I’m what they call a “Global Nomad”. My friends never know for sure which time zone or country I am in. My mom tries to keep track of me on Facebook, with Wikipedia as an information source to understand where in this world her only daughter is.
This nomadic life gives me the opportunity to meet a lot of people from different countries and cultures. And trust me, when you dig deep enough, our cores are not that different. We have similar desires of wanting to be loved and wanting to make a difference. Our fears and our values are also very similar. Most of us value items like integrity, respect, and unconditional love. What is amazing is that we also have similar self-limiting mindsets, especially us women.
No matter where we live in this world, we have a tendency to doubt ourselves, to think of a million reasons why we shouldn’t do something because we are going to fail, or because people will judge us, or that this famous anonymous “they” might not like us anymore. Please STOP!!! Stop limiting your beauty, your uniqueness, your amazing-ness. You are failing even before you try or better said, DO. Don’t even try. Just go out there and do it!!
It is not about someone giving you permission, it is about you giving yourself permission and gathering the courage to go out there. It will never be the right time, nor will you ever have enough time, or money, the stars will never be aligned perfectly, or whatever other excuses we use to keep ourselves from taking action.
We are our own worst enemies.
I want to share one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
I live by this quote and can tell you I have never regretted it. Yes, I have failed, looked like a fool and have run into roadblocks. It didn’t kill me. I just got back up, shook off the dust and went for it. And I am still going for it.
So I am challenging YOU to take action, leave the safe harbor, go out there and feel EMPOWERED to turn your dream in reality!!!
Simply by doing, you WILL be an inspiration to someone else. If you don’t feel empowered enough yet, feel free to drop me a note for some additional encouragement. I’m totally empowering YOU!!
by 
Thanks for the reminder, Nathalie! I’m also living a nomadic life these days, working in Japan, Shanghai, Australia, and soon to be in London – rarely home in Silicon Valley, California recently. I have meet women from over 50 different countries, and I’m delighted to find that – although we share common self-limiting assumptions and beliefs about what’s possible – we also share a fierce determination to overcome those barriers and make a meaningful difference in this world.
Thanks for your dose of inspiration, Scrappy Gal Pal!
– Kimberly in Ryogoku, Japan
Thank you for your comment, Kimberly!! You are so right to point out the unbelievable perseverance and fighting spirit shared by women all over the world which is truly an inspiration to me.
Nathalie – Home in SF for one more week
You are very welcome, Lisa! It sounds like you are on an amazing adventure living the life of your dreams. Paris is an amazing walking city. Wishing you a great and safe journey walking the world. It is the best way to really get in touch with the people, country and cultures!
I love your line, “Simply by doing, you WILL be an inspiration to someone else.” I too have had the great fortune of being able to travel the world doing my life’s work, and what do you know…I look out and see that both our kids are following in my footsteps! Last June our son (20 at the time) traveled with me to Peru and participated in a Learning Intensive workshop I was facilitating. Our daughter, who is 17, spent 13 weeks in Nepal this fall, and then 12 weeks at Oxford this winter while taking a “gap year” between high school and college. The world is so much more accessible to them because of what they have seen from me. Thank you for the reminder that when we give ourselves permission to “step out”, we can’t help be become an inspiration to everyone we meet along the way!
Thank you for sharing your experiences, Betty Jo and pointing out how important it is to be an inspiration for the younger generation. I want to give you kudos for not only inspiring your children, but for letting them go and experience the world on their own. That takes a lot of courage and is an inspiration on itself!