Are you a mum, a wife, a partner, a business owner, employee, a sister, a friend? Are you constantly doing things for someone other than yourself? When is your turn? Do you sometimes feel that you are so far down the list of ‘things to do’ that you never get anything done for you? Do you lack confidence, motivation or inspiration? Sole travel is good for the soul. It gives you time to really reflect and find yourself. We want to be the best version of ourselves possible, we just don’t always know how.
Meet Yogita Ridgley. Yogita is an author, a multi-awardwinning entrepreneur, a speaker and also a mum. Yogita was born in an Indian working class family, her parents were both schoolteachers, now retired. Her parents valued education, teaching her from a young age that, “Knowledge is Power.” She is proud of her Indian heritage. Speaking a few different languages, eating different food, wearing different clothes, she totally enjoys the best of both worlds. However, she always felt she did not fit into the Indian society because she was not Indian enough and she didn’t belong in Western society either. She grew up with very low self-esteem. Growing up with dyslexia made school tricky. When you have other children and teachers laughing at you, calling you names like, stupid, dumb, useless and lazy, it is very hard to feel good about yourself. I identified my self-worth based on how well I could read, write and spell, when I was an A+ student in maths, science and anything that did not require reading and writing. After finishing school, I took the simple road of studying Accounting and Economics at University instead of what I wanted to do. Yogita carried the self-doubt and limiting beliefs with her into her working life to the extent where she identified herself as a broken person.
She allowed depression and negative emotions to rule her life and stop her from living her true potential. She was unable to see her inner beauty and be the authentic version of herself. It was not until she went on her first solo trip, ten years ago, that the penny dropped. She realised she could act like a victim, or she could take responsibility for her life. Through solo travel, she began to discover herself and her business, Traveling with Me, Myself and I, was born.
they will always experience an inner conflict. This is because they are fighting who they are at the deep, unconscious level. To make any change permanent, you must make it in the subconscious mind where all permanent behaviour change occurs. You must also make a shift in your identity that is consistent with the behaviour you are changing. Email Yogita at yogitaridgley@gmail.com a www.travelingwithmemyselfandi.com
Yogita says being a mum is actually the biggest role she plays, and now that she has found herself and found her purpose, she lives her life inspiring and encouraging her family and women all over the world to do the same. She helps women use the art of selfreflection to uncover their gifts that have often been hidden until now. Women that have travelled with Yogita have said the journey of self-discovery was an overdue journey. They speak of finding confidence and feeling empowered to really step outside of their comfort zone and become a role model to those around them. All permanent behaviour changes occur in the unconscious mind. This is where our beliefs are stored. You can change a person’s behaviour, but if there is an unconscious belief that conflicts with that change, www.mattersmagazine.com.au 53
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