Your Blank Page

Louise McCourt - 12 Jan 17

I’m staring at this blank page. The possibilities are endless, which is handy because that’s exactly what I want to write about.

When I was young I watched friends go and travel the world. It was something I wanted to do but the timing was never quite right. At twenty two I felt like I’d missed the boat (literally). Fast forward a year. My job was going nowhere and neither was my latest two year relationship. It was New Years Eve and I was chatting in the pub with a friend who was also fed up. ‘We should go travelling,’ I said. She agreed enthusiastically, as you would after an impressive amount of Pinot Grigio, but somehow the plan stuck and eleven months later we boarded a plane to Bangkok.

However as we get older change seems harder, more uncomfortable than before. Even a small shift can seem intimidating, especially with the commitments we collect over the years. So how or what can make us shake things up? For me, it came out of tragedy..

Three years ago I lost my mum. She was entwined in my daily life and I was left devastated. When my grief fog slowly started to lift, something began to nag at me, a voice in my head. It was loud and clear saying ‘life’s too short!’ I needed a new chapter in my life and there couldn’t have been a better time to just go for it. I applied to study a degree in Creative Writing at a nearby University, something I’d always wanted to do, but never had the nerve before then. I had no idea if I would get a place, but I did! A few months later I was immersed in lectures and loving every minute.

I know others who have made different decisions after a life altering event too…

A dear friend collapsed one morning and was technically dead. Thankfully fate intervened in the form of his wife, whose quick and brave actions saved his life. After a long recovery he eventually went back to work. One night over dinner, he told me he had been offered a promotion. I told him ‘Congratulations!’ but he said he wasn’t taking it. The money was better but it was longer hours and more stress. When I asked what that meant for his career, he told me the job wasn’t one of his top priorities any more and he wanted to plan a once in a life time adventure instead. I couldn’t have been prouder. He has now rented his house out and is on the other side of the world with his young family. That’s a wake up call if ever I’ve heard one.

Another friend is living with cancer. She has changed her life in a different way by taking the bold step of setting up her own business and becoming a vegan. She is an advocate for healthy and positive living and another inspiration to me.

I also have friends who have stepped out of their working lives to travel and several more have relocated abroad completely (with and without children). From what I see, they all couldn’t be happier.

It’s easy to re-write the rule book when you’re young, but we should be able to change things in our life at any point. They don’t have to be big adjustments – have the tattoo you talked about getting or take the short course that’s always interested you. Sometimes it will take a drastic event to realise life is too short and do something about it. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so if it results in a leap of faith.

The first step, whatever your situation, is to make yourself open to change. Work out what you want to to do, then start to make a plan. The pursuit may be daunting, but the satisfaction that comes with actually doing it will out weigh the hard work. Take it from me and good luck! x

Louise McCourt

Mummy of two and freelance writer. My words have made people laugh, cry and be inspired - it doesn't get much better than that.

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