“I want to rollerblade all my life!” 

 
“I want to learn rollerblading one day!”, I said to myself, one June afternoon. The year was 2000. I was in Boston visiting friends. With a guide in hand, we toured the famous places. Downtown. Harbor. The renowned universities. Historic buildings.

However, what captured my attention that day were men, women and children on rollerblades, gliding along effortlessly. It wasn’t as if this was the first time I was looking at this sport! I couldn’t quite put my finger on to it then … but I was mesmerized by what I saw … the freedom, the fun … Not to mention a bright summer afternoon and a great cool breeze! Picture perfect!

THE QUEST

I worked in the IT industry. Even though I liked my work, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be in the corporate world for ever. The long hours, stress, lack of freedom and balance, the never ending rat race, not much scope for creativity and self-expression. Deep down, I knew there was something else I was meant to do. But I had no idea what that was! I was on a personal quest.

There were other things I could do, like - rollerblading? playing the piano? finding a life partner? But work seemed to get in the way, always.

I had to prioritize. Any guesses? I decided that it was time to stop drooling over tall, dark, handsome guys on television, in books and in movies, and go find one for myself. Incurable romantic that I was, I believed that someone somewhere in this big world was meant only for me. I was on a mission to hunt this guy down. I could write at least three volumes on all my adventures, misadventures, my frustrations and the pearls of wisdom that I gathered. Just one decent guy, God! That’s not asking for too much!

I was also researching on what I really wanted to do in life and stumbled upon coaching. I was instantly drawn to it … and wished to find out more!

THE QUEST DEEPENS

But God had other plans. My father was diagnosed with cancer one day and we lost him after three months. Grief apart, I was battling to understand life and death, and determined more than ever to find out the greater purpose in living.

Isn’t there a simpler way to live life without all the pain, the suffering, the struggle, the rat race, the stress …? Do we really have to go through all this? Why are we born and for what purpose? There were lots of questions and even more answers. The quest intensified …

“Someone somewhere” finally showed up, and we got married! That’s a long story, for some other time! On the pretext of marriage, I took a sabbatical from work and joined my husband in Switzerland hoping the beautiful country, would inspire me to find my life’s purpose. It wasn’t to be! I was more confused than ever. Within 12 months, we moved to US. My husband had changed jobs. I resumed work with my employer.

THE BEST DECISION I EVER MADE

But my dissatisfaction and frustration with my job grew to strange proportions. I wanted to quit. Not wishing to leave a paying job and not knowing what to do next, I spent months battling my fears and blocks, feeling helpless and clueless. Then one day, tired of my fears and tired of driving my husband crazy, I decided it was time to move forward. No more decisions based on fear. That very day, my life purpose unfolded before me. It wasn’t until I decided to move forward without fear that life showed me the way.

I quit my job. I re-discovered coaching. I enrolled into one of the top coaching programs. I launched my coaching business Energy Soulutions AllWays.

Coaching, I discovered, is one of the most powerful human empowerment tools. Touching people’s spirits and rekindling what deeply matters is what coaching is all about (Thomas Crane). And this I decided is something worth sharing and living for.

LIFE AND ROLLERBLADING

Yes, I did finally learn to rollerblade. After the first initial hiccups, after many falls and nearly breaking my bones once, I learned the tricks of the game. Balance. Coordination. Persistence. Control. Presence. Freedom. Fun.

And then it all came back to me. All those years back, when I saw those people rollerblading in Boston, it wasn’t just a sport that I saw. It was the life I wanted to create and live.

WHAT THESE MEAN TO ME

Balance. Control. Presence. Freedom. Fun. Purpose. Authenticity.

• Freedom from fear, worry, doubt. Freedom from financial insecurity.  Freedom from “what others will think”. Freedom to express my creativity. Freedom to be my authentic self.
• Fun doing and being what I love - writing, dreaming, inspiring, growing, making a difference …
• Living in the moment and enjoying every moment of life
• Being aware of who I really am and my purpose in life
• Balancing life and work, balancing mind, body and spirit, balancing
• Being in control of my life, yet being in the flow

Today, not only do I want to rollerblade all my life, I want to teach others how to rollerblade all their life.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO? ARE YOU READY TO D.R.E.A.M. YOUR LIFE?