Sunday 26 May 2013

Role models, and how inspiring and energising it can be to be around them

A laughter yoga class organised by one of my role models
As the title of this post suggests, today's topic is that of role models.  Most of us probably know someone that really loves what they do, someone that has found their true passion in life, and just being around them is energising and inspiring.  The weaker amongst us may be intimidated by them and try to avoid them, but if you are someone who wants to grow, just try being around them for a while and listening to what they have to say.  You may find that they ignite something inside you, and set you off on finding your own passion in life.

At present I have two role models.  Both are people that are extremely passionate about what they do, and people that I enjoy being around.  I only hope that one day I can discover my true passion in the way that they have discovered theirs.

I will introduce you today to one of my role models, and in a future post I will introduce you to the other.  So, drum roll please, ...................... for my first role model I introduce to you Fabiola Leon.

Fabiola Leon

Fabiola hails originally from Valencia in Venezuela and is a life coach who helps people to grow and learn on all personal levels.  I came to meet her through participating in one of her laughter yoga classes that was posted on Glocals only a few weeks ago.  She started the laughter yoga classes as a way to help her life coaching clients overcome their inhibitions and get closer to achieving their personal goals.  Her energy was contagious and since first meeting her I have been to every class that she has held since then. Her classes are now growing through word of mouth alone.

Fabiola loves hearing various success stories from her past and present clients, and it is this that keeps her going strong day after day.  When she is not giving life coaching classes or laughter yoga classes or being a mum, she can be found diligently studying self improvement material or blogging or thinking up her next business idea or event or promotion.

Fabiola's laughter yoga classes have helped various people including myself.  I recently suffered a breakup from my fiancee of 3.5 years (yes Anny for those of you that know me), and Fabiola's first laughter yoga class helped me a lot.  Regardless of whatever problems you have, laughing for 20 or 30 minutes makes them seem so much smaller in the hours or days afterwards.

One of the ladies that participated in a recent laughter yoga class suffers from high blood pressure.  She wrote to Fabiola after the class saying that she felt much better and more relaxed after the class and wanted to do it again.  In her first class she had to sit down and rest at various intervals.  In the class today however she was able to participate fully.  Was that down to the laughter yoga alone, or due to other circumstances too.  Of this I am not sure, but I am sure that the laughter yoga helped her to feel better.  Whether it be work or fitness or whatever, a good bout of healthy cathartic laughter can only but help rather than hinder.  Some studies have even gone so far as to suggest that laughter yoga can be comparably healthy to actual physical exercise.

It also came of no surprise to me that Fabiola recently got a Best Speaker award from her local Toastmasters club where she is an active member.  She was speaking about one of her passions - laughter yoga.  When you are speaking about something that you are passionate about, people tend to be engrossed, but on top of that Fabiola is a talented public speaker and also has experience of video blogging, interviewing successful entrepeneurs and business owners.

If you want to read more about her you can take a look at the following sites

Life Success Consultants - Fabiola Leon

Laughter Yoga Switzerland

I wish you all a fantastic evening and I am sure some of you are dying to know who is role model number two, but for that you will just have to wait.