come a time when you have to choose between their friendship and your new goals. When this arises, it can bring unforeseen challenges.

NEGATIVE EMOTIONS PARALYZE YOUR GROWTH

Watch out for any of the five negative emotions: anger, sadness, fear, guilt, and hurt. They are real and can paralyze your growth.

In business, there are two approaches: climbing the corporate ladder rung-by-rung and staying on the grown for a while to build a helicopter.

I had so much imagination and didn’t want to be confined to other people’s paradigms. So, I chose to build a helicopter.

Before quitting my high-paying job, me and my husband were accustomed to the steady stream of income. When I left the company, the paycheck stopped, causing a shift in the relationship.

FRICTIONS OF ALL FORMS BETWEEN TWO INDIVIDUALS WILL SABOTAGE THE CHANCES OF SUCCESS

Unconsciously, other things were pulling both of us in opposite directions. On one side, there was a low thermostat setting, meaning not wishing to achieve more in life while I was dreaming big. Secondly, I don’t know at what point in time this took place, but I know in my husband’s mind, he associated that if I’m financially “wealthy,” I would leave him.

So, guess what happened? Consciously, he wanted me to be successful so that he could go back to a place of familiarity. However, unconsciously, he feared that if I was successful, I would leave him.

This created all sorts of wasting energy in silly arguments, finger-pointing, and lots of “I told you so!”

WHEN YOU SPEND YOUR TIME JUDGING OTHERS, IT MEANS DEEP INSIDE, YOU FEAR CRITICISMS

I knew it was normal for an entrepreneur to make mistakes. That’s how we learn.

Yep, you got that right! There are no books that provide the exact right answer when you build something from scratch. The instruction manual comes after.

I never lost the high achiever attitude. However, after a few years of no revenue, I started feeling like I was a burden, which took a toll on my soul.

I was afraid of my real potential. I had ventured into something I had no idea how to do. I could only trust that what I was working on would one day pay off.

Over time, I started doubting my abilities. I was so afraid of hearing more criticisms. I couldn’t carry on a conversation without stammering out. I’m not sure which was more hurtful between watching my husband’s body language as to how long it took me to deliver a sentence or being ashamed for not bringing some money to help pay for the bills.

At that point, we had to refinance our home. I didn’t know what to do. So, I resigned to hide in the kitchen, which was partially converted into a laboratory. I kept hoping that tomorrow would be a better day.

FINDING MY VOICE

Then, something more profound pinched my heart. What was the use of my formulations if I couldn’t share them with anyone? I had to find a platform to share my message. But first, I had to find my voice. I had to find my “self.”

On December 31, 2015, after another argument with my husband, I asked myself if the only reason for my existence was to make him miserable. I didn’t want to fight. All I wanted was for both of us to support each other emotionally.

At that point, the air was so thick with negativity. It was hard to see ahead. It’s like I was in a fog. Intuitively, I knew there was something wrong with my life. But I didn’t know what it was. That night, I asked God to help me, to show me a new path because the one I was on led me to a dead end.

Help came in the form of an invitation to attend a personal development seminar. What they were saying on stage made sense. They said things like, “Nobody climbs Mount Everest alone.” “Surround yourself with same-minded people.” “How you do one thing is how you do everything.” “Put your ass out there.”

At the end of the event, there was an enrollment invitation. Members would have access to mentors and coaches, as well as other exciting opportunities. I wanted to participate. But, it required a substantial financial investment, which I didn’t have at that time. As I thought about this, my body was sitting quietly, yet my mind was spinning with new ideas. Images of missed opportunities came rushing through me.

SHOULD THE LACK OF MONEY DICTATE MY GROWTH?

For years, I had always consulted my husband before incurring significant financial expenses.  We normally decide “together” if the expense was justified or not. I realized we had always let a lack of money dictate our future. I wondered where this behavior had taken me. It hadn’t improved my life or allowed me to grow.

There was no anger or blame for this. Just a realization that my past choices were no longer serving me the way they once had.

ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU

Suddenly, a message from above came to me, “You already know how you will address your challenges by choosing who you are going to discuss them with.” I knew if I asked my husband’s permission, he would tell me, “No, we can’t afford it!” I was at a crossroads. How long will I let my husband decide what is best for me?

I knew that what I was missing in my business was an alliance with same-minded individuals. People who understood that sustaining a vision requires faith, belief, love, and money. In a moment of courage, I took responsibility for my future. That is when I hit the “enough-being-the-dutiful-wife-button.”

I chose to invest in my “self.” That day was a pivotal moment for me. For the first time in 20 years, I put ME first!

However, the tale of this blog post doesn’t end here. It’s just the beginning. I gave you an apercu of my life before meeting all these coaches and mentors that helped me out.

The other day my girlfriend said, “Nadia, every time I see you, I keep learning from you.”

It made me think, “What if I could help more people?” It then gave me the idea to create this article and Podcast.

COACHES AND MENTORS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR GROWTH

I’m going to share with you what took place after meeting all these coaches and mentors, how they elevated me, and how they supported me in my growth.

I realized you might not have the same flexibility as I did if you are working at a job. Or maybe, you live too far to attend live events. Or, you may not have the financial means to afford the mentors and coaches.

So, I will be sharing with you my stories, one segment at a time, I will showcase special moments that have made an enormous impact on my life.

Before I conclude this episode, let me say this. My first challenge was learning to be comfortable. Being comfortable means daring to create this podcast. And as you will discover, regardless of how challenging life has been, since the day I decided to invest in my growth, I wouldn’t trade any minute of it because it made me who I am today.

My mission is to inspire you by bringing awareness and insights. So that your tomorrow is better than your yesterday.

To help you in releasing what is blocking the flow of your success; to awaken your full potential and reconnect with your life again.

Because YES, YOU DESERVE TO BE HAPPY. YOU DESERVE TO LOVE YOURSELF BACK TO LIFE!