The pen that writes your story must be held in your own hand
I had an overwhelming feeling of liberation as I walked out of the office – free from my laptop, my mobile, my security pass – ready for the next chapter in my life to start and this time it was on my terms.
Three years earlier I turned up in my boss’ office in London, still grappling with the direction my life was taking after a failed relationship, having just lost my grandad to cancer, and trapped living in a house in Wales still in the middle of being renovated. I’ll never forget crying to my boss that for the first time in my life I didn’t have a plan. I knew I needed to make change happen for me and moving to London was the first step to achieving this – my way out, my chance for a new beginning.
I made a vow to myself shortly after that evening that I wanted to look back on these lows and be thankful for them – these lows tested my resilience, my determination to succeed, not fail; to rise, not sink. To look back and say if it wasn’t for the lows I wouldn’t be at the high I am today. And I can safely say I have achieved this. That moment as I left the office to embark on my career break to travel was confirmation of that very thing.
From that day three years ago, I decided that I would look at change differently. I would be open and see it as a positive. I would find a way to be happy as me and not rely on anyone else for that happiness. That has seen me go on quite a journey since then but I have done it. I have come out the other side and I am a better, stronger person for it. I have surrounded myself with people who I choose to have in my life, who care for me and want the best for me, and I the same for them. I am no longer constrained by the need for a set path to follow. I embrace life for what it is today, in the now, and know that if I continue to take those steps just in front of me, I will always be heading in the right direction.
