In today’s reflection, I want to talk about the moment a plan falls apart, and what you build afterwards.
This week’s story is special to me. I’ve been getting to know Simona for a few months now, while we worked together on her marketing strategy. I watched her show up online, unsure and doing it anyway.
Meet Simona
Simona Andriuta grew up in Eastern Europe and built her first career in Canada, as a primary school teacher in Montreal. She was about to get tenure when life sent her back to Europe.
Back in Europe she became a stay-at-home mom and kept learning. Business management. Interior design. Social media. Then one wedding planning class woke up a childhood dream. As a little girl, she didn’t only dream about her own wedding. She dreamed about her parents’ wedding, because they never had one.
After 40, she started her own business. Today she runs Lemon & Hazel, planning weddings in France for couples from around the world, in four languages.
What stayed with me
1. Grief comes before reinvention. "I felt as if all my dreams were crumbling." Simona didn't skip that part. Before something new can begin, we are allowed to feel the loss of what ended.
2. Nothing you learn is wasted. Eleven business courses. Interior design. Social media. For years it may have looked like wandering. In the end, it all came together in one job that needs both an eye for beauty and a head for logistics.
3. Choosing the hard way is a way of trusting yourself. She could have joined an agency and started small. She chose to build her own business, because, in her words, she can "bring something specific, something extra." From the outside it may look like stubbornness. It is knowing what you bring.
My reflections
Simona’s story of true resilience, and of never giving up on her dreams, reminded me of myself. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing my own dreams. Like my dream of getting married in a very specific way.
I guess you can call it rebellious. Not because I want to be against the script, but because I want to do it my way. Because we are allowed to be different and not follow the same pattern.
I don’t like most of the weddings I have seen. The couple who should enjoy the wedding the most are the most stressed. And they don’t even like most of their own wedding, because they chose the music, the location and the outfits to satisfy everyone else.
Simona’s beautiful story of reinvention reminded me how much more fulfilled you feel, deep down, when you stay persistent on your path and with your dreams. Maybe the world doesn’t get you. Maybe you look like a crazy, stubborn person for a while. But you respect yourself, because you have the guts to honour your dreams.
I believe we should learn more from Simona’s resistance to the script. She wanted it differently because she knows what she brings to the table. And that is something we should celebrate!
A question for you
What is the dream you put away because you thought it was too late?
I’d love to hear. Reply in the comments or reach out. I’m collecting these stories.
It does not cost you anything to share. And sharing is caring!
Until next time, gorgeous: keep moving. Keep questioning. Keep being brave enough to not fit the mold. Your non-linear path isn’t a failure. It’s evidence that you’re paying attention.
And the world needs that.
See you in the next one,
Cris