I think somewhere deep down we all want to make a mark in the world but do we know what we want that mark to be? We could call it our legacy. In particular do we know what our purpose for being in the world is? Because once we get that our lives become more meaningful and we know what we want that mark to be.

And that is why I wrote my book, “Journey to Chocolate” which is going to be launched on November 11th at an event in aid of the Joanne (Joe) Bingley Memorial Foundation, a charity set up a year ago to educate, inform and fight the stigma of postnatal depression. It is my very real privilege to be a trustee of that charity and I have a strong sense that that work will contribute to my legacy.

Many years ago I was doing a postnatal depression workshop to a group of Homestart volunteers and I found myself telling my story. I have never forgotten the response of one of the participants when she said that my story had inspired her. It was several years later when I was listening to a fellow personal developer speaking about his book that I recalled those words and decided then and there that I was going to tell my story.

So, yes, I want to inspire women to stop and reflect on their lives and look at what might be better in it. After all I don’t think any of us have that perfect life but we tend to accept what we do have in the same way we may accept a substandard meal in a restaurant. It’s not until something happens and we are pulled up short that we start to reflect and that can be the defining moment when we set out on our journeys to a life of greater fulfilment.

Here are the first 2 paragraphs of the introduction to my book and describes how that moment arrived for me:-

“It was in 11 years ago in the year 2000, that I hit my 50th birthday. I was quite happy to do that, it didn’t faze me in any way, I felt I had everything I wanted in my life; a lovely home, a wonderful and supportive husband and a daughter about to go out and make her mark in the world. I also had a challenging and rewarding career as professional lead for health visiting in the NHS, I felt it was a job for life and would serve me well for the next 10 years when I would receive my pension, a just reward for all those years working in the NHS.

What I didn’t realise was that a number of life events, ranging from the impact of going to boarding school, through mild postnatal depression, through secondary infertility, through a miscarriage had left me with the need to grieve but I had never allowed myself to do so. My way of coping was to keep busy, that way I never had to feel those intensely painful feelings which were stuffed down in the bin of my mind. But inevitably the time came when the emotional bin was full and the lid burst open, and I had to face those feelings. I had to confront the guilt, the lost confidence and low self-esteem and most of all the pain of those losses.”

Over the next few weeks up until the launch day I will be posting more blogs containing extracts from my book. I hope you enjoy them.

For more information on how I help women set out on their journeys through my life coaching programmes or you want to know more about my book click here to send an enquiry or call me on 07787 568699.