Listen In! 

Summary

In this week's episode, I was super excited to sit down with DivaDance North Dallas studio owner, Natalia Maravi. Listen in to hear her inspiring story of going from a newbie dancer at 26 years old, to dance fitness instructor, to studio owner in just a matter of years.

Her story is not that of an overnight success, or of privilege, or of certainty in her path. No, hers is a story demonstrating the power of baby steps, listening to your intuition, and stepping into the unknown to unleash a career...

Do you ever feel like life is just sort of happening to you? 

You meander through your days on autopilot. From home, to work, and then back home.

You absently kiss your partner. You passively play with your kids.

And while there are occasional moments of sheer and utter joy like on your wedding day, or during your yearly vacation, by and large it feels like you're just passing the time.

What a shitty way to live when you put it that way, huh? And unfortunately, it's how must of us sail through life, from cradle to grave.

...

Do you ever find yourself so close to a goal you can taste it? All you have to do to achieve everything you ever dreamed of is reach out. It's there for the taking.

Yet, instead of feeling excited about the new level you know you're about to hit, you get pummeled with waves of anxiety, fear, and doubt.

Instead of racing forward and embracing the very thing you've been striving for all this time, you find yourself sinking back, searching for comfort, safety, and the certainty of the grounds you've been walking for years. 

I...

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I have a confession to make.

I am an absolute, 100%, self-help junkie. And I have been this way for as long as I can remember.

I mean we're talking about buying confidence-building books in middle school while all my friends were enjoying tween magazines and vampire romance novels.

But I'll be honest, while I loved reading anything personal development I could get my hands on, it wasn't penetrating my daily life.

I would get all amped up about speaking up and being heard, and...

Yup, you read that right. Lying. Totally lying. 

Don't worry, it hasn't only been to you, it's been to myself too.

And if it makes either of us feel better, it wasn't all together intentional.

No, this was a lie born of fear, and self doubt, and uncertainty. A lie created out of social pressure, and cultural norms, and misguided advice, and fear of failure.

What's the lie?

The lie is that I'm happy spending my days talking to you allllll about what foods to eat, what diets to ignore, how to get yourself in the gym, and what...

When I ask my new clients, "What do you need most in order to reach your goals?" the answer almost always includes the words more motivation. 

Motivation has become the new cure-all for achievement. Want to lose weight? Get more motivation. Want to eat healthier? Find the motivation to. Want shinier hair? Slather some motivation on it.

And here's the thing, motivation is a wonderful thing to utilize when it's there. It gives us an extra pep in our step, a little wind under our wings, a little boost to our actions, and...