Hello there, dear Steemians!

I'm Charlye, « French Londoner » and serial entrepreneur, I'm currently residing in the amazing city of Paris where I relish everything beautiful, sweet and lively.

Photo of Me ;) by Yves-Emmanuel Deu

When I was little, I was the curious type. Not the intrusive gossipy curious type brat, more like the "why" type girl, which could be annoying at times, I give you that!

At a young age I started showing interest in various subjects like dance, music, writing, television, sociology, nutrition, fitness, philosophy, spirituality, but to name a few.

Nonetheless, my questions were always revolving around the same subject : people.

Why do people do what they do?

Why do people succeed in life while others don't ? Why do some people go through such hardship not to even get what they want, and others make it look almost effortless despite their complicated circumstances ?

New World, New Me!

My curiosity took me as far as the exciting city of London, where I settled for 8 years. A completely different world opened to me. It was a place where I could be myself, the way I wanted, and it was actually ok! My work ethic got stronger, my self-confidence got brighter, and my tastebuds evolved towards more refined things.

Photo by David Dibert on Unsplash

I learned to be the hardest worker in the room, meticulous throughout, impeccable with clients. I became an expert in client relations and team management, always considering the common factor : we are all Humans. I stepped onto some of the finest carpeted floors in prestigious palaces, being of service for the greatest royal family of all time, talking to the greatest people on Earth, and loving it!

But something was missing. I took some personal pride in all I did, but it wasn't enough. I needed recognition, for me first, as a Human Being.

I wanted more with my life than being a pawn on somebody's Chess board. I wanted more possibilities, more opportunities. I didn't want to be a Queen, I wanted to be the Gamemaker, the one who writes the rules, who builds the board, who shape the game. I wanted to live my life on my terms in all areas.

« You wanna be a freelancer ? Did you bang your head or somethin'? »

After some serious thinking and some ground work on myself, I took on the challenge of being my own boss. I have been a freelancer for the past 4 years, either full-time or part-time, to work on projects that really excite me.

My family wasn't really receptive to this idea at first. Letting go of a permanent contrat is like flying without a parachute. But to me it's ok. It's even more than ok, it's exciting, it's motivating, it does give you the edge to attempt to do things differently without too much thinking.

Photo by Alejandro Escamilla on Unsplash

Back in France for 3 years now, I have (finally) been able to narrow down my project to something more specific. I have a strategy, a plan, and put all the time I have available to get better at what I do while building a strong foundation for my activity.

Work hard, Play harder!

After years of searching for the answer to my question, I was finally living it!

With great amount of work and great discipline, or at least trials to be more disciplined, comes Success, eventually! The key here, is not to give up, EVER!

Every day, my alarm goes off at 5am and I'm in bed by 9pm latest, having done yoga, meditation, great work, and inspiring reading. I schedule everything I do, to limit useless thinking and focus on the task at hand. I also schedule play time regularly, so I can let some steam off, which for me translates into dancing (Bachatera, come on!)

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Being Independent is a ginormous challenge, especially in an environment where job security is the greatest reward of them all. It needs strength, gumption, and a greater sens of self that you can ever imagine. There is no such thing as work life balance. I give my all, every day, to get one tiny step closer to my own graal, learning as much as you can from all the people you cross path with along the way.

I look at my life today and I am thankful. Thankful to be me, thankful to have taken the steps I chose to, thankful to have been blessed somehow with the experiences I have lived. I also know who I am, more than yesterday, but less than tomorrow, accepting that I will forever be a work in progress.

Enough about me, what am I gonna talk about in here?

Life is about sharing, giving back, helping each other out. So I want to share things with you that might help you somehow. Whether it comes from my own experiences in London or elsewhere, or little nuggets of joy to cheer you up, I want my writings to inspire you and spread positivity in your day. If I manage to do that, it will make my day. If not, I keep working at it until it does. ;)

I'm looking forward to read you all and wish you the best in whatever you decide to be.

With love from Paris.

Charlye