Page 11 - Wake Up and do Your Thing

NICHOLAS BOOTHMAN
That's how you create a life that's worth living on your own terms. Whether your thing is a career change, a move to a new city, a shift in perspective, start a business or simply live a life that aligns with your values and beliefs, the message is clear when people, purpose, projects and passion come together, fear and doubt go out the window, confidence goes through the roof and lucky breaks line up at your door.
I spent the first half of my adult life as a fashion photographer with studios on three continents. From very early on it fascinated me that wherever I went, there was always one group of people whose lives blossomed easily, and another group for whom life was always a struggle. It had nothing to do with looks or talent. What was going on here? I made up my mind to find out.
I traded in my cameras for a laptop, and for the next twenty-five years my wife Wendy and I studied how humans connect, communicate, and reinvent themselves. We consulted with psychologists on resilience, motivation, and coping strategies; sociologists on social and cultural factors that affect people's decisions to start anew; career counselors on career paths and job opportunities; life coaches on personal strategies; financial advisors on financial planning; psychiatrists on physical and mental health, and teachers on educational opportunities and resources.
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