by Julia Willard | Jul 30, 2015 | Inspiration |
Here at The Paris Women of Success, we love to encourage each other to go for our respective dreams and follow where the adventurous path leads. We’re just one more example of how women supporting women is a powerful force and only leads to wonderful changes in the world. We nurture each other’s individual gifts and motivate one another to push through rough patches. In the last year alone, we’ve had businesses started, books released, businesses revamped, international moves, and new partnerships forged, to name a few. We welcome you to join us in supporting the women around you and welcoming the adventure that lies before you. Feel free to share your stories. “She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new language. And birds fluttered around her, writing “yes” in the sky.” ~ Monique...
by Julia Willard | Jan 16, 2015 | Inspiration |
Happy New Year! The year 2014 was an exciting year for the authors of My Paris Story, the book, both as a group as well as individually. Many of us had huge successes that we have discussed on our own websites and blogs. I encourage you to look at our Author Page and check them out. ~~~~~~~ January is always a time to reflect and look closely at what has been achieved in the previous year, as well as to look forward to what we would like to bring into our lives in the coming year. We know that many of our readers have a special connection with Paris – whether you wish to move to Paris at some point or you just love to live vicariously through those of us who live here already. Our book is a testament to how that can become anyone’s reality – even for those who have never foresaw a move here. So what do you wish to create in 2015? A newfound zest for life? Greater confidence in yourself? More opportunities for discovering new things about yourself? A deeper spiritual practice? These are all noble goals and I’m guessing at least one of them is close to a goal you already had in mind for 2015. But what if we really zeroed in on what you might be seeking through these or any other number of goals… What if we just said, ‘screw it, let’s just surrender’? You see, nowhere in My Paris Story do you find a story of one of us fighting to get to Paris. We all just let go, some earlier in the process...
by Julia Willard | Nov 6, 2014 | Paris |
My first trip to Paris took place in 1999. I was with my high school group who had opted to join one of the French teachers on a quick tour of Paris followed by a two-week home stay in Provence. We had a mere five days in Paris, but Madame Miller was determined to show us ever major monument and any other pertinent site that we had no doubt already discussed in French class. Since that trip, my time in Paris has gone from that of a student to a tourist to a resident to a tourist to a studier of all things Paris to a photographer to a resident, and everything in between. My relationship with Paris is changing, and that is taking some adjustment. The physical adjustment, of course, is happening naturally, but this place that I once could not get enough of is not meeting all of my needs at the moment, and it’s proving mentally challenging to come to grips with that. I certainly never thought my feelings about Paris would change. As I decide what role I want Paris to play in my life, I enjoy reminiscing about the dynamics of our “relationship” over the years. This past month of October, I was tourist and photographer again, and the City was the backdrop for so many exciting things for me. One thing is for sure: whether it has a leading or a supporting role in my life, I am so thankful for all it has provided for me over the years in inspiration and as a...
by Julia Willard | Aug 27, 2014 | Inspiration, Paris |
Note: The embedded video below may only be viewable in some browsers. Access the video here: GeoBeats Booksellers by the Seine. Paris is widely recognized as one of the most inspiring places on the planet. Of course, what is inspiring is determined by the beholder, yet the numbers speak for themselves; Paris brings in tourists in droves, whether it is through its inspiring cuisine, architecture, or that lovey dovey atmosphere. I’ve been enjoying the Geobeats videos for a few years, especially in my stints away from Paris. When I saw this one recently, it reminded me of our journeys as authors and made me wonder what the journey of our book will be… How many people will it inspire? Will it inspire a wave of more books of its kind? Will it be the inspiration for a film one day? Or will it end up in one of those green boxes along the Seine crowded between Voltaire and Proust, obscured by hanging gravures and sought after by young students? Just like in the life of a book, our own life paths are uncertain. The lesson is to trust that we will end up in the company of the right people at the right time. I suspect it’s no different for our very own bouquin. Hint: Come next month (September 2014), there will be at least one of our books to be found among the green boxes lining the River Seine. Something special will be inside. Will you find...
by Julia Willard | Jul 28, 2014 | Inspiration |
On our May 7, 2014 book launch day, we sat down in one of the authors’ homes and interviewed each other. This project being part of something much bigger than any of us individually, we wanted to document the process of how it all came together as much as possible to eventually share with others and to commemorate our work. Dawn connected us with the wonderful François Bourru who was there with a complete film and photography crew, and yet were all but invisible to us throughout the process. It’s not that we didn’t notice them of course, it’s just that the crew was so inconspicuous that we were able to chat freely with one another and really be ourselves for what will eventually be part of our press kit. As the first group of us women gathered on a sofa, barefoot and relaxed, we each took turns to discuss how we came to get in on this project. Video camera-shy for as long as I can remember, I was thrilled that François and his team were so… well, cool. I told the story of how I, myself, had only recently joined the Paris Women of Success when I first heard about the book project, but it was clear to me from the moment I read Dawn‘s email introducing it that it was something I wanted to try to be a part of. I had discussed writing my own book for years with my then-boyfriend, but I have never sat down to compile it all and write it. We have quite the interesting story of how we met and...
