It’s a whole new life with a new start. I use to sit at work and dream about working from home and being my own boss. I use to dream about being happy and living life on my own terms. The universe has ways of making things happen, sometimes it’s not exactly how you envisioned it.
Way back in 2009 I had been watching a reality TV show, where one of the celebrities had a Personal Shopper and a Virtual Assistant while she was traveling round the world. This fascinated me to no end and I thought it was a great idea. I decided to start a business but shelved it when I got offered a job. It was only when my life fell apart in 2012 – during a bad divorce – that I had no choice but to go back to my Virtual Assistant idea. The best advice I ever got from my mother was, “find your strength, pick yourself up, and move forward with your head held up high”. For eight years of marriage, I had just been someone’s wife and I lost my identity completely because everything went into his name.
There was no trace of me, I had got lost in my marriage. After the divorce it was time to start re-branding myself, find out who I was and build up my own life with my own business. I decided to put all my skills together, get a name for my business, got my logo designed, my business cards and set up all my social media, I was ready to take on the world. I started marketing myself online and started getting clients. I had a lot to learn, because up to this point, I had never been so completely in charge of running my own life and making sure that I had enough money at the end of the month to keep a roof over my head and all my bills paid. Working from home and being your own boss is great, but it comes with its own set of challenges. You have to be very disciplined to get up in the morning, hit the gym, eat properly and get out and socialize with people. The alternative can become pretty lonely.
I’m grateful for being able to live in a little ground floor apartment with a garden. I don’t have human kids, so my cats and my little dog are my companions. Roscoe, my little French Bulldog, is definitely my best friend. Before Roscoe came along I mostly just worked. Having this little guy in my life gets me out the house, weekends we go to the park, the beach and find other things to do, he has changed my life in so many ways and taken away a lot of the loneliness I was feeling. Through Roscoe I’ve met so many people and made new friends.
I now have a whole new life, my own brand, my own identity and my own dog. I am no longer someone’s wife, I am just ME! It’s important after a divorce to take time to yourself, start re-branding your life and start over with your head held high!
Who is the author?
Toni Baptista is a Personal Brand Consultant. She is passionate about helping professionals understand the importance of having a strong and consistent online presence by building a solid online foundation so that they can accelerate their success. Toni works with successful business owners, professionals and consultants who want to leverage their business and personal brand. To find out more about her service, click on the following link to go to her website.
