Gaby Natale - The Virtuous Circle: Restore Your Confidence, Bounce Back, and Emerge Stronger

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2021 Gaby Natale

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ISBN 978-1-4002-2015-1 (eBook)

ISBN 978-1-4002-2010-6 (Paperback)

Epub Edition February 2021 9781400220151

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020945465

Printed in the United States of America

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To Andy, my great love and companion on lifes

adventures for fifteen years. Every turn in the Virtuous Circle

is more beautiful because I turn hand in hand with you.

To Roberto, Cristina, Alejandro, and Francisco for

giving me the foundations that allowed me to dream.

To rebel dreamers who dare to see beyond the visible.

The Virtuous Circle is a book for dreamers, the rebels at heart who see beyond the circumstances surrounding them. Those who suspect that something wonderful is waiting for them but have not yet dared to take that first step toward their new destination.

Why is it that some people who seem to have it all never reach their full potential while others born into adversity beat the odds and become the highest, truest versions of themselves?

This is the question that led me to write The Virtuous Circle after ten years of interviews with pioneers and superachievers from different disciplines.

Here you will find tools for self-improvement as well as personal stories and testimonies from international trailblazers such as Deepak Chopra and Carlos Santana. Their stories reveal the amazing power of enthusiasm when it comes to transforming lives.

Do you feel like there is a treasure inside you? Are you tired of your fears preventing you from spreading your wings and sharing that treasure with the world? Stop running around in circles... and get on the Virtuous Circle!

Dear Underdog,

This book is my love letter to you.

I SEE YOU.

I see you working twice as hard to get half as far. I see you do more with less. I see you, the one people do not expect to win.

I KNOW YOU.

I know you take a deep breath before entering a room where your individuality is met by a sea of sameness. I know you outwork the rest in hopes that overdelivering will protect you from other peoples prejudice. I know you are tired of pushing yourself to prove your worth to skeptics.

I CELEBRATE YOU.

I celebrate your refusal to trade authenticity for acceptance. I celebrate your courage in the face of adversity. I celebrate your appetite to be what you cannot yet see in the world.

YOUR LIFE STORY IS NOT AN APOLOGY.

This book is the story of an underdog who became obsessed with interviewing fellow underdogs to create a roadmap that can help others around the world in the pursuit of their dreams. The Virtuous Circle is also the result of my frustration when I could not find books on personal growth written by people like me.

As a Latina who happens to be an immigrant, every time I saw myself represented in media, I felt I was reduced to a stereotype. Tired of seeing how others did an awful job at portraying my rich and multidimensional heritage, I decided it was time to write my own story. Today, I am proud to say I am the first Latina author published by HarperCollins Leadership.

So how do leadership and self-help look if you are an underdog?

You are about to find out.

The Virtuous Circle is here to tell you that there is beauty in being an underdog. To remind you that you do not need to change yourself to feel worthy. And that wonderful things can happen even in difficult times.

THE WORLD HAS CHANGED.

THE SELF-HELP SPACE... NOT SO MUCH.

I have always had an ambivalent relationship with the self-help world. Personal growth books have always been there for me every time life throws a curveball. But lately, I am seeing some trends in the self-help space that are genuinely concerning.

Way too often, I find myself let down by leaders who do not embody the principles they claim to teach. Some brag about possessions, relationships, or credentials that were not true to begin with. Others profited from an image that turned out to be false. A few claimed to be self-made but in reality came from money or married into it.

As someone who is both an author and a reader in this space, I find the lack of accountability frustrating. There are plenty of people who talk the talk. Not that many have the commitment to walk the walk.

As of late, I cannot shake the feeling that the self-help industry is becoming... unrelatable.

Not all forms of optimism come from the same place. There is a kind of optimism that is part of the toolkit that some of us need to develop to overcome adversity. Things will work out. I know it because this is not my first rodeo. This is the kind of optimism that moves me to the core.

There is another kind of optimism that is quite different. It comes from not having to endure the same hardships others must face. Things will work out. I know it because they have always worked out for me.

The first kind of optimism comes from resilience. The second comes from privilege.

Behind every Instagram post that claims Just Do It. Only You Control Your Life lies the illusion of a level playing field. Refusing to acknowledge that generational poverty, racial inequality, or nepotism play a role in the journey to accomplishment is the very definition of privilege. Only those who were never affected by systemic inequalities can pretend that they do not exist.

No. Everything is not just a matter of personal responsibility. There is something cruel about making people feel inadequate for life circumstances they did not choose. It sends the dangerous message that if you did not make it, it was only because you did not want it badly enough.

Any underdog knows that the reality is much more complicated. That is why advice coming from privileged optimism sounds tone-deaf to so many of us. Building a positive mindset and addressing negative self-talk are important. But they are only one part of the equation.

THE VIRTUOUS CIRCLE: FROM INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT TO COLLECTIVE WELLBEING

Heres a message to anyone who wants to make an impact in the world: The goal should not be to only make the best of the cards life has dealt you. The goal should also be to use your achievements for something greater than yourself.

Let us all contribute to changing the rules.