Sailing away from the safe harbour

This January the wind of change has been blowing through my life. For so many of us, the start of a new year is the time we take stock – to re-evaluate, to consider your options and to make new plans.

Sometimes the wind of change can feel scary, and sometimes it can feel exciting. I’m naturally cautious and my initial bubbles of excitement often get weighed down by niggling fears. While talking about this on social media, fellow blogger Gemma, sent me this quote by Mark Twain

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

This little gem of a quote couldn’t have come at a better time. I’d already earmarked Discover as my word of the year. And here was the invitation I needed to throw caution to the wind and sail away from my safe harbour.

You might be wondering where that wind of change is going to take me. Not very far in physical distance, but a long way in every other sense. Let me explain…

Firstly, we have decided to move house. Nothing is certain yet, but the time feels right. We’ve lived in our house for seven years. Not so long you might think, but a lot has happened in that time.

My children have turned from babies and toddlers into great strapping boys. My husband has changed career. I discovered blogging and began to find myself again after being a stay-at-home mother.

These walls have witnessed so many little milestones during this intense, busy period of our lives. But we’re outgrowing it. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye, but I’m also excited for the new doors that will open along the way. I’ll keep you posted.

What else is changing? I’ve launched my new website for my freelance work. Some of you may already know that I do freelance writing and social media work in Ely and Cambridge – and this is something I want to grow even more in 2018. I feel like I’ve finally found the right job for me – and it sits so well alongside this blog, which I also love.

From now on I’m determined to take every opportunity to “throw off the bow lines.” And last week an opportunity popped up which gave me the opportunity to do just that.

It was an invitation to be interviewed about blogging life by Suzie Thorpe on her live radio show at Cambridge 105. My first reaction was panic – I’ve always been a poor public speaker and worried I’d be incapable of stringing a sentence together.  But to turn down such an exciting opportunity would have been so sad. Luckily for me, my blogger friend Sophie Kate was able to come too – and this gave me the courage I needed to say yes.

Last Friday, we went along to the studio in Cambridge and something of a miracle occurred. Not only did I mange to string a sentence together, I actually enjoyed it and was left wanting more. It helped, of course, that I was talking about blogging – a subject I love. It was such a confidence boost and I was surprised and delighted to discover how good it made me feel. You can listen to a podcast of our interview here.

So, January had very much been a month of discovery. Most of all, I’ve realised that the wind of change I’ve been feeling isn’t a storm I’ve accidently stumbled into, it’s one I’ve created. Deep down I know it’s time for change, and although the way ahead isn’t always clear, I just have to follow my heart.