Today we’d like to introduce you to Lana Webster.
Lana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
At a young age, I was active and playful, and loved entertaining people. I wanted to be a “movie star”, but life happened resulting in raising a child from a young age. The responsibility of this, consumed my days and postponed my dreams. My playful side reappeared in my early forties creating a Raggedy Ann the Tap Dancing clown which provided an avenue for me to entertain children. Soon after that, I decided to return to college to obtain my degree. Graduating sixth in my class and with honors in my late forties gave me a great sense of accomplishment, since I was unable to pursue this when I was younger. This is when I began my teaching career.
The next chapter if my life is paramount in illustrating my determination. I took and failed an oral proficiency test for Spanish and could not teach without passing this test. I decided that I would do anything I needed to pass this test. This is when I went abroad to live with a family in Costa Rica to study Spanish. Over the course of the next two years, I took the test four times and failed each time. I recognized that I needed to take another route because quitting was not an option. I managed to get on the State Board of Education meeting agenda to speak in front of the Board in Austin to plead my case. After the fifth time taking the test, I passed!
Probably the biggest life-changing event was the termination of a 37 year marriage. This began my desire to resurrect the girl and to find out who she really is and to learn how “to fly”. Living alone for the first time opened my eyes to a new life. I retired from my twenty year career of teaching and began experimenting. I tutored and then I was a realtor. I was trying to find “my niche in life.” The privilege of retirement affords me time for writing, introspection and listening to the quiet knowing inside. My aspirations include publishing my first book, being the “next senior model,” motivational speaking and inspiring seniors to explore new information and grow from the inside out.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This quote by Rumi sums up this question for me. “Trials and tribulations can be disheartening, but they are our greatest teachers.” I embrace challenges realizing that they are a chance to learn. My biggest challenges have been fear and doubt. The fear of what other people think of me has paralyzed my creativity and belief in what I can accomplish. When I told people of my desire to be a senior model and to be on Ellen’s show, I received words of discouragement. This resulted in me doubting my dream and ability to make my dreams come to fruition as of this writing.
Another challenge for me has been trying to maintain the discipline of an everyday routine. Since, I am retired and my time is my own, I find it a struggle to carve out time to pursue the dream. The distractions of our fast paced world tend to sidetrack even the most driven individual.
Lana Webster – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am curious, daily developing the mind, body and spirit, pushing the limits, and striving to use my God given talents. I truly believe that my boldness sets me apart from others and fuels my pursuit of my dreams. These attributes have led me to become a motivational influencer for women and seniors. I am proud of my unrelenting attitude to be “in the arena” and my continuation of setting and accomplishing my goals.
Retirement is often seen as an end of your career. However, I view it as “rewiring” instead of “retiring.” It is an opportunity to explore and experiment to find ways to ultimately impact the world in a positive way. I have the energy and desire to keep living and reaching for more than what others think is reasonable or attainable.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Due to my advanced age, I have had many proud moments in my career and life. I have always been a determined individual who refused to take no for an answer. This persistence has served me well and has contributed to my many proud moments. In recent months, I have written a children’s book and am in the process of getting it published. Secondly, I accepted a challenge proposed by a Marine to walk one hundred miles in the month of May and exceeded the goal by twenty-one miles. Lastly, I was invited to speak at a Master Mind group to share my story. At 75 years young, I anticipate that this is only the beginning of many more proud moments.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: lt_webster
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lana.webster.921
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