A life well-lived

So, bare with me. I’m going through something here.

I’m coming up to 50, which I’m ok with (at least at the moment.)

I’ve never been what you would call ‘a career woman’. I mean, I’ve always worked, but I was never plotting my world domination.

I just wanted to be happy. (Don’t we all!)

Anyway, I recently had a situation at work where one of our co-workers went missing. It was a huge shock, and their family was understandably devastated.

A missing persons file was created and the police were involved, the parents flew in from overseas. It was the real deal.

Now, due to the fact that my direct line manager was going through her own personal hell at the time AND I was the Mental Health Ambassador for Australia, it seemed natural for me to head up this investigation (with the help of the police of course) and manage the mental health of all parties involved.

Sadly, the outcome wasn’t what we hoped for.

Now, the ripple of waves that spread throughout the company was massive and intense, as expected.

I helped the parents as best we could manage the logistics whilst also trying to grieve. I supported and helped centre my other co-workers in dealing with their loss. In between time, I also informed leadership of recommendations as to how to handle the situation best.

At the funeral I was like an under cover cop watching out for people not coping or having anxiety attacks and the like.

I worried that some would think I was cold-hearted, but I’m not, I’m just grounded.

Grounded in the experiences I’ve personally had in my life that prepared me for these moments.

I’ve had quite the litany of experiences when it comes to mental health and the one thing I’ve learnt is that, like it or not, tomorrow still comes and you still have to get up and do it again – and ultimately, as a result, you realise, you are stronger than you ever thought possible.

But, all of this I already knew.

I knew that my superpowers would help me help everyone else in need during that time.

But, when life eventually went back to 'normal,' and I was back at my desk, pretending to be a spreadsheet wizard; that's when it hit me:

I was basically forced into this role. Like, 'Hey, you're the Mental Health Guru, figure it out!'

I was made to use my trauma and my experiences to help others.

My entire life has led me to this point.

I’ve flitted around in my career. I started in advertising when I was young and clueless about what I wanted to do with my life – but that was mostly because I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up (other than just happy and at peace) and so I just took the first job I could get. I spent a good chunk of my 20's in that world until I had a bit of a motorbike mishap. That laid me up for six months or so.

After all that drama, I got really into taking care of myself. I mean, lying around all day wasn't doing my body or mind any favours. So I dove headfirst into this whole health and wellness thing – nutrition, NLP, the works. I even started my own little NLP studio!

But let's just say, one of my clients got a little too enthusiastic about our sessions, so I had to call the cops.

So, I pivoted and became a Personal Trainer. I still used my NLP skills, but my focus was more on helping people get fit and healthy.

It was a much less chaotic gig!

I did that whole 5 AM gym rat thing for a solid decade.

It was my routine, my life!

But then, after having my kids, I got a crazy autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's. Turns out, waking up at 5 AM and pulling all-nighters with two little ones wasn't the healthiest combo.

So, I traded in my gym clothes for mum jeans and became a full-time mum until my kids started school.

Then I had this crazy idea to move to Switzerland, but my husband wasn't quite sold. So, I thought, 'If I can crack the finance world, I can crack Switzerland!' After all, Switzerland is basically the finance capital of the world. So, I became a financial advisor.

But life again had other plans.

My dad got leukaemia, and Switzerland went on the backburner.

Around the same time, this property tycoon offered me a sweet deal. Talk about a lucky break!

But, of course, life had other plans... He committed suicide.

And to top it all off, my dad also passed away.

It was a real rollercoaster, and not the fun kind.

I got a job at 3M just to earn money. It was a churn and burn kind of role.

Well, AGAIN, life had other plans.

I had a stroke, which mostly messed with my brain, not my body.

And that, my friend, led to a bit of a career break.

When I started to get better, I worked on mental health for children, I created a product to help them. I also worked at an OOSH teaching young kids the power of thoughts and filters and perceptions.

Then I needed a job, so I became a receptionist, who was then promoted to HR, who then became the global mental health ambassador. Crazy huh?!

Well not really. I feel like, even though I filled in some random job roles here and there, my true calling was always looking after people's mental well-being.

I mean, I truly believe happiness is being your best self.

And ultimately, that’s all I wanted right, happiness. To be the best version of myself.

I’ve learnt a lot along the way on how to do that and now I want to help people be their best selves too.

And then it hit me, like a ton of bricks...

All my life, I've been training for this exact moment!

I have experienced many major trauma’s – suicide, abuse, serious illnesses, crazy family dynamics, self-harm, breakups, cheating, accidents, and even a stroke. I've felt the sting of poverty and the pain of bullying too.

Basically, if it's a tough life experience...

I've probably lived it.

... As Elton John says

“I’m still standing”...

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Can you believe it took me until my golden years to figure this out?

It's like this big, obvious sign was flashing in front of my face, and

I was too busy chasing

squirrels to notice.

So, here's the million-dollar question...

What has your life been subtly nudging you towards all this time?

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