About
Lemons
goofSOUL is a story of resilience and life transformation. You know the story about life giving you lemons… let’s say even unripe lemons… and the goal is to transform them into this ridiculously sweet, delicious, and beautiful lemon tart. The kind of lemon tart that would make you think: “This is so good, I’m so glad I had these sour lemons for my life’s recipe! let’s share this with the world!”
Ups & Downs
At the age of 15, I left my home country alone for one year. Thanks to my mother’s support, I moved to California as an exchange student. As a teenager, I had this vision of California with beaches, palm trees, glamour, and fun. But I arrived in the high desert and cried all the tears in my body until my eyes felt like the dirt outside. A couple who couldn’t have children temporarily adopted me and welcomed me warmly. Lots of children lived around, and one of them became my best friend, and still is to this day, more than two decades later.
In this place, with these people, I finally felt like I mattered. I could just be myself, have fun and do silly teenage things. The man, Jon, became my surrogate father; California became my new home. Jon would often joke, warm-heartedly, that my best friend and I were “goofballs”. He had the warmest smile, eyes that communicated unconditional love, and the kind of soul who dedicated his life to taking care of abandoned children and other struggling souls.
Jon had fought melanoma before, and a few months after my arrival, his cancer came back. As he relapsed, I had to leave California prematurely and return “home”, to a place that didn’t feel like mine anymore. Jon passed away within a year… My already chaotic and painful world collapsed with his disappearance. I fell into a deep depression; I was lost, angry, and I wanted to die.
Resilience & Transformation
Yet, there was always this little something… This thought that there must be more to life than all this awful pain. Maybe I could overcome it, I could change the trajectory of my life if only I had the tools. That was what Jon had instilled in me, that life had value, that I had value. There was hope…
Ever since, I have been working hard at diminishing the pain, increasing the joy, and finding my purpose. With years of therapy, workshops, retreats, tons of books, and this drive to fight my odds, I transformed my life into something beautiful and balanced. My journey led me to find the will to live, grow my self-esteem, change my mindset, redefine my relationships, dare to dream and act on it, find purpose and meaning in my life and my work, and so much more. And importantly, it is a lifelong journey, rather than a destination.
In my toolbox, a degree in psychology and humor are parts of my life-saving Swiss-knife. Laughing, bringing smiles to other people, seeing the light side of any given situation, changes perspective. It also feeds resilience and loosens the grip of negativity. I always cherish the goofball in me, as much as I care about nourishing my soul – my ‘goofsoul’!
Purpose & Inspiration
goofSOUL aims to feed your soul, inspire your journey, plant seeds of goodness and resilience in this world. To do this, this blog’s content is inspired by my…
– life experiences
– university degree in psychology
– passion for self-development and growth
– desire to contribute positively to this world
You will find here information and ideas that have changed my life for the better, which in turn will hopefully feed your goofSOUL too!