Natasha Ickes-Saman shares 3 Steps to a Passionate Life
I have lived life on every spectrum. I’ve lived the lows. Countless days of extreme depression and crying until my eyes hurt. I’ve lived the highs. Trips around the world, the births of my children and excitement of opening my own hair salon. You know what was the hardest? The in between moments. Those times in your life where you operate on auto pilot. Where you do jobs you hate, stay in unfulfilling relationships and bury the feeling that there has to be more to life than the way you are living.
By 20 I had enough experiences to know that I simply couldn’t settle for average. After years of depression, addiction and a failed suicide attempt I decided enough was enough. I could continue to wallow in self pity or I could get up and live a life that made me happy. Thankfully I chose the latter. By 22 I was working full time as a hairstylist. By 25 I opened my own salon. I got married, had children, purchased homes, traveled the world and released a best selling memoir. You know what made it all possible? Making the decision to live a life of passion, purpose and vision. Through the ups and downs I learned there are 3 essential components to living a passionate life.
- Learn yourself. It may seem obvious but the first step to living a life you are passionate about is knowing what you are passionate about. Too many people spend their lives living out the dreams of their parents, spouse or friends. They live the life they are supposed to live, instead of the one that lights up their soul. If you don’t know what you are passionate about, have fun figuring it out. Explore different things to see what that is. Take an art class, try dance, learn to cook. As you have different experiences your desires will become clear.
- Embrace the things that scare you. Success occurs outside of your comfort zone. You must be willing to do new things if you want new results. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, if your dreams don’t scare you they aren’t big enough. Well anytime I am getting ready to strive for something new and I get a little bit terrified I know I am on the right path. Let go of the outcome and enjoy the journey. The biggest lessons come from “failures”. So when you let go of trying to remain comfortable and just take a risk, amazing things occur.
- Work hard. Nothing worth having comes easy. A part of living a passionate life is being willing to work hard. Once you figure out your passion, it is going to take hard work to create a life that matches it. There is no quick elevator to success. When you are pursuing something you love it is worth persistence, dedication and an impeccable work ethic. Those tools will allow you to bring your wildest dreams to life.
I have prided myself on living a life of passion. It brings me no greater joy than to see those moments in others. Newlyweds embracing in a kiss, the joy of a child on Christmas, a volunteer feeding the homeless. It manifests in different ways but in the most important moments it is there. A life without passion is one that has been wasted.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Natasha is a wife, mother and business owner from Oakland, CA. She opened Shear Passion Hair salon at the age of 25. As a bestselling author, Certified Coach, NLP Practitioner and founder of the Unstoppable Woman Inc., Natasha is a woman who lives a life of passion, purpose and faith. Whether producing transformations in the salon, providing free haircuts in homeless shelters or creating amazing results through her 1-1 coaching- Natasha’s mission is to have a positive impact on everyone she encounters. Recently she won a Certificate of Congressional Recognition. She believes above all else, everyone deserves to live a life they are wildly obsessed with.
To know more about Natasha Ickes-Saman don’t forget to follow her on social media:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-ickes-saman/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/natasha.ickes.s
Instagram: www.instagram.com/natasha.ickes.saman/