The other day, I was having a chat with a friend and she told me about a work-related crossroad that she is at. Now, while this isn’t necessary to the story, I have to tell you – this friend is all kinds of wonderful. She is intelligent, hard-working, ambitious, kind and currently works in a fairly lucrative job. Essentially, she has the ‘dream job’ for many in her field. Yet, she’s come to realise, it’s not her dream job. She’s not disputing that she enjoys it, she simply feels like there’s more than this. 

Recently, she was offered another position, one that many would see as a ‘demotion’ to what she’s currently doing, but one that really excites her and may open up other avenues and professional opportunities for her, beyond anything she’s going to get working her 9-5 office job. 

As we chatted, it became clear that she was in a ‘head over heart’ predicament. Logic tells her that her current job is too good to throw away, but her heart is yearning for something more. 

I’m not going to go into the nitty gritty details of our discussion, but I found that her sentiments were ones that I’ve been feeling lately too. One thing my dear friend said to me during this conversation stood out to me for days. She said:

‘We’ve got a long time on this earth. I don’t want to spend most of it just getting through it.’ 

And she is so totally right. 

If there’s a decision you’re struggling with at the moment, or your heart is yearning for more, can I please encourage you to listen to it. Follow your heart. Step off the beaten track. Forget the prestige of where you’ve come from, or the weight of society’s expectation on what you ‘should do’ and just get out there and do it. Do it for the you that is reading this and do it for every future version of you that lays ahead. You are worthy of living a life you love, and you deserve every ounce of happiness. 

Then, once you’ve done it and pushed that comfort zone wider, use your voice to encourage others to do the same. After all, this is the only life we’ve got – it’d be an awful shame to only give it a half-hearted effort.