Last week, while I sat in a sunny field in West Sussex, I realised it was exactly two years since I made the decision to start my own business. Roll back to another sunny May half-term holiday. I woke up from a quick nap in a deckchair on Saunton Sands beach and realised with such clarity that my next step was to go out on my own. I had no idea what I would do, what my business would be, but for the first time in a long time I was really excited about work and my head was buzzing with ideas. (Read more about that story here.)
Looking back two years on, did I have any inkling that this is what my life would look like now? Some of it is still very familiar – May half-term still happens in a field – and some of it is so new – we are now accompanied by a dog. Honestly, I can say now, I never would have dared to dream that the decision I made then could lead to this life I now live. That I could feel so completely ‘me’ in my work. That I could look forward to every day. That I could be so excited about what’s coming next, without really knowing what that will be.
I have learnt so much in these past two years. How to get comfortable with uncertainty, how to understand and own my value, how to say no with grace and without guilt, how to challenge myself. How much I love connecting with like-minded people, how much I love to write, how much I love to learn. I have learnt that work doesn’t have to be ‘hard’, that success doesn’t have to mean burnout, that the opinion of others is not where my value lies, that I don’t need to feel afraid, that I always have a choice.
But perhaps the biggest learning has been that it is OK to not have all of the answers before I act. I knew on that beach two years ago that setting up on my own was the right thing to do. That somehow the what, where, when and how would come later. What really mattered was my Why. I wanted to create a life I loved. A whole life. Back then I thought I the answer lay in balance but I’ve since rejected the idea of work/life balance. It’s all life. And I want to love every bit of it.
That’s my number one value – Love – closely followed by connection, joy and purpose. That’s what drives me. That Why allowed me to leap. To take the big step in to the unknown. To trust that clarity would emerge. And it’s what keeps me curious and excited and purposeful. Without it I was lost. Finding it has been truly transformational.
If you want to reconnect with your purpose and passion, to create a life you love to live, I’d love to talk to you about how my coaching programs can help. You can get in touch using the forms below.
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From Flee to Free 