In 1998 I formed my own IT Consulting company. My future was looking very bright and secure. By 2000, I was earning a 6-figure income, working part time from home and life was wonderful.

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Hold on to what…when there’s nothing left! The Dream! That’s what you hold on to! No matter what it is or was; just
grab on and hold on for dear life!
That’s where I found myself in the mid-2000s after losing everything to a divorce, death and the economic crisis that
started shortly after.
For most of my life, I’d enjoyed a successful career as an Information Technology Independent Consultant. I loved my
work. I loved the challenges it presented and the rewards and recognition that came with each project I completed.
Being an independent consultant fed my need to be my own person and have some control over my income and life.
Both of my parents had been self-employed and their entrepreneurial spirit was in my blood.
In 1998 I formed my own IT Consulting company. My future was looking very bright and secure. By 2000, I was
earning a 6-figure income, working part time from home and life was wonderful.
I remember thinking to myself many times…I’ve finally made it! I’ve finally put the right pieces together so that my
personal and professional lives are working. This wasn’t always the case; so for me this was success!
While my professional life had worked out pretty well, my personal life was a different story. By my early 40s, I’d been
married twice. I had two children from my first marriage and ended up raising them alone.
I married young and my husband just wasn’t ready to handle the responsibilities of marriage and parenthood. So after 9
years, we divorced.
I married for the second time in 1985; I was in my mid-30s. It lasted over 8 years, but also ended in divorce in 1994. I
had several major life crises during the first few years and things just fell apart.
In 1986 my step-father died from heart-failure. I’d lost my father many years before to the same condition, so my step-
father was an important person in my life.
Three months later my oldest sister died from cancer. Then, my son and second oldest sister were murdered in 1988, and
1990 respectively. My mom lived until 1995, then she passed away too.
I met and married my third husband in 1997. It was a wonderful marriage for the first 4 years. He was a loving and
considerate partner. He had his own successful business and between the two of us we had the world on a string!
Then 9/11 happened. The effect on his business was devastating. Within a year, he and his partners had to sell the
business. For him, it was just too much. He became depressed and seemed to lose hope in everything…including us.
Adventures of Lyn Williams
Owner, TheWomanExec.com
Love & Happiness Mastery

2. He became angry and bitter. At the time, I assumed it was all due to the loss of his business, but knowing what I know
now, I suspect part of his personality change could have been the early stages of Alzheimer’s.
As a loving wife, I stayed by his side and prayed for him to become the loving, supportive partner he’d been before, but
it didn’t happen. So, I decided if I couldn’t be happy at home, I could be happy with my work.
I decided to change careers to follow a dream I’d been envisioning for about 10 years…long before we were married.
We’d discussed this possibility while we were dating so it wasn’t anything new.
In late 2003, at the delightful age of 52, I stepped into that dream. I started writing a book; I became a motivational
speaker and I began investing in real estate. We owned a beautiful home in Orange County, CA and I used it as the
foundation for launching my new careers.
Within the first 6 months, I’d purchased 6 new properties valued at almost $2 Million dollars. I was doing so well, I
decided to retire from my IT career in early 2004. So, after 33 years in the industry I stopped designing computer
systems and started designing a new future.
It was a beautiful, exciting experience for me. I finally had exactly what I wanted; a stable marriage, a beautiful home, an
exciting new career as an author and speaker, and the financial security of our real estate investments.
But, just a few short months later, all of this came crashing down. Was it bad timing…I don’t know. But, once the
dominoes started to fall I couldn’t stop them.
My husband became more bitter and resentful than ever. He saw my success as a symbol of his failure. He was a very
competitive man. And to him, I was his new competition. For the first time in our relationship, I learned what kind of
ruthless businessman he really was.
By the end of 2004, we’d separated and were divorcing. The real estate market in the areas where we owned properties
was softening. As part of our property settlement, we sold 5 of the 7 homes we owned and went our separate ways.
Then in July 2005, he passed away from pneumonia. Six months later in February, 2006, my youngest and last sister also
died from pneumonia. I know this sounds incredible, but it is absolutely true!
Needless to say, I was an emotional wreck! But, I knew I had to pick myself up and start over. The concept was simple.
You have tons of experience…take what you know and rebuild.
But that was way easier said than done because what happened next pulled the rug right out from under me…our
economy collapsed and took me and the world along with it!
For the next several years, I floundered. I couldn’t find a job, I ran out of money and ended up living with
friends…virtually homeless. I had no family to speak of…my daughter wasn’t able to help me, her business had suffered
too. So I was basically on my own.
But, I still had hope and I still had my health. There were times when I wondered what all of this meant. I was still alive
and despite the incredible losses and stress…I was still healthy. I found that incredible. I wasn’t an alcoholic or a drug
addict.
From deep within me there was this place of strength and resilience that just wouldn’t let me quit. At one of my lowest
points, I was watching a silly little movie called ‘Galaxy Quest’ when something profound happened.
It’s a sci-fi parody of the Star Trek movies. There was a line in the movie that resonated with me and became my life-
saving motto: ‘Never give up, never surrender’. It gave me the power and faith I needed to keep going. I still say it when
things get tough and I need courage to find my way.
It was a beginning…the birth of a new vision of what was possible for my new life. To paraphrase a line from another of
my favorite sci-fi movies, Dune’: ‘The beginning is a very delicate time!’ I knew I had to have faith and that it would
take time.
A beginning is a step into the unknown that requires courage and power; it’s exciting and energizing. But, you need a
‘dream’ to drive that courage and power.

