Fall is  here… I love the fall season. I was  at Starbucks cafe in Barnes and Nobles the other day, reading, researching, writing and enjoying my caramel mocha. I love the smell of books, hearing the sound of the coffee and espresso machines, and listening to people ordering their coffee. I felt like I was in the movie “You’ve Got Mail”, which I’ve seen countless times and still love to watch it. I remember one of the main characters saying, “We have so many choices of  coffee and we allow coffee to define who we are!”  Do the choices we make even about the coffee we drink, put limitations on our mind or define our self esteem?

What do you think?

I love the scent of the fall air, preparing for the season of harvest and enjoying the beauty of the red, gold and bronze colors of the leaves in the mountains. I live in Tennessee, and the fall here is the most beautiful time of the year! I feel more inspired to write, create and feel productive. You can just smell the crispness in of the air! It is a time of year when we realize we have 90 days till the end of the year, and we also begin to think about Christmas. We feel pushed to make changes, overcome adversities and clean up the mess in our life!

Fall is a beautiful time to celebrate life! I often make an apple pie as we celebrate the beginning of the fall season. I also buy yellow or red mums and have friends over!

When it comes to overcoming adversities, the cold seasons of our life, I wanted to share an excerpt from my upcoming book: Tatyana Gann: My Russian America. I hope it can inspire you, encourage you to follow your intuition, passions, and do what you feel best for yourself, to be yourself.

It was a cool, spring  afternoon when my life changed forever. Little did I know that 3 months later I would be stepping foot on American soil and meet people who would impact my life, my decisions and my passions. I would soon rediscover my purpose!

That April afternoon began as a regular day in my life, spending time with my grandparents in their brownstone flat, when out of the blue, I received a call from one of  my college professors telling me to get dressed immediately and be on campus in 2 hours. I was given an opportunity to take a test to to see if I could go to America. I was given a chance… I had to take a risk… totally unprepared, not knowing what to expect. I took a huge leap of faith,  got in a local little trolley and arrived to the college campus in Ufa, Russia. I was not yet even 19 years old!

I think about the courage, the strong belief I had in myself and the belief in the future that I could  not see. But… I could see myself being in America, speaking English,  traveling, teaching and having an impact on people’s lives. That was a HUGE dream of mine and honestly, a strong belief that I would be here, in America. I expected only a YES from test results and expected nothing less. Maybe I thought myself crazy at the time, but it was true… It was the REAL me. I was young and naive, but I also had a strong will and determination. My grandmother called it “Russian Ambition”, meaning that I had a  triple dose of ambition!

Only later would I understand that I was allowing the good things into my life… what about you?

Fast forward to 3 months later… A Boeing 767 landed in New York City’s JFK airport… and there was little me; standing in a long line with two suitcases and going through customs. The first words I heard after they examined my documents were, “Welcome to America.” For some people, these words means nothing, but for me it was special. I had very little with me… only 200 dollars which was borrowed from my family and friends, and a pair of brand new platform sandals, which I was wearing until someone stepped on them on the escalator, breaking my heel (at that point, I was too tired to be very angry!).

At that point, I had no money, a new- broken pair of shoes, 200 bucks hidden in my bra and no clue where I was going, or who I would become. All I knew was that I was proud of what I had achieved; I had come to the United States to study and I was happy and determined to make my family proud of me.  Honestly, I was not good in English. I could write, read and had a pretty good understanding of grammar… but, I was scared to speak with Americans. I remember the cold sweat running down my back as I was talking to a school adviser. I was extremely nervous and at times embarrassed, but determined!

I had major fears that I had to overcome… and I did, in time. I would call my mom on weekends when the phone rate to Russia was one dollar per minute. Can you believe that?!? I paid a lot of money from my school funds just to tell my mom “I love you, I am okay.” My mom would comfort me and say, “YOU made it so far, do not be afraid, just read more and learn to love writing.” I honestly hated to write. I felt it was the one fear I had to overcome. I thought I was not good enough at writing, even considering the fact I had so many writers in my family. I had convinced myself  I was not a writer and did not plan to become one. Very little did I know that I had within me a wild writing gene, just waiting to be unleashed!!  I was only able to discover that side of myself much later in life… and here I am, writing for you!

I learned to trust strangers and I learned to love people who loved me for who I was. I went from being a shy, ugly duckling, to a strong, graceful swan… a strong woman who learned the main principles of success: be crazy, believe in what is to come, learn to cry, learn to trust, take a leap of faith and jump high! Life and business success is not about skill sets or the talents we possess, but how truly we believe in ourselves, our determination to connect with the right people and posses an attitude of gratitude!

I learned to trust myself and listen to my voice within. I learned to make decisions, even though some were not the best… but they are still mine. I realized it was an honor that God gave me to make my own decisions and make choices which are best for me.  Even with being a mom… I know it can sometimes be a challenge, but it is a rewarding one!

Have a beautiful day!

Tatyana Gann