Victoria's WOW Story:
“If your friends jump off a cliff, would you jump too?" This is the age old rhetorical question that parents ask their children in order to shine the light of reason on the tyranny of peer pressure.
Who knew that adults would face far worse pressures but without the guidance of a caretaker? Who will ask, "If your friends settle for mediocrity, will you settle too?" Who will shine the light of passion and inspiration on the tyranny of convention and "common sense"?
You will.
You have the power to achieve anything you want... but where and how to start? All you need is a dream, belief in yourself and a bit of uncommon sense.
Seven years ago I was in living in Spain and barely surviving through one of the greatest trials of my life. I felt empty, unloved and unsuccessful. I was frantically searching for my place in the world.
I dreamed of Los Angeles, a faraway place that I once visited. It was a place so different, so open and with such an amazing wide sky! It was the perfect place to start fresh.
Well, I didn't feel prepared. I had tried before and it was just too challenging. I didn't know anyone in California, let alone LA. I didn’t have a car, I didn’t know how to drive, nor could I even speak English. Most of the people in my life discouraged me at every turn. My dream was crushed before I could even begin plans.
Out of desperation and with nothing to lose, I took the plunge and did what my friends wouldn't do. I stepped off the proverbial cliff... into the void!
Without any plan, I bought a ticket to Los Angeles and left my home in Spain in search of my life and dreams.
With nothing but a small suitcase, $400, and the clothes on my back, I walked the streets of LA looking for a place to stay, talking to strangers without being able to understand much of what they were saying. It was hardly an ideal situation. In fact it was frightening and downright dangerous at times, yet I was happy.
I somehow found
my way around. I managed to establish myself for the
first month by renting a room in East LA
and surviving on raw collard greens and uncooked ramen noodles. At the end of the
month I had not yet found a job and only had $14 left. The rent was
coming… that was $300! What would I do? As my options
dwindled, I called my family. Knowing I still had the return flight on my roundtrip ticket, (Continued at Right)
they urged me to do the
"smart" thing, the only
thing that made "sense"-- return to Spain.
I
couldn’t.
I said to myself, “I might have to sleep on the streets, but this is the place where I want to stay. I need to breathe this air and see this sky everyday. My heart ‘needs it’, and so I stayed.
That same week I explained my situation to one of the few friends I had made in LA during that short first month, and was offered my first job and a home to stay in. My life changed overnight just because I trusted my dream. I trusted that the Universe had a plan for me even when I couldn't yet see it. I surrendered to the organizing principle of life - LOVE. What you love holds the key to success and happiness. Sometimes it requires great faith and courage, but it is worth it - every time.
Now, seven years later, I am happily married, living in a house I could not have dreamed of, I am a successful martial artist actress and producer known by many and I have that nourishing feeling of being where I belong.
If you can dream it, you can have it.
I've been at rock bottom and have come back stronger for it with the absolute KNOWING that each and every one of us has the capacity to achieve our respective desires. Sometimes, growing and actualizing one's self means stepping off that cliff or taking that leap of faith despite the odds or what "sensibility" dictates.
Believe in yourself. Learn to listen to your heart and everything else will follow!
I decided to go a step further and be of more light and service to others, to be actively involved in the improvement of the lives of many, thanks to my experiences of challenges and victories.
As my gift to you on your journey to success, go to Victoria Vives and receive your complimentary copy of The 5 Superhero Secrets.
Visit me also at Heaven on Earth for additional additional resources on the power of wellness and self-discovery. I look forward to meeting you!