“Doing good holds the power to transform us on the inside, and then ripple out in ever-expanding circles that positively impact the world at large.” Shari Arison. I would like to share my story—unwrapped, not from the end, but from the beginning. There are a lot of people living wonderful lives with unlimited possibilities; they have unwrapped experiences.  Yet, not all of them share them with the world. I believe that sharing our stories is of incredible importance to others because we all can grow from one another. That’s why I consider myself a teacher, yet a student every day. I always wanted to live an unconventional life with freedom, beyond the conventions of social standards and what other people think. In other words, I strived for authentic living and expression. I always wanted to become an ambassador of freedom, being myself wherever I went.  As a kid, one of the things that I hated the most were uniforms. I wore uniforms in the schools I went to until University. And I disliked the societal need for uniformity that discourages people to be themselves and having clothing as a means of self-expression.  I thought that, when I was older, I was going to do whatever I wanted to, dress however I wanted to. Only to realize that the corporate world was a form of a school where a uniform was part of the etiquette.  I started by wearing golden earrings and gold jackets with pants or feminine dresses, to wearing black jackets, black pants, and white shirts to go along, to the point where I had 20 different types of black pants in my closet. What happened to my dislike of uniforms? What happened to the ultimate self-expression? I will say it: Distraction happened. What kind of distraction? In some cases, I was working 60- to 80-hour weeks, traveling worldwide on various weekends out of a month or bi-monthly. I was distracted by work, launching products worldwide with meetings at night.  Too distracted to pay attention to my deepest heart desires. I climbed the ladder of achievement and every day I was getting prepared for the next growth or leadership opportunity.  In the beginning, the idea of achievement was like a gold mine. It was exciting to travel to places I have always loved and always will; traveling ignites in me the sense of curiosity and exploration I have always longed for. Yet one day, travel started to feel longer—and a 24-hour flight soon felt like 48 hours, like being jet lagged and working continuously. I felt senseless, and this inner drive, this inner courage kept nagging at me, asking questions like: Do you want to live your life out of a suitcase? What do you want to travel with? If you were 90 years old and saw yourself from a rocking chair, would your life look like this? Would you like to be pregnant and on a 24-hour plane ride? As they became a closer reality, seeing the next positions on the ladder stopped holding the meaning they used to. And seeing the personal compromises and personal sacrifices a lot of my co-workers had to make, started raising big questions for me.  You know, my dad always worked such long hours and I realized early on the sacrifices that could happen along the way. He also was there for every birthday and kept his promises, which I admired then and I admire even more now. My inner desire I have an inner desire to live a life of meaning, of freedom, of purpose—yet I felt guilty for wanting more. I thought, wow you have a lot of things, you have: A great career ahead of you great experiences abroad  Really great people you’re working with, and  So many learning experiences along the way—and you love doing marketing And then I asked myself: So why are you wanting more? For many years, I silenced my inner desire to have a wider expression of my gift and my dreams, until mid-life. There is something about mid-life. And this was my opportunity to revisit my life, be grateful, and design the future of it. The nagging of meaning became more like a scream and I could no longer ignore it. It was time…this was my time to unwrap the inner gifts. So how did unwrapping come to me? Well… I can tell you that I don’t believe in coincidences. I think the universe is magical and the magic is there available to us. One day I was walking in the street to have lunch as I was feeling this internal “scream, be free, make a difference, make meaning.” I prayed for a meaningful career. I entered a store near my office; you know, this store had been there for five years and until then I hadn’t noticed it.  As I walked through it, I met Vicki, the owner. She told me the story of her store and how she helps women with human trafficking. She also told me how they make everything in India and what she does to rehabilitate them. And the crucial moment of unwrapping the inner gifts happened… Going on with her story, she explained to me how, when she started, a TV documentary about the women in India influenced her. At that time, she felt she was called to service and help them. Her determination was so powerful and she touched my heart. I cried when I drove back to work. I even cried when I told my husband the story. And, to this day, I feel like crying again when I talk about it.  You know, this story may seem so simple to you, but it is so profound to me. That’s because that day I committed I was going to use my gifts for service and for a higher purpose. Since that day, my life has forever changed. Vicki showed me that, once you know or are called to do something, you have to make

By Virginia Nava Hieger You are a brave soul. You have overcome so much Through your willing spirit you are where you are. You are willing to open your heart and serve others even though it has been difficult You learned lessons, acquire wisdom and transformed the pain in your heart into compassion. Now will your willing heart you continue trusting, loving and opening your heart to your calling and purpose. A calling deep in the bottom of your heart.