Dear Mediterranean Wanderers

Some of you might be facing a massive turning point right now in your lives. You might be at that cross roads where you can feel with every inch of your being that life is going to take you one of two ways:

You are either going to stay confined and safe, heading in the same direction you always have

Or

You are about to take a leap and go through the biggest adventure of your life

A few years ago I was facing that fork in the road. I was caught between leaving a life of comfort, security and saying goodbye to an 11-year relationship and taking the path that my heart had always wanted, pursuing my passions and diving into the unknown.

I chose the unknown…

When I chose the unknown, I made a conscious decision to go with it. I was going to do whatever it took to make it work. I promised myself that I had not jeopardised leaving a long-term relationship, uprooted my life interstate, left my friends and community to slip back into a secure safety net. I made the commitment that I was going to work the hardest I ever had, to ensure that my dream, passion and vision was going to be realised. Regardless of how challenging things got, one thing was certain, there was no way I was ever going back to my old life.

comfort zone

In the first few months of returning to my hometown of Melbourne, I sat down and applied for every job I could find in publishing – freelance or otherwise. I wrote to editors, prepared stories, pitched ideas and never succumbed to defeat, regardless of the number of rejections that came my way. Within 6 months, I went from zero to published writer and was writing for health and wellness magazines, travel magazines and prominent online food publications. I landed the very job I had announced I wanted only 6 months earlier whilst standing in the kitchen of my old home, that involved getting paid to enjoy one of my favourite pass-times – eating, and through my writing jobs, had the opportunity to meet and swap stories with some of the most influential business owners and chefs in Melbourne’s acclaimed dining scene.

Stepping through that crossroads made me feel like I was looking at a before and after version of myself. The fearful, doubtful, insecure before me that played it safe, living well within the confines of her comfort zone and the driven, passionate, excited after me who

felt like she had just come out of a deep, dormant, sleep-like state and had finally woken up to the potential of life.

I always used to be intimidated by fear. It made me feel uncomfortable, insecure and I wanted to run and hide from it. But since going through change, I have learnt to embrace fear, I welcome it and recognise how much it has taught me. The minute I stepped outside my comfort zone, my entire world opened up.Experiences, ideas, decisions, circumstances, all arranged themselves to invite the very things I wanted to happen. The one recurring thought I struggle to shake off is: How close I came to missing out on living the life I want and doing what I love…

If you are standing at that fork in the road, I hope you decide to do what you LOVE…

 

Happy Travels, Paula x