When I was in high school, the other kids thought I was stuck up.

Mainly because I kept to myself.

All I wanted to do was read books and write poetry.

I was smart, creative and actually pretty weird.

I was always “in my head.”

Walking around with my thick bi-focal glasses, overthinking and analyzing everything.

I was so focused on my passions that I was never really interested in the things my classmates were doing.

I remember being totally engrossed in my books to the point that they would wonder what was wrong with me.

During recess, I would be sitting somewhere with a book up to my face, blocking off any contact with the outside world.

Kids would come by to tease me about my nerdy habits.

“Why are you always reading? Don’t you ever do anything fun?”

I would just ignore them. I didn’t care what they thought.

I was completely enthralled and I just wanted to be alone with my imagination.

Still now, I can play some jazz and be alone with my books and my journal and just shut the whole world out for hours at a time.

Even as a teenager, I knew I was different and that I would live a different kind of life.

I just didn’t know what it was.

All I ever wanted to do was read and write and teach.

But people said I couldn’t make money a living doing that.

So as I got older, I tried to fit in.

I tried to be “normal.”

I tried to be like everyone else.

I did all the right things.

I went to college.

I got my Master’s degree.

I found a great career in the nonprofit sector that paid well.

But after a few years, I began to feel restless.

Like I was missing something.

Some deeper meaning for my life.

I began searching for my purpose.

At my core, I knew I was meant for something more.

Something more than a 9 to 5.

More than working for someone else, climbing the ladder to the CEO spot.

That’s why I quit my good nonprofit job in 2010 to work for myself full-time.

To be honest, I probably could have stayed at that job for 10 more years.

But I wouldn’t have been happy.

I would be writing a grant proposal for work, yet daydreaming about writing on my blog.

I couldn’t wait to get home to work on my own projects.

I got clear that I didn’t want to wait until my 60s to finally start living the life I want.

I kept asking myself:

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

The answers were always the same.

Read.

Write.

Teach.

Travel.

All I had to do was figure out how to make that happen.

Somehow I knew that I could not only make a living doing what I loved, but actually earn GREAT money and be able to enjoy traveling the globe at the same time.

So in early 2013, I went looking for mentors who could help me achieve my goal to have a successful location-independent business.

I stumbled upon an opportunity to go on a retreat to Thailand with a group of young online entrepreneurs.

I was living in Washington, DC at the time and I didn’t even have all the money to pay for the retreat.

I just knew I had to be there and I made it happen.

While I was at that retreat, I worked really hard on my business.

I set up the proper online systems to automate my sales.

I created additional online courses that could generate consistent income.

And when I went back to DC, I had a plan.

My plan was that within 6 months, I would move to my dream location:

HAWAII!

I bought a ONE-WAY plane ticket and began preparing for my big move.

I sold my car.

I got rid of all my clothes, shoes and furniture.

I even donated all my books (hundreds of them) to the local library.

I said GOODBYE to my old life and stepped into a new reality.

And on October 26, 2013 I arrived on the island of Oahu, the place I now call home.

I remember it was so hot that day, almost 90 degrees.

I had on jeans but I didn’t care. I went straight to the beach.

Looking out into the Pacific Ocean that day with the sun shining down on my face, I knew I had made the right decision.

FOR ME.

Not for anyone else.

Less than a year later, I was running a 6-figure business, doing what I love.

Teaching women all over the world how to transform their lives through personal development and entrepreneurship.

Writing on my blog for thousands of readers every week.

Fast forward to 2016 and that “weird” girl who used to get teased in high school is on her way to becoming a millionaire.

And what I want you to know is that if I can do it, then you can do it too.

I know how hard it is trying to conform to the status quo.

When ultimately you know that you were born to be different!

Maybe it’s taken you years to come to the realization that you don’t even WANT to try to fit in anymore.

You are old enough to know at this point in your life that it’s just not worth it.

And what you really want – more than anything else – is to figure out a way to live in your purpose every day of your life and actually make THAT the work you do.

Instead of going in to work each day to a place that doesn’t allow you to use your creativity or any of the specific gifts and talents you were born with.

I’m talking about the kind of work that you would literally do for FREE if you didn’t have to do things like pay bills and be an adult.

This is for you if you are ready to STOP pretending to be normal.

To stop pretending to be like everybody else when you KNOW that you’re not!

You disagree with the status quo and most of the time you don’t like to share your true thoughts or ideas out loud or on social media because most people are not going to GET IT.

And you’re used to going through your whole life with people not getting it.

Not getting YOU.

Not understanding who you really are and why you’re not like them.

Not understanding your passion. Your drive. Your desire for more.

For yourself and for your family

Not understanding WHY you can’t just be satisfied with what you have, when there so many people worse off than you.

So you’re used to pretending.

But I want you to have a place where you don’t have to pretend.

Where you don’t have to hide who you really are.

