From Fed Up to Fabulous: Real stories to inspire and unite women worldwide (12 page)

However, I got to know myself a little better and in accepting  that willingness to try new things and change, I realized that I have a restless mind. At the age of 25 I came to Europe, where I really found myself. I was alone and far from the security of my home. I arrived at a place with a lot of young people, sun, beaches, parties and lots of drinks. Everything was exciting, different and new. Besides I was not in a regular place, I was in the Canary Islands. I began talking to lots of people from different cultures, Scandinavian, British, Italians and all kinds of Europeans. I started public relations from scratch, nobody knew me and nobody could help me. I started growing as a person and I started realizing all the things I had taken for granted to this point, my house, the stability, the security, the comfort and  so on.

I had fun, I was happy, I lived the crazy life, danced and earned a lot of money. I even worked at the most famous pub, at the bar, in the Canary Islands. I had a couple of relationships that didn’t last long and then I met the man that became my husband. It was an intense life and at a time that I wanted to change and start looking for a more stable job. A friend recommended that I start working at an English advertising company which I did as a secretary. Six months later I was leading the business due to my relationship skills and I was happy again!

Until that moment  my leadership capacity had been hidden until I started to get to know myself. Until that moment I was tough, I was a "green dog", unfocused, changing and tried everything but I realized that I had a creative mind, restless, innovative, generator of ideas and able to grasp a macro vision for business.

I discovered a talent for making my clients feel comfortable by paying attention to their needs. I enjoyed building relationships and helping them with their project which was and is my passion and I just love it.  I ran that company for three years.

I was then hired by a German company who asked me to be the Sales and Marketing Director of InfoCanaria because they liked the way I dealt with people. My salary increased considerably and I felt I was evolving. During that time I became a mom, I had my daughter, the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me. Being a mother is not easy but to this day it is one of the pillars that pushes me to go forward. Being an example to her, teaching her and motivating her, is my biggest motivation in life.

The entrepreneur inside of me awoke while I was working for the German Company and I created my own distribution and publicity company but I wanted more and I needed to grow.

One day my husband asked me if I wanted to move to Belgium. Thinking that this would be the best for my daughter I said yes and didn’t think twice about it, so before I could change my mind we moved.

Little did I know that this would turn out to be the biggest challenge of my life which made me hit rock bottom. From being an accomplished successful entrepreneur who was stable and secure to becoming the exact opposite.

I left that life and faced a new reality, in a new country with a new culture, having to start all over again, without knowing anybody other than my husband and my daughter … it was like descending in hell. I didn’t want to talk to anybody, I hated everybody, I didn’t even want to take a shower, I cried and cried. I became this horrible woman and everything became a problem, the weather, the cold, the language barrier and just everything in general was an issue and I stayed that way for some time. I had hit rock bottom and no longer recognized myself in the mirror …. Who was I?  Who had I become?  Where did my relentless and fighter side go?

I had no choice but to get up! I started learning the language and taking better care of myself. I joined the world of personal development and started reading Anthony Robbins, Osho, Wayne Dyer and other people who inspired me to be a better person and take better care of myself and who encouraged me to grow. I started doing Crossfit, feeling healthier and getting better every day.  When I started waking up from that nightmare and I realized that my marriage was falling apart. After being married for so long with a daughter, I discovered that my husband & my friend had now found in someone else something that he missed in our relationship. The past was repeating itself again which hurt me a lot, inside I suffered but this gave me the impulse to move forward for me and for my daughter.

I started learning about communication, in order to communicate better with myself and with others. I was fascinated with the different concepts of relationships, a more conscious way of understanding others and comprehending that they are an entity different to me. Even when we are looking at the same thing we each interpret things differently. I also respect that people have different point of view and we are all entitled to our own opinions. I’ve accepted that as a “green dog” I have many different points of view and what others see as defects, I see as opportunities.

There is a lovely Hindu story about the broken pot.

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on an end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was only able to accomplish  half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your masters house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts." the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the Pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path but not on the other pots side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws, we're all cracked pots.  Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness our strength is made perfect.

The process of discovering myself was really beautiful. Little by little I fell in love with what I do and I am now completely dedicated to my work. Sometimes I am physically drained and wish I was superwoman because I love being in front of my computer, researching, studying, speaking and inspiring other women. I am still overcoming the challenges that life put in front of me, like motherhood.

