What if I fall?

…But darling, what if you fly?

Isn’t it interesting that each time we pursue something new there is a moment, even for a split second when we doubt our ability to succeed? I'm guilty of this way of thinking and over the years I've practiced different techniques to help me snap out of it.

After a while, it gets easier to get out of. Like most things, the more you practice, the better you get at it.

I remember being nervous about a job interview to be a sales assistant at a lingerie store in Knightsbridge - Rigby & Peller. It was my first job that I'd get by myself. All previous jobs were through friends so I didn't have much interview experience. At this point, I had moved out from my parents and moved in with my sister, her boyfriend, and a good family friend and I needed to start paying rent, bills, etc. That part was exciting because it meant I was starting to learn what it meant to live independently, pay my way, and not rely on my parents. To do that, I needed a job but this time, not through a friend and my parents were not ones to help me out. Yes, it annoyed me at the time but I'm thankful for that now!

Being so nervous about this interview I asked my sister for help. She advised me to think about female actresses or characters in a movie that I admired or who embodied the confidence I wanted to mirror in my interview. To my surprise, this helped me and by the end of the interview, they confirmed I got the job. I can't put it down to just this technique but it helped me get out of my head!

Let me flash forward to one of the biggest leaps I've ever taken. I moved from the UK to the US for work. At the time, I had been with my company for 7 years. The many opportunities to grow professionally and travel is what kept me around. When the opportunity to move, I didn't hesitate at all, of course, I said YES.

Why was this exciting to me? I wanted to move to the US for so many years prior. I have family in Washington state, Texas, and New York. I also have my half sister and her family in Canada so the opportunity to be closer to all of them is exciting to me. I haven't seen them as often as I'd like - being a workaholic has kept me from making intentional plans to see a lot but when I do I make sure I take in a huge dose of family time.

Was I nervous? Absolutely! but the nerves didn't hinder me from pushing forward with plans of building a life here. I have learned so much about myself since moving here. I won't go through all of this now, I'll get to it on a podcast likely with insights from friends and family. I'm excited to do that recording :)