10 years of betting on myself
how taking risks helped me build the life I dreamed of - both personally and professionally
10 years ago I had just moved to Sydney. I had decided to leave London on somewhat of a whim. But it quickly became a reality and if there’s one thing you need to know about me: if I say I’m going to do something then I will absolutely do it.
I was 24 and refused the idea that my adult (bless) life was something I was already not loving, I was dreading the week’s work on Sunday nights. This couldn’t be what life was already - could it? So I decided to follow the sunshine to a beach life, to live by the ocean on the other side of the world. I’ve always been a sunshine baby (I am born on the first day of summer and my dad is from a tropical island) so this was surely the path for me, and off I went.
There is such beauty in retrospect.
Looking back it was easily one of the best decisions of my life as it shaped so much: relationships, friendships and career. All of which would have otherwise been left to stagnate had I stayed in one place (both literally and metaphorically). I was of course scared at the time, but mainly excited to move and start afresh. I had grown up moving around, ten schools, two countries, twelve homes, surely this was no different? And it wasn’t, hugely. The moving part was so habitual to me. The reality upon arriving was of course harder, but it felt like actually living, even if it wasn’t perfect, life was happening and moving and changing. But moving to a new country where you know no one in a bad relationship was not an easy feat to overcome. It took time (and so many tears) to find my people and my path.
I wish I could tell that version of me what I know now - how incredible it would all end up being. And maybe weirdly, but I think a part of me did. Maybe I did visit her and say look: it’s going to be so hard but it’s going to be amazing and you’re going to live and achieve all your dreams. Keep going, power through, it’ll be worth it I promise.
And 10 years later I can say: it was worth it. As hard as they are, those dark times in life (which I’m sure we’ve all been through) give you the best self-growth spurts. It’s like by seeing what was not meant for us, or what shouldn’t be we can focus down on to what is truly meant for us and each time get more and more specific about what we want and what we are calling in.
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