One of the first changes I made was to look for work opportunities in areas I was passionate about: cooking, health, wellness and food businesses with a sustainable edge. I spent hours scrolling through social media to find companies whose ethos and focus were in these areas. I found loads, which excited me, and I speculatively approached these businesses and, after a lot of rejection, ended up working with some of them for years as a freelancer.

This little change made me realise that actually I could start to shape my reality. Having a full-time job wasn’t the only option. I began to do a number of different things beginning a portfolio career with various part-time jobs in marketing, PR and admin assistance, occasional help at a supper club, lots of market research jobs, and alongside I studied more in health and wellness. It was super busy, but it was varied, and I thrived on the different projects for a while. 

I also started feeling less like I was missing out on things I didn’t go to. As my schedule was so busy, I had to say no to a lot. But I eventually realised I didn’t want to be doing those things, and it was great to have a valid excuse. Many of them actually depleted me and I needed to keep my energy levels high. Plus, following what brought me joy and experimenting with different roles was much more exhilarating. Even though, I definitely filled my life up with too many different things (and I learned that later) I felt like I was heading in a direction that spoke to my heart at last.

What areas in your life are not bringing you joy, and you’d much rather be missing out on? 

Where can you make little changes to follow or find the things that will bring you joy?

This blog post is an excerpt from my book. You can get your own copy of Embodied here or anywhere you buy your books online.

Photo by Kaitlin Duffey on Unsplash.