Challenges are put in front of us to teach us lessons and although I might have a bad day and depress myself a little, it’s not like those black weeks from before. Now I know that there are bad days but I learn from them. I look inside and I think of what I have to do and I do it. I also give a helping hand to those who are suffering, because I too have been there. When you want to do things and you ask the universe for patience, you will receive more tests so you can learn to be patient. You have to be careful what you wish for and always look forward.

I managed to have a good relationship with my daughter’s father because we understand that we must set a good example for her. We need to learn to grow as human beings and especially learn how to forgive ourselves.

If you can identify with my experiences then I would like to be a source of inspiration and support for you.

Exposing myself like this makes me feel vulnerable, but it will all be worth it if I can show you that you can and are more than capable of achieving anything you set out to do. We all have a personal story that has scarred us in some way but what is really important, is what we do with all of these things. What would you rather do, get stuck suffering or accept your shadows, your dark side and move forward ?

In my case I failed at personal relationships, I was searching for acceptance and love from others, without accepting or loving myself. That was when I learnt to love myself completely, showed the willingness to grow and look to the future and recognize that I am not perfect, but that I will always strive to be better.

Like a good friend of mine once said "
Life is like a videogame, with trials, failures, rewards, punishments, symbolic deaths and rebirth, you level up, and like the videogames, the more you practice, the better you become at it.  If you get stuck, naturally you won’t progress
."

When I decided to make progress I attended a JT Foxx seminar, today he is my coach, the person who inspired me to take a chance and be who I am today. He taught me what I want you to see today. That we are able to do anything when we commit to it. I signed up with his organization, listened, learnt and followed him. That was how I became an international speaker. I have been in so many beautiful countries like South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Holland, Spain and United States sharing the stages with the best.

I am the coach for the Miss Barcelona Organization and I am also part of its Spanish TV show.

My company, Businessfit, motivates and helps women like you, to move forward and learn how to pursue the balance we need to be successful in life.

I am also the co-founder of Treekele, a social network for people interested in personal development.

All of this has been done with lots of effort, willingness and passion, because I love it and thanks to the support of JT Foxx and his coaches and friends. Along with all the beautiful ladies with whom I have written this book. I have met so many people and have learnt to be loved.

You can also achieve all of this, so I will leave you with a few tips and hope they are helpful:

Do what you love

If you are at the stage of your life where it is not possible to do what you love doing, for financial reasons or whatever reasons you have, as long as when you see a chance to do it, DO IT ! Too often we are afraid of leaving our comfort zone and taking that step which is really risky and most people would rather stay where they are. Go after your dreams, believe in yourself, because when you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything. That’s why we must pursue that talent that we all have, but that we often ignore. Find that thing that you would do for free and Be Younique !

Take action

This is important because it’s what will take you to your objective. It is also important to be loyal to your word, which means be loyal to yourself because when loyalty is one of your principles, you will be loyal to anybody. And that is the key in business, because it will lead to quality relationships and those will present you with good opportunities to grow. Relationships are the key in this business and will open many doors for you. Move forward by using the speed of implementation otherwise someone else will do it first. Step by step you will reach your goals, do not hesitate, DON’T GIVE UP !

If you want to increase your resources, look for a coach.

He/ She will guide you through the highs and lows that come with entrepreneurship. Don’t give up on that helping hand because it will guide you onto the right track. They have been there already and will make your life easier. It is better take their advice and follow their lead rather than venture out on your own.

These are fundamental pillars for work and for your life. Life is not easy, we all have pros and cons, our light and our shadows. But we must learn to live with our shadows and move on.

We all have so much to share, so do not hesitate, it’s never too late to get someone to help you. There is always a door to be opened.

Remember that “Together is Better”.

About Veronica Sosa

Verónica has more than 15 years of experience working in the corporative sector as a Manager of the Marketing and Sales department for International Companies. She is an International business and self-development coach teaching others how to create “clarity” in their personal and professional lives to
achieve success without confusion.

3 years ago she started her path into the personal development, totally dedicated to unlearn and learn again. She dove further into this fascinating world and managed to discover herself again, reconfirm that what she loves most in this life is sharing with people and encouraging them to give their best to receive the world’s greatest things that surround us.

She has a certificate in Marketing and Branding On line. Nowadays she has become an expert in Relationship Capital presenting at conferences around the world in countries like South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Spain and North America supported by her mentor JT Foxx. She found in Treekele an excellent opportunity to keep growing in such a beautiful project. She helps as a volunteer in a geriatric centre in her hometown .

For more information about VerónicaSosa visit
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www.meetveronicasosa.com
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