“If I took all those pieces of advice from people. I would forever wonder what if ... what if I did what my gut told me to do." An extraordinary quote by a young girl, Grace VanderWaal, who won America’s Got Talent at the age of 12 in 2016. Hearing her say these words is almost unimaginable to me. Such wisdom. I remember living my life listening to others a lot more than trusting my own gut feeling.
I was a sensitive, cheerful girl whose rationale and emotions were always in conflict, ruling my life. Inside of me, I wasn't good enough, pretty enough … never enough. Others were my reason of existence, and I lived on their energy. I was scared to lose myself, even when I did not know who I was. So from a young age, I’ve been searching for my true essence, trying to fill that loneliness and emptiness I felt.
I had a strong intuition, though, that this state of being was not the real me. Driven to find myself, I walked a path that brought me closer and closer to my authentic power, “the power that comes from the core of who you are and reflects all you are meant to be” as Oprah describes it.
The day I saw Simon Sinek’s TED Talk was such a blessing. He explained the way I wanted to live my life with his Golden circle (Why, How, What): To act in alignment with who I am—my essence—working and living according to my values, and bring value to others.
When I finally saw spirituality rising and consciousness awaking in this world, I knew it had something to do with me. As a communicator, marketer, and writer I helped clients who wanted to find their “Why”—the essence of their existence—tell their stories by writing and visualization, creating a sphere of clarity and trust, expressing their voice for them.
Then it was time for me to get out there, break through boundaries, reach that deeper layer within myself and find a way to present me to the world. This led me to the path of starting a magazine.
The first magazine, Authenticity & Business, revolved around my development as an online entrepreneur. Along the way, I got clearer on my mission and why: helping women to raise consciousness/awareness and discover, express, and own their authentic power, so together we can make a difference in the world. That’s when Ownit Magazine was born. Every step I took and take is to free up that force within me and others.
My life has shifted from chasing success, hoping that it would fill me up, to a life where I developed a conscious mind. I am living my life in alignment with who I am now.
As Grace says: “There is always someone prettier and smarter than you. The goal is not to be the best—you can’t be; the goal is to find what makes you happy. It is different for everybody."
Creating a life that aligns with you is living your life in a way that makes you happy. It will inspire those around you. Imagine what your ideal life would look like. Write it down on a piece of paper. Work every day on expanding in all areas of your life (not all at once) —your well-being, your health, family, relationships, development, fun, hobbies, career/work, spirituality, wealth, and finance. Need some help? Download my “10 Steps to Own It” to get started.