Making Your Dreams Come True at Any Age by Katariina Balet
My name is Katariina Balet and this year I am turning 60.
For some reason, it feels a bit scarier than I thought it would.
It makes you think about your life a bit more; what have you done, where have you lived, what have you achieved, etc. But also, do you feel happy with what you have done?
So, I did Business & Dreams Academy from August 2023, and we finished in February 2024.
We were the first batch, I’m honored to say. What a great course and how much I’ve learned, so very much, and foremost about myself. You would think that at this very ripe age, you would have stopped learning almost, especially with all the life experiences that I have had, but no! The course made me realize that we never stop learning about things here on earth, and do we even ever WANT to??
Regardless of our age. I think there are two answers to that:
Depends on your personality
Your willingness to change
I think there are so many people that are more comfortable staying where they are. It is what they know and how they are used to having things in their lives. As human beings, we all like routine and order, and for some, it is a must more than for others. It is very scary to change, much easier to stay in our comfort zone where we are.
I obviously belong to the small group of women in this world that actually do like order and routines as such, but I don’t think I’ve ever really had it in my whole life.
That has not always been the best, but it has taught me to face my fears and do it anyhow.
To cut a long story short.... or should I say a long lifetime a bit shorter as not to bore you totally...
I was born in Helsinki, Finland. By the age of ten, I had already lived in three different cities in Finland and twice in London, UK.
At the age of ten, we moved to Gothenburg, where we lived for a year and then went to live in Stockholm for actually five years.
At the age of 16, we moved to a small town called Falköping, where I went to high school for three years and graduated.
During my teenage years, my biggest aim in life was to live abroad and travel the world. I was literally obsessed with it. Why? I don’t know, but I was not staying in cold Sweden. So off I went to live and work after high school as an au pair in Marseille, France, for a year. I loved it and learned to speak French.
After that, I came back to Stockholm, attended university, and became a preschool teacher. By now, I was even more obsessed with leaving Sweden and applied for ANY job that involved traveling. My mother found an ad for a job as cabin crew for an airline in Bahrain, which I had never heard of. I applied, got the job, and off I went to the Middle East, to this small country called Bahrain, to work as a stewardess. I was 23.
I worked for the airline for 8 years, then got a job in a Swiss bank there. I married my Swiss boss, had two beautiful boys who are now almost 26 and 24.
While married and living in Bahrain, I studied to become an English teacher (English as a second language) and freelanced for 10 years. I loved it.
I then stopped working for a while and re-educated myself to become a Fashion Stylist, which I have worked as since 2010. I find nutrition very interesting and studied for 3 years to become a nutritionist at the same time.
After 33 years in Bahrain, I am now living in Sweden again, as we unfortunately got divorced and I chose to return to Sweden, believe it or not. I have been here almost 3 years to the day now.
Is this where I belong? My kids live in London, my mother and brother in Cannes, and my sister here in Stockholm. My close friends are scattered around the world.
I think I feel most at home in Cannes, but I am happy here now.
I learned through Business and Dreams Academy that actually happiness is where YOU are. You always take yourself with you.
The beauty of working for yourself is that you can work anywhere. The most important thing is to actually go out there and meet people and dare to do it. I met so many gorgeous women on the course that I am still in touch with. Women that are all like-minded and think the same way as I do.
In a funny sort of way, age doesn’t really matter; women are women at the end of the day. Age is just a number. It really is.
I love my life, and I am very passionate about helping other women to feel good about themselves, whether it is inside or out. Not only with wardrobes and personal shopping, but I am feeling very passionate about helping women my own age to reinvent themselves and basically feel on top of the world. I find there is so much more for younger women out there, but here’s to changing that!
I love fashion and gorgeous clothes, as well as hair, makeup, handbags, shoes—well, the list is endless, and I think no matter what age we are as women, there is no reason not to dress up and show up!
I have learned to deal with my inner demons, and am so thankful for it as it has helped me move forward all my life.
I would strongly recommend for all women to join Business & Dreams Academy no matter what age, as it is like therapy, and you come out feeling so motivated and mentally strong. Your whole mindset changes.
My advice to everyone is:
DON’T LOOK BACK, you’re not going that way. FACE YOUR FEARS AND DO IT ANYWAY. SMILE..... ALWAYS.... it doesn’t cost you anything. BE KIND to yourself and others.
Thanks for taking the time to read my article,
I would love to connect on Instagram, and Linkedin!
/Katariina
_ _
Thank you for reading the article by our Business & Dreams Academy participant Martina! If you also would like to work with your passion and get the freedom you want, make sure to watch our FREE 3-Day Challenge.
