REACH FOR THE VERY BEST IN WHO YOU ARE!

REACH FOR THE VERY  BEST IN WHO YOU ARE!
Love Yourself

Thursday, February 3, 2011

A story of discovery and courage!


Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.

Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal."



~ Pamela Vaull Starr


Presenting a talented, creative and couragous woman - Dorothy Hilde

This month, I am delighted to introduce HERIZEN grad Dorothy Hilde. She lives with her partner George in Nanaimo, BC, Vancouver Island on the Pacific Ocean aboard the SV Cavelle 3, a 36 foot steel Buchanan design sailboat built in 1974.

Dorothy participated in one of our Belize Sailing and Self-Awareness Adventures last year. I am delighted to share her story and very much appreciate her willingness to be open and Be an example and model for us all. Thank you Dorothy for your courage, creativity and willingness to share. Through the contrast of your experience you listened and are making great strides in the direction of your ideal. Blessings and light on the path - Valma

Please applause Dorothy as she takes the next step to Self Mastery and the helm of her life.

"I am self-employed and my office is also on the boat. Life on our boat is a simple life. We do not end up with unnecessary clutter. The rule of thumb for our boat life is if something comes onto the boat something must leave. My partner George and I actually do a 2 for 1 exchange. If something new comes onto the boat, 2 other items must leave. It is this way that we keep things spacious on the boat. Each item typically has more than one purpose.

I went to Belize as my partner is a sailor and we had moved onto his boat. I had no sailing experience and wanted to get my CYA – Canadian Yachting Association level I certification.

I am very thankful that I took the HERIZEN Sailing for Women adventure experience in Belize. It enabled me to tap into my intuition as to what strengths I have and to turn any weaknesses into strengths. To use each piece of knowledge that Valma taught me as an opportunity to learn more. I absolutely loved how she took apart an answer which one of the students provided to make sure that each student understood 100% the question asked and the answer provided.

The HERIZEN Sailing for Women course provided me with the self esteem and sense of Well Being to believe in myself. I feel blessed and am truly appreciative of the faith and confidence Valma placed in myself and the others; although, I must admit there were times when, I myself, and I do believe others were not aware that they could "step up to the plate" (I.e. the comment from another student "you got to be kiddin' comment when you left me at the helm and went to check the weather report!). You pushed me beyond my comfort zone and you opened doors of opportunity that I subconsciously knew were there but had been tucked away deep and dark.

One statement Valma made really struck a cord with me and that was when she discussed how we are raised to meet certain standards. I.e. to get A's in school, to wear our Sunday best, to be compared to the Jones so to speak....but in reality all that matters is how we match up to ourselves. To our capabilities, to our capacities for learning and growing, expanding our knowledge and with these tools in hand to expand our comfort zones. Did you know that there is a tree that for the first 7 years of its life you do not see more than an inch of growth, but at the end of the 7th year and into the 8th year this tree grows up to 100 feet in one year! I feel like Valma found me in year 7 going onto year 8 and reminded me that it is time for me to SPROUT and grow big, tall and strong!

Last July I ended up in the hospital for 7 days. I was standing on the docks when I very unexpectedly collapsed. I was taken to the ER where they did multiple tests. I was then admitted for a full week. I saw various specialists and finally a diagnosis was reached of migraine induced vasovagal syncope. After this hospital admission I continued to have issues with heart palpitations, nausea, unrelenting fatigue, early satiety to name a few things. I was very frustrated and downright angry that my health had become a focal point of my day to day life.

In August I turned 40 years old. Ten years prior I celebrated my 30th birthday with a stranger (a French Canadian woman) eating gateau in a mega mall in Riyadh, KSA. Where did this adventurous girl go? It was due to this 10 year lapse of time that I decided to take a good hard look at myself and how I had not been taking pride in my appearance or taking care of my general health.

I saw a photograph of myself taken in Belize and recalled commenting to Valma that the dingy holds 8 people or “x” number of pounds. I said I am 185 pounds and Valma looked at me with an raised eyebrow and said "well… there are 7 of us ladies and if we total the weight of all of us we will be under the weight target. We will be safe." This was the reinforcement upon viewing that photo that my weight had ballooned up to 185 pounds. I am only 5 feet and 4 inches tall.

I was 184 pounds in January of 2010 when I returned from Belize. I became unwell in June of 2010 and then lost 30 pounds without trying. Then in September I joined a gym and took charge of my health...here are the results!

First set of photos were taken in October - 167 pounds. Second set in November - 150 pounds and last set today - 141 pounds. My goal is 26% body fat and a weight of about 135 pounds. I am currently 29% body fat. Further health goals are to maintain healthy regular eating habits, to practice Yoga and continue with acupuncture as another form of holistic therapy.

Other goals for my life at this time include my new found passion for photography and to take a course which will enable me to sharpen my skills and learn more of the technical side of photography and use it to compliment my artistic side."

Congratulations Dorothy! You go girl!

Here are some of Dorothy's wonderful photos

she also put together the gym photo profile

Nanaimo Wed night Pizza race

Belize sunset


Join us on Facebook - click here

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing your inspiring story. I love it when women realize that they have the power to create their own life.

Linda Brown

Teuvo Vehkalahti said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

About Me

My photo
I have created this amazing life, attracting incredible women into my space. All of these women are unique and ready to live their real life too. My definition of success is like a river flowing with freedom, magical adventure, creativity, curiosity and recognition. My personal mission is to travel and create an enlightened world by spreading the light of consciousness. Everything that I choose to BE, DO and HAVE meet this mission and every day in every way I remember who I really am. I love my life! www.herizenlifeadventures.com

Followers