Her email was one of those delightful, welcome messages in my Inbox. She had taken my Right Your Heart Out: Making Peace with your Inner Muse course at the Peace Academy and contacted to ask me to let her know of any other courses I was teaching. “I awoke at 2am after going to bed that night of the course and started writing. I couldn’t stop,” she wrote. Music to my ears! I love to know I’ve played a part in inspiring people.
No courses planned, I wrote back, but I’d be open to meeting for coffee.
We met and spent a delightful hour and a half talking about life and courage and moving on and into living our best lives yet. I was in awe. Here was this 60+woman who had the courage to sell everything and take off to explore the world. Talk about leaps of faith!
She inspires me.
“I want to write my life story,” she said.
“Then begin here,” I replied. And asked if she would write a guest blog. In her courageous and forthright style, she relied, yes!
Welcome Andrea Steell. A courageous woman whose smile infects the world with laughter and whose courage to not only make a difference, but to live her difference in the world, ignites mine.
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The Courage to Change
by Andrea Steell
I met Louise for coffee this week and was asked to contribute as a guest blogger. Well never having blogged before this was quite a gift.
We met through the
Summer of Peace in Calgary and it was wonderful to be amongst so many people longing to make a difference on this wonderful planet we share.
In the last few months I have lived in 4 different homes as friends supported me in my journey to sell my house and my belongings and to live the souls calling.
To quote Scott Peck, “the road less travelled” has always been what I am drawn to.
Currently I am house sitting 2 dogs and 2 cats before travelling to India and then back to central Mexico.One year ago I left Calgary to start a new life at 63, a life lived from a suitcase and seeing where I was called to go.
I flew to Shanghai and onto Shoaxing to teach English at a university. Jon O’Donoghue “New Beginnings”made the difference for me as I read this over and over on the flight getting there, to quell my fears.
You know the saying feel the fear and do it anyway………..
What a gift, 240 students all learning business English with such “wonderfully” dry topics as marine insurance, and even drier logistics. Never having taught in a University, never mind 240 students, average age 20 something, well the only thing to do was have some fun. Being thrown in the deep end with nothing but a text-book to start with provided opportunity for some serious creative thought!
How to get them
A to talk,
B to interact with the teacher (me) and to get them motivated……..
So I became the storyteller to begin with, then after a while the onus was on them to tell their stories, I set them up in groups to interact business scenarios,role-playing buying selling with foreigners, discussing shipping oversees. It was like magic these very quiet reticent students, became dramatists and showcased their acting ability.
My gauge of success was how much laughter we could hear whilst learning……
Not the usual way in China, however I am glad to say no reprimands came my way from faculty…
For me making a difference is part of every day. Bringing laughter wherever possible, at least a smile, and the gift is always so great as I receive wonderful smiles on a daily basis from the people I meet.
Meeting Louise and being asked to contribute has certainly made a difference in my life.
Dare Boldly 
I met Andrea Steell while attending a Mindfulness group in Ajijic Mexico. we quickly became friends and she mentored me through one of the most difficult experiences of my life. her wisdom shone through and I am eternally grateful. how wonderful that she can now spread that wisdom to a wider audience. off you go, my sweet. see you in November!
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Wishing Andrea the best on her travels. Imagine the stories she’ll collect!
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How wonderful – and this was just what I needed to make an already great SUNDAY even better! Awesome – there are no constraints to what we can do or experience!
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Good Morning! What a fabulous way to start my Sunday morning…. I got goosebumps knowing that there are absolutely no limits to what we experience…. it just starts in your own heart! Fabulous! Dianne
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(smiling) What a great story. Thanks for all you do Louise to create aha moments in the lives of others who are then inspired to live out their dreams authentically. Many a time you have inspired me and I am grateful.
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How wonderful!
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