My American Dream

In May of 2016, me and my family moved from UK to USA, through my work. I had applied to a role in the headquarters in New Jersey and… I got the job. It wasn’t a promotion, it was just a dream coming true, my American Dream!

We were doing good and very settled in UK, I was performing in my job, had a great team, friends, and my husband was happy also in his job.

So…why do I want to move to America?

I tried to answer so many times to this question that I still can’t have a good answer. But the dream was there and used to share it to my family, friends, and managers, to test myself how far I was from this dream…

I didn’t have a formal plan, but within my company, I had the hope it could happen, and if I socialized eventually it would really happen. My family had to be prepared, can’t be a surprise. But I should have done a good job here, as once at school, in a parents conference, the teacher asked me when I was moving to America, as Henrique, my son, was talking about that in class. I got so surprised, as this was way before I had an offer and there was no real plan at that time. But you know, I answered that we didn’t have a date yet, but it was in plan within my company.

When I had the offer to move, as a good surprise for me, the comments I got were like: “this was what you were dreaming for a such a long time! You did it”.

There was this feeling of doubt in me…did I achieve a dream?

I felt…I need more than this…I had a need…, bigger than the dream itself…I didn’t understand what was it in the beginning, but then I got it! It was the acknowledgement of the journey and the next big dream!

The acknowledgement of the journey was beautiful! So much that I decided to organize my own farewell at work… I prepared my last day, a TED TALK, with a tittle Follow Your Dreams.

And…I was saying this TED TALK was a preparation and practice for my next big dream, which was to perform a real TED TALK.

I remember, it was a big challenge, trying to have a speech for 18 min, trying to have a good script, trying to beat the fear to talk about me at work, trying to not run away before I would do it! I remember I was so nervous!! But loved each moment! Love the preparation and support that I had from the people and leaders over there! Very blessed!

I think with my move I forgot about my next big dream, to do a real TED TALK, but I want to have that dream alive again…and socialize it…and work on it. It is one of my goals now! I am daring to say it! 😊

I wanted also to acknowledge that the journey of every dream is so important for our growth…and dare to dream and talk about that is one of the steps! Be ashamed…it’s ok, it’s normal! But please read the book Dare to Lead from Brene Brown, and I am sure will help to put that feeling in perspective.

After living in America for 3 years, and just now started to be in the journey of a blogger and an influencer made me think….Why did I have the dream to come to America?

After recently reflecting on this, I think it was my belief that moving to America I would Give Myself Permission to Dream.

As stated in the farewell card from my team in UK: ‘Off to sample the American Dream!”

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