I always dreamed of being an interior architect: I have managed to live out my dream in Germany

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How coaching has helped me to make my dream come true

Nothing gives me more satisfaction than receiving the enthusiastic message of a client who has managed to make her dream come true – that is pure happiness!

Here is the copy of her e-mail, received some time ago, because the happiness expressed is contagious.

Hi Erika! How are you? According to the photos on Instagram and Facebook, I can see that you are busy with new projects, and I am very happy for you!
I am writing to wish you all the best, but also because I wanted to share with you a very important achievement of mine: I HAVE FOUND A JOB!!!
…
Yesterday afternoon, they made me an offer: a contract for an indefinite period, as an interior architect, in the hotel industry.
I feel incredibly happy! I feel a sort of lightness that I had not felt in years! What's more … without exaggerating, I had never felt this! Because apart from feeling satisfaction over the contract, for having moved ahead, etc., I also feel this as I think about the fact that I will have a job! Just what I have always wanted since I was a little girl!!!
This has turned out better than I expected!!!
I am super-happy and couldn't wait to share it with you!
Let's start on a new life.
Gio

Giovanna T. is a young woman who, in September 2017, left her home in Monsano, a small town in the province of Ancona, for Germany with her companion. After moving to Mülheim an der Ruhr, Giovanna straight away began to make an effort to learn the language. She contacted me more or less a year later, setting out with me on a coaching route that lasted 3-4 months, from September to December 2018. The e-mail referred to above dates back to March 2019..

Nine months later, once Giovanna had successfully passed the trial period, she achieved a wage rise and a good deal of autonomy, I have asked for permission to publish her testimony because her story is indicative of many others who, like her, leave their home country in search of a better life. Many are those who leave home with a dream in their pocket, and she has made it come true.

Giovanna, what led you to leave two years ago?
"We were tired of a situation that was unfair for us, of precariousness, of the lack of recognition. It was not an easy decision, and not one to be taken lightly. It took two years to decide. Finally, we left. We were heading for the unknown, without speaking the language, a conscious leap in the dark."

What exactly were you looking for?
"Calm, economic stability, a daily routine, projects, responsibilities. I felt shapeless, incomplete, I was 38 years old. I told myself that this was the last opportunity to find myself, that person I was when I went to University, with the enthusiasm that was lost on the way"

What were the first difficulties that you had to deal with?
"First and foremost, the language, coping with the public institutions, the bureaucracy, the search for information."

From a psychological point of view, how have you experienced this?
"“I have always been positive. I needed to prove to myself and to others that I could do it. I put all my energy into studying the language. I put my heart and soul into it for eight months. Later on, after the initial enthusiasm, I have had to work on my self-esteem, an issue that I have been dragging along with me for years."

What has led you to look for help?
"I was aware that when I finished the language course, I needed help. I no longer had any excuses, having obtained the B1 certificate in German I had to think about it seriously and get down to looking for a job, which meant dealing with the lack of self-esteem that I had been dragging along with me."

What role has coaching had for you? Has it helped you?
"“A tremendous role. The road together has been of enormous help. On the one hand, it has allowed me to carry out the work needed, with me and with my self-esteem, to enable me to deal with the challenges awaiting me in the best way possible. On the other hand, it has helped me to put things in order, one by one, to see what steps to take … in other words, a plan of action."

What have you found out about yourself?
"“I was absolutely convinced and I was deeply motivated. This road had given me the tools, the method, the structure that have been useful for me later on as well, and that I carry on applying in my life."

Would you advise others to do the same?
"Absolutely, yes, I would. All too often, coaching is viewed as a help for those who don't manage it. But however, it is something different, it enables you to open doors, to broaden our outlook, to discover roads ahead that you would never have found for yourself. Because nobody can. It is something that you manage to do only when the other becomes your mirror."

Is there anything else that you would like to say to those who have left or are about to leave?
“To those who are in a similar situation to mine two years ago, I would say – launch out, it's worth it, the effort really is worth it! – I can tell you that I very often think of you, since the coaching carries on inside my head!."

Now what are your plans for the future?
"I make plans, but not for too far in the future as I have learnt to enjoy the present. But the important thing is that I have definitely planned it. I have just turned 40 and I will be getting married in 2020. We already have the date!"

There is nothing left for me to say but congratulations, Giovanna! You deserve every inch of this goal. Congratulations for your courage, tenacity, your constant will to improve and grow.
And thanks for your testimony, for having agreed to share your experience: let's hope that it will be helpful and a source of inspiration for many.