I was the angriest teenager of them all.
I despised my parents divorcing, I felt unloved, I felt ugly and fat and it was all a recipe for disaster. Even on the good days, deep down I didn’t feel right.
I took drugs, drank alcohol, mixed with the wrong crowd AND was constantly seeking approval. To top it all off, I didn’t do well at school, in-fact I failed miserably and I convinced myself I was dumb and potentially going to be a nobody/failure.
I was only 15!
Teenage years teach us so much. Firstly, you are living some of the hardest and most confusing years of your life, and it does get better – if you want it to.
When I turned 18 my father introduced me to a personal development course that changed my life called The Landmark Forum. I finally realised that I was responsible for my life and for making it a bloody good one.
I discovered that all of the anger and blame I was dishing out was only making me more resentful and angrier, therefore not serving me at all.
I was unhappy and ready for feeling better. So, working on living my best life was now my mission.
Over the course of the next few years, I became obsessed with learning and educating myself on how I could be happier, and what it was going to take for me to grow. I knew I wanted to do something amazing with my life but had no idea what or how.
I spent the next few years becoming involved with personal development workshops for teenagers that took me from a place of no hope, to a place of absolute possibility and dream crushing.
I became the happiest, most annoyingly positive person in the room.
Once I had this mindset in tact, I knew I could achieve my big dreams. I always wanted to work in the music industry as it was in my blood, so I became a DJ (I loved electronic music) and from there it all started to take shape.
Little by little I began to feel ‘on purpose’, I loved what I was doing and I felt satisfied. My love for personal development grew and I became a certified life coach. From there, I built a coaching program for artists in the music industry and this is where my success kicked in.
Why?
I started to make believing in myself the most important thing in my life. I worked on it everyday. Whatever it took to become the woman I had always dreamed of becoming.
Now I run a company called Wing Woman, a coaching and mentoring company for artists in the music industry. I have two people on my team and the business is growing.
I am 43 years old; I have a 2-year-old baby, a beautiful partner and a thriving business that I love.
It has taken me a long time to get here, and if I had stayed stuck and not taken care of myself as a teenager and into adult hood I don’t think I would have gotten this far. I certainly wouldn’t be feeling this happy and satisfied.
I know it sucks and I also know that there is a better way if you choose it.
So my advice to my teenage self? Make sure you seek help when you are overwhelmed with negative emotion. Start to make feeling worthy and happy your mission. Even if, and when you don’t want to.
Nancy Wing Woman
If you are feeling low and are seeking someone to talk to, please contact your local helpline for immediate assistance.
