In December last year we handed in our notice on the house we rented and I handed my notice in on my temp job. A month or so before the boyf had got a new job based outside of town. Our house was insanely cold and in poor condition. And the area we lived in was rather undesirable. We were unhappy. No-one wants to be unhappy, so why stay unhappy? The only way to deal with this unhappy state was to change. Something had to change. And I am a firm believer in the power of change.
With only a couple of weeks until Christmas and then New Year’s Eve and then my birthday we had set ourselves up for quite a challenge to find somewhere to live. The fact is we totally did not have any time to really look for a new place and when moving day finally came we had to pack all of our belongings up into storage and check into my Mum’s house for a few weeks. To many a grown adult the thought of moving back in with their parents might fill them with horror. But I think I am pretty lucky to get on well with my family and we know it’s only a temporary measure. The point is that we are making a change and a change is a positive thing.
Too often I hear of friends or family or acquaintances who are unhappy with their life or their current situation. Too often I see them stay in exactly the same situation. Too often I hear them put up obstacles and make up arbitrary reasons for staying in the same situation that makes them so unhappy. But I just cannot relate. I am not one to put up with a situation if it is not working. In my mind, if something doesn’t work you either fix it or you move on. We knew we couldn’t fix the house or the town we were living in so we moved on.
I admit it takes a bit of courage to make drastic life changes like this. And I won’t pretend that it hasn’t been incredibly stressful. But I just believe in change. Life is too short to be unhappy.
I did something similar a few years back. I was in a pretty much dead end job working in London. I loved London. I lived in a flat with my best friend and I loved our little flat. I loved my best friend. But I was unhappy. I’d lost my way a little bit and a health scare forced me to sit up and make a drastic decision. With hardly any money to my name I quit my job, moved out of my flat and boarded a flight to Bangkok. I needed a break and a chance to see the world. I need to challenge myself, scare myself and learn to survive. The change was exactly what I needed and when I came back to the UK I had a new set of challenges in mind. Ever since then I have consistently altered my path when life guided me that way. I do believe that my life is the better for it and I feel very fortunate.
Sure, I’m not a super-successful career woman nor do I have a family, mortgage or car of my own. But I am relatively happy and my life is constantly moving forward and I am adamant that everything will always get better.
So I believe in change because that is what my instincts tell me and they have never been wrong. Sometimes it means putting myself into slightly awkward situations along the way or it means I might be a little short on the pennies – these sacrifices are sometimes necessary. I believe that life is too short to be unhappy. I believe that change can be healthy, inspiring and useful. But most of all, I think change is often the kick up the backside you need to make things better.
What is the most drastic life change you have made?
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Image credits – If You Change Nothing // Mobijo Etsy Shop : Trust Your Instincts // Ashley G Etsy Shop
