We all change right?  Maybe as a result of something happening in our lives, something negative or positive, something in our control or out of it, but for me, it’s ultimately an age thing.

The crazy, alcohol fuelled nights out stopped a while back, around 13 years to be exact.  It’s not that there hasn’t been the odd glass or 3 since then, but what was 3-4 nights a week on the razz is now maybe 5 or 6 times a year, which sounds extreme, but suits me fine. Conspicuous consumption also took a down turn, not having all my income to myself for one, but also just losing the want for materialistic stuff, and stuff in general, preferring a more minimalist lifestyle.

But what’s filled that gap is a number of things, learning for one, something I have always done and been interested in.  I gave up watching TV about 4 years ago after realising I could be doing something more valuable with my time.  The soaps made me cringe more than anything else, the weather was always the same, wet in the South West, and as for the news, just too depressing.

Instead, I made an effort to read more, to learn more and to teach myself something so I began reading journal articles on business and marketing, which complimented my day job, with a few Danielle Steel’s thrown in, but more recently there’s been another change.   Having thought a lot about work over the last 12 month or so, and admitting to myself that my passion for what I do for this company has gone, and that I needed to find it again, I’ve been reading books and listening to podcasts of a somewhat different genre, an unexpected one to some extent, an area I never knew existed.

Broadening the mind is never a bad thing and of late philosophy, positive mindset and global culture are just a few of the things I’ve been engrossed in.  Sounds a little deep I know (especially for those of you who know me!) but I am just loving learning more about this and ultimately, learning more about myself.

I’ve always been the smiley, positive, optimistic goofy one, and that will always be the case and I guess we learn to dance in the different categories of our lives; mother, sister, wife, employee, friend, but I do believe that we also have to just be ourselves at some point, when it’s just us in that quiet room, away from all the façades that we portray, and it’s only when you’re fully you that you can work out what YOUR passion is, what makes YOU tick, what’s YOUR life’s purpose, something I’ve spent recent times debating.

We are the sum total of all the decisions we make in life so we need to own it, choose what to care about and what to spend our time on.  Happiness isn’t a destiny, it’s a journey so get rid of the anchors in your life that are holding you back, have a plan, have a dream, be persistent and enjoy the ride until you reach it.

For me, the result of learning from these amazing books and podcasts is that I’ve quit my 20yr career!  Some have said I’m brave and some have said I’m crazy for giving up a £50+K job a year working form home with two kids and a house in tow, but I don’t see it that way.  Money isn’t a means to measuring your self worth, same as your appearance or your career isn’t, only your values and passions will do that for you.

But I see this massive change in my life as me being proactive, proactive in getting rid of the things in my life that don’t make me smile anymore and concentrating on the things that do.  It really is just that simple.

Rhian
x
#workkidssleep