Where you can finally figure out how to create that limitless life that you know is possible.

The thing is, if I had continued to try to be “normal” and live my life like everyone else, I NEVER would have moved to Hawaii.

I never would have started a business.

I never would have quit my job.

If I had listened to my doubts and fears, I wouldn’t be living my dream lifestyle right now.

And if you’ve read this far, I know you’re READY to change your life.

But you’re TIRED.

You’re tired of settling for less than you deserve.

You’re tired of being expected to follow the status quo.

You’re tired of people telling you that your dreams are “unrealistic.”

Just because they’ve never experienced true happiness, success or freedom for themselves.

Most of all, you’re tired of pretending to be “normal” when you know you’re anything but.

You want to live life on YOUR terms.

You want to travel the globe and see all the places you’ve only read about.

You want to quit your job and run your business full-time.

The kind of business that helps others and makes a difference.

You want to change the world.

Just by walking in your purpose.

Just by being who you truly are.

Deep down, you know it’s possible because others have done it before you.

All you need now is someone to help you turn those dreams into reality.

So you can stop wishing and longing and wondering and finally ACT ON YOUR DESIRES.

So you can stop distracting yourself by doing everything except the thing you REALLY want to do.

So you can stop wasting time on other ventures, other ideas, other jobs, other people. Distractions.

It’s time to give yourself permission to create the life you truly want to live instead of SETTLING for the life that seems “easier” to build right now. ‪

Because remember – you can do ANYTHING you want with your life and NO ONE CAN STOP YOU.

But you.

Love,

Rosetta

P.S. If this topic and the idea of working with me resonates with you, then message me here on Facebook for the link to a powerful call where I share more on this, plus details about our upcoming Happy Black Woman 5-Day Luxury Mastermind Retreat in Hawaii September 2-6, 2016 and how you can apply to be a part of the group!

The 4th of July holiday is coming up here in the United States where we tend to focus on the concept of “freedom.”

Today I absolutely want to talk about freedom, but I also want to go a bit deeper than that.

Deeper than the actual word “freedom” – which can be defined as:

“the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved”

Technically, as black women we are FREE.

Technically, we are no longer physically in slavery.

Technically, we can do whatever we want.

But just because we have freedom does not mean that we have been LIBERATED.

And when I say “liberated” – I mean from our negative, limiting thoughts about ourselves.

Liberation can be defined as:

“the act of setting someone free from imprisonment, slavery, or oppression”

It is essentially being totally free from having any limits on your beliefs, thoughts or behaviors.

As black women, we have freedom but in most cases, we have not done the inner work to liberate ourselves.

So many of are still living out other people’s plans for our lives.

Many of us still care so much about what other people think that we hold ourselves back from doing what makes us happy.

In the beginning, it’s comforting to know that you’re doing all the “right” things in life that women are “supposed” to do.

But after a while, you just start to feel DISAPPOINTED in yourself and what your life has become.

A list of shoulda, woulda, couldas.

Too many “what if’s” and regrets.

As the years go by, you secretly start to wonder:

“Is this it? I this all there is? Is this what life is really about?”

And you dread the answer staring back at you in the mirror.

I know because that’s what happened to me.

Late 2009 began an intense period of deep personal transformation for me.

I refer to that time in my life as my “year of liberation.”

That was the year I quit my PhD program because I realized that the only reason I wanted to be “Dr. Thurman” was so people would listen to me and read my books. I wanted the world to take me seriously, regardless of my age or skin color.

But I quickly discovered (after just one semester) that getting even more letters behind my name was NOT going to give me the validation I needed.

I realized that what I really needed was to validate MYSELF.

What I needed was to start owning my passion, my expertise, my skills and my experience.

What I needed was to learn to be OK with being ME.

2009 was also the year that I decided to go natural.

Then in 2010, I did the “big chop” and went from wearing my hair relaxed and straightened to rocking a teeny weeny afro.

At the same time, I quit my job because deep down, I KNEW that I could go out on my own and become a successful entrepreneur.

I just had to take the leap.

And once I did, here’s what I learned:

That I could do anything I wanted with my life and NO ONE COULD STOP ME.

My “year of liberation” was the year I began doing exactly what I WANTED to do, not what other people thought I SHOULD be doing.

It was the year I stopped waiting for PERMISSION.

And I truly became free.

Which is why lately I’ve been thinking….

Maybe this is YOUR year of liberation.

Perhaps this is the year you STOP seeking other people’s approval and START making the choices you already KNOW are right for you.

If you feel in your heart that NOW is the time for you to make a change in your life and finally DO YOU, the best place to get support would be my 31 Days to Reset Your Life program.

It was designed to help you press the “reset button” on your life and start over so you can rediscover who you really are, get unstuck and live the life you truly want.

Learn more and begin your 31 Day Reset Journey here: http://31dayreset.com