Shine!

Hello, sweetie! Thank you so much for letting me slip into your mailbox this morning. It’s such a peaceful place (well, except for the Viagra ads that keep poking me, but I am getting pretty good at ignoring them…). I hope this Monday is treating you well. Mine is super-busy as I’m coaching 20 Rockacademie graduates individually today who are going to take over the music world. I love their energy, their drive and their passion for what they do.

How’s your passion these days? What makes you excited and happy (and I don’t mean anything connected to those Viagra ads…!)? You know, it took me so long to really connect the dots. To figure out what was really important to me. To find my light and figure out a way to share it with the world.

I don’t know if you know this, but I left a very well-paid, comfortable job at one of the most prestigious language institutes in the Netherlands to follow my dream about 15 years ago. Oh, and I had just had a baby a few months before I decided to walk away from it all and make my dream come true. Everyone thought I was crazy – “What’s this idea?!? Personal…English…coaching?! What are you, insane? You think you’re going to Hilversum or something? To help ARTISTS? With their….English?!? We’ve never heard of anyone doing this. You really are crazy! Good luck with that.”

I had to work so hard to prove my value, and to show that I could really make a difference in the lives of artists. One artist was willing to take a risk and decided to give me a chance. Another artist heard the difference in their English and then called me. And then another artist. And another. I would say ‘the rest is history’, but there’s nothing historical about it, as it’s still happening every week!
(However, those doubters were actually right about one thing – I am crazy! Crazy about the career I’ve created! 🙂

Last week was the 3FM Awards. I was honored to be there and to witness the magic of celebrating talent. My heart was filled with so much pride that night. Not only was I proud of my all clientfriends who were nominated (and there were so many!), and not only was I proud of the ones who won, but I was also proud of myself. Proud that I made a difference in their English. That there are songs on their albums that started in my kitchen. That there are interviews that went better because of our coaching sessions. That I have the honor and the privilege of tiptoeing through the landscape that they’ve created with their words. And I get to do it again and again. WOW!

Then I thought back on the day 15 years ago that I left. I thought of how, despite all the doubters, there was always one person who believed in me.
That person was me.

Believe in you.
You have the power to make magic.
Get out there and shine today.

Wit lof from your friend (and mine!)

X buffi