Ever wondered how a professional surfer overcomes obstacles? I'm pleased to announce that today Mercedes Maidana  is sharing her thoughts on perseverance with us.  

I have interviewed many people for my "Profiles of Perseverance" series about how they persevere through many types of obstacles.  I thought it would be fitting to ask someone who loves the water and coaching as much as I do. Mercedes Maidana is a Motivational Speaker, Abundance Coach, and Patagonia Surf Ambassador.  I love the work she is doing! I really respect her and think she has a powerful mission. Thanks, Mercedes, for sharing with us the lessons you have learned throughout your life! Keep up the awesome work!

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? Who did you receive it from? 

One piece of advice that struck me lately was from my meditation teacher. He told me to keep my coaching and message simple and elegant so people can succeed.

How important is mentorship in terms of your success? 

It is great to have someone that shows us the road map, but we are the ones that have to put one step after the other.

What has been the best moment in your life so far? 

I had way too many to just name one, but some of them were connected to surfing big waves and others to sharing with people about manifesting and abundant life.

What tips would you have for living a healthy life? 

Honor yourself, and treat yourself with self-compassion. Invite the energy of Loving to do your health with you. Live it as a journey of self-love, be flexible, enjoy what you love and find balance in moderation. Bring the joy into your life and find what's fun and do more of that daily!

How do you motivate yourself to persist despite setbacks? 

Setbacks are there just to mark a redirection and a different approach. Setbacks are great lessons, so I honor them, accept them, forgive them and let them go. I then invite the Loving to show me my next steps.

What has been your biggest setback? How did you deal with it? What did you learn from it? 

I had many in my life, from emotional to professional. I dealt with them by going through the lesson with self compassion, extra self pampering, and sharing with people that helped me to think bigger. I learned that if I can accept that a situation is the way it is, instead of the way I wanted to be, then most of the struggle vanishes. I learned to accept and love myself through tough and dark times. A situation, a setback, or a success, do not define who I really am. I am much more than that.

How do you deal with critics? 

The more I get exposure in my career, the more I encounter people that might think different than me. I actually now take it as a compliment: it means that they are paying attention to what I do, so I must be doing the right thing! At the end of the day, what matters to me the most is that I feel good about myself. I can't nor I don't expect to please and be liked by everyone.

How important is social support in overcoming obstacles? 

I got a lot of support from dear friends during the toughest times of my life. I think that having people in your life that are rooting for your happiness is a great blessing.

What advice would you give others about goal setting? 

Setting goals is a great way to gain clarity and focus into what we want to manifest in our lives. I am all about it, but at the same time I allow for flexibility and surprise factor. I trust that I move forward towards my goals but at the same time I am open to whatever the Universe wants to give me. The best things of my life, I couldn't even dreamt of: they were given to me. 

What life lesson have you learned that you would like to pass along to others? 

We can all dream and create the life that we want to live. It's never too late to go for a dream, if we have an open heart and give it our all, we can transform our lives. I've learned that in the journey of manifesting my desires, I now want to be in a place of co-creation with the Universe and allow for my highest good. I've learned that when we push and force for a certain result, we might get what we want, but if we are not coming from an inner place of connection, happiness and peace, nothing outside of us will ever fulfill us. So my biggest lesson is that in order to manifest abundance, I want to start within and manifest my inner joy, peace, happiness. Once that is fulfilled I want to expand that energy and bring into manifestation the desires that I have in the world.

Thanks Mercedes, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your thoughts and advice with us! You really inspire me! I'm so glad I connected with you. 

Thank you for reading and your presence at this beach retreat. You Rock! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below.

See you at the beach!

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• On goal setting, overcoming setbacks, and manifesting an abundant life (This current post copied on Mercedesmaidana.com)