February 09, 2016
Just writing that sentence is pretty surreal. I have always dreamt about having a job that I loved which also gave me the opportunity to explore the world. About a year and half ago I was sitting at my ugly grey desk in a boring government job, wondering if this was how my life was going to be forever. A “normal” life. You know, one where you settle down, get a 9 to 5 job and live your life complaining about first world problems and the hassles of your job, but never making any effort to change.
I hated the thought of living my life like that. It made me sick to my stomach. I also started thinking there was something wrong with me for wanting more. Was I selfish? Everyone else was relatively happy to have a 9 to 5 job with their 4 weeks annual leave, reserving a small amount of time to catch up with family, friends, household chores and what little time left for hobbies. Why did I deserve more?
We could all do with more time to do the things we love. The difference was I was so uncomfortable in my previous job that it forced me find an alternative.
A "normal" job was never going to fulfil me. Previously, I would drive to work for an hour (sometimes up to a hellish 2 hours) only to sit in my little cubicle doing work that didn't nourish my brain or feed my creative soul. Then of course, drive another hour home where I would arrive tired, cranky and, according to my husband, possibly a little hangry (although it’s yet to be proven). I used to sit at work and wish that time would go faster so I could go home to do the things I really wanted to do. Isn't that terrible to wish away your days? It wasn't until a heard a quote:
that I got thinking about planning my life more seriously. What dreams did I want to pursue? What memories did I want to reflect on when I was 80 years old? And you know what? I wasn’t going to reflect fondly upon those memories working in my 9 to 5 job.
Since going full-time with One Happy Leaf I feel like I am working on a dream that makes my heart skip a beat. I have a dream to create a movement of women and men who live a holistic life with simple and sustainable values embedded through everything that they do. The result from these efforts is that they are happier for it.
I am designing a life for me, not wishing upon a star or hoping that destiny will intervene and “everything will just fall into place”. Nor am I going to fulfil some cookie-cutter life that is expected of me. Nope. Nope. Nope. Why? Because it doesn’t make me happy. It may have made others happy, and that is completely fine. At the end of the day, everyone wants different things from life. I want to build a movement while having an adventure, full of marvellous days where I am free to choose how to use those hours in each day.
This reason why I am writing this blog is because I wanted to tell you that it’s ok to want more from your life. You’re not selfish. You may need to work harder to make it happen. Sometimes you need to work hard at explaining it to others. So often we hear the cliché, "you only have one life". It’s so true. Don’t waste it away. You will never know where it leads you unless you try. I certainly didn’t believe I would be writing a blog from a Melbourne cafe.
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