Louise MacFarlane
Life Coaching
ABOUT
My Journey from "then" till "now"
It is how we deal with our setbacks that will shape our lives
Divorce, parental protection, loss, a new family and easily influenced by others, shaped my years till the day I left home and thereafter, in hindsight I felt as if I was leading two lives for many years after.
Although leaving school with grades I could not have imagined, heading off to study a Degree; having excelled in the school’s sports teams and was voted as House Captain, Games Captain and Deputy Head girl in my final year at school. All great achievements...
And yet, it was not how I was feeling. In fact I felt a lost soul, confused and loved my new found freedom at College for the next 4 years and was certainly not going to get involved with someone since I was raised to not depend on anyone.
Although on the surface I was having a lot of fun, as I loved the outdoors, played sport and had a great social life, I recognised that I was also very bitter and frustrated in relationships, and it intensified with each new relationship... ending in bitterness and blame... anger and pain...
Negative emotions can be action signals
There was pain and anger and then I was fine, as I emerged myself in work, doing very well in that area, and finding myself immersed when I was working directly with people, primarily when working in Housing Associations. This connection with people that others had recognised in me when I was at school emerged again.
I continue with my outdoors pursuits and sports on a regular basis and enjoyed them thoroughly as I trained hard to achieve the best I could be, yet I avoid relationships, or those I did give a go failed and thus I put that aside.
My career took a down-turn due to an economic down-turn and I commenced re-training as a massage therapist. This was it, I was good at something, and I loved working with people to help them find solutions for improving their physical strength and performance. I got more involved with this area, helping out at Davis Tennis Cup and post London Marathon massages for Childline, thinking even at that time that I was set to help children.
Yet, I took no action to make that change, as a career; I wonder why? Society teaches us many things and for me what I was hearing, seeing, doing was made sense logically though emotionally did not feel right, and my behaviour was sometimes surprising to even my closest friends...
I really was not liking who I was becoming, what I was doing and all that I had... so I decided to...
‘Follow Your Heart, And I Mean Your Own Heart!!! –
‘The World Is Yours. Shape It Or Someone Will Shape It For You’ – Gary Lew
My heart said:
Get out your current career – the money was lucrative and a property had been purchased; yet you are miserable and nor could I see myself staying on this career path (you stuck with it for 15 years, hoping that it would change.)
Go and travel and have some adventure that you constantly long for – there is more to life than the underground and the office.
Learn a language that you have been told that you cannot do – I love to travel and if I could communicate with the natives what a more valuable time I would experience
Create a career that you are working with people, this is who you are – helping and supporting people even from the age of 3 (a story told by a friend of the family that I attended a party and I went up to a little boy and took his hand and said let’s go and join the rest. He followed and we had a ball.)
And become your own boss... tired of organisations and the limitations many place on employees because they feel that it is easier to manage and yet that is not the case as often they do not managed or know how to manage...
So in 2003, I set off on a journey and ...
It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped
I decided to travel, initially it was for 2 years, though at the airport I whispered to a friend ‘you know I won’t be back that soon, if ever.’ She nodded.
I lived in South America and the unravelling of what had happened began to take shape. Though I did not initially want to let go of my comfort blanket, mainly the emotional baggage that I had wrapped myself in. It had protected me for so long, or so I thought, though as I met more and more people (new friends, other travellers, clients and strangers) on their journey to find meaning to their life, I was given a different wealth of knowledge and often a different perspective about life...
I welcomed it all and soon became the overwhelmed with the information and guidance that was available through books, talks and videos. It was awesome. The more I started to read then more information came to me; I want to learn it all...
I was finally inspired and wanted to share all that I was reading, watching and hearing. Through my work as a massage therapist, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I helped my clients in many other areas of their life especially in the area of health and fitness, personal development and relationships (with family, friends, children and intimate).
The more knowledge I shared with my clients, more questions they had and I had, thus my curiosity grew... I needed more... and I love it...I welcomed it all and soon became the overwhelmed with the information and guidance that was available through books, talks and videos. It was awesome. The more I started to read then more information came to me; I want to learn it all... I was finally inspired and wanted to share all that I was reading, watching and hearing. Through my work as a massage therapist, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I helped my clients in many other areas of their life especially in the area of health and fitness, personal development and relationships (with family, friends, children and intimate). The more knowledge I shared with my clients, more questions they had and I had, thus my curiosity grew... I needed more... and I love it...