3. I also knew that if your dream is big enough, and your desire strong enough, your desire for the realization of that dream
could be the force that moves you forward.
Well, I had a dream. So, I put all of my focus and intention into making that dream come true, no matter what. I was still
alive, and still healthy. I knew there was a reason for that. My mission and purpose were still unfulfilled.
So, rather than wallow in the losses of the past, I committed myself to embracing the future and all that it promised. New
beginnings present opportunities for fulfillment, but previous experiences can undermine the courage, power, excitement
and energy needed to succeed.
I knew I had to find ways to heal and overcome my past experiences, and to face the challenges that were sure to come
with the new goals I was setting…and I did. I realized that part of my new mission was to help other women do the
same.
Today, I’m 61 years young. I’m happy…still healthy and looking forward to finally seeing my new dreams come true. I
made it! I blazed the trail and proved that it can be done.
No matter how great your losses are; or what your age is, you can start again. You can dream again…you can rebuild
your life…and make it even better than before!
You can re-ignite your fire and energy; you can create a new dream! Start by allowing yourself to daydream again.
Children do it, that’s why they’re so creative. It’s the key to any new beginning.
Envision something you’ve always wanted to do, but thought you never could. It doesn’t even matter whether or not the
dream ever comes true.
What matters is that you ‘dream’ the dream. Then, believe in your dream. Start speaking and working on making it
happen. Set your intention and take action.
When you begin again, you initiate the recovery process for some area of your life that needs healing and/or rebuilding.
Maybe several or even all areas of your life need healing. It is important to realize the seriousness of this time and the
need to focus intense energy on yourself while you’re going through the process.
You’ll need to love yourself enough to be a little selfish with your time and energy; set new boundaries and don’t let
others cross them. That can be difficult for some, but it’s essential to the healing process.
Focus your attention and intention on the future…on what you want to happen. Learn from your past experiences, but let
them go. They live in your past. If you make them part of your present, they’ll be part of your future.
Dwelling on what has happened sends your energy back to those events and keeps them active. According to Universal
Laws, whatever you give your attention to grows.
That means if you relive and grieve the experiences of your past, you’ll have more opportunities to relive them in your
future. That’s the way the Universal Laws work. We are designed to heal and move on.
Regardless as to what choices we made in the past, or what experiences have brought us to where we are now, the most
important thing to do now is set a new direction and get on the right path to where we really want to go.
So, reset your intention; create and tell your new story. It will draw your dreams to you and create the environment
needed for them to become your new reality.
Speak of yourself and your life in positive ways that describe the life you want to have.
Then, take action; stay focused and never give up, never surrender! Trust that the Universe is on your side and will bring
you your heart’s desire; because It has to…it’s the law!
Lyn Williams
Owner, TheWomanExec.com
Love & Happiness Mastery