This is a sponsored post for American Express.
I was asked recently to be an ambassador for a new American Express campaign aimed at encouraging others to follow their passion in life like I did, and it brought back a memory of a few months ago.
I was asked to go and speak to a group of people about success. They wanted to hear my story, my journey and the pivotal moments that led me to where I am now. I was in my stretching and growing stage, so I promptly said “Yes!” and then the freak out began.
I called my sister, “What on earth am I going to say? Success? I’m not successful, what will I tell them?”
“Are you serious?” she laughed, “Go away and write it. You can do it.”
What I do right now feels like a happy accident. A very happy accident. When I look back it’s actually a mix of finding my passion, taking chances and a handful of hard work…
When I was in school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be. I was voted the most proficient in the class every year, and was a bit of a nerd. I loved learning. I loved school. I remember one day, in about Grade 5, a teacher pulled me aside to ask, “What do you want to do when you’re older?”
In my heart I knew I wanted to be a mum, but I felt the teacher wanted a response more career-driven than that so I said, “A vet. I’d liked to be a vet.”
I had no real desire to be a vet. Of course I loved animals, but I didn’t want to cut them open, bandage them up and fix their ailments. But it satisfied the teacher at the time.
Looking back though, I was a keen storyteller. I’d write stories that my teachers would ask me to read to my class. When the teacher had a few chores to do, he’d ask me to sit in front of the class and read a novel to them. I loved stories and words. In high school my attention turned to photography, my most favourite class ever, but I thought of it as more of a hobby.
I read magazines from a young age, and collected them like they were my greatest possession. I dreamed of writing in them one day, but thought it was a dream that wasn’t attainable. Only the truly fabulous wrote in magazines, didn’t they?
So, I went on with school, planned to go to University to study advertising {another teacher-pleaser decision} and then I fell sick. For almost two months I could barely walk, or eat and I lost a truckload of weight. I had to defer Uni and create a plan B, which became nannying.
In short, I nannyed for 12 years. For the most part, I loved it. I loved working with children and being part of their families. I knew the whole time that it was just a plan B and that at some stage I needed to find my plan A, my passion.
And then I gave birth to my daughter and something changed inside me. When she was a few months old, I wanted something for me. So after being inspired by a friend I started a blog. At first it was a place for me to put my thoughts, and tell my stories. I set it to private and wrote for me. I shared it with a few people online, and I just loved the community, the sharing and the connecting… and I was hooked. I set my blog to public and a dream was born.
Within a few months I’d been featured in an article by the Sydney Morning Herald, my readership was growing and connecting with my stories and a fire was alight inside of me.
I was still juggling nannying, writing my blog and being a mum, when I was contacted by the Editor of Kidspot to be part of their team. So on top of my full-time nanny job, I did 20 hours a week at Kidspot {mostly at nights and early mornings}. After 6 months I went to the editor and asked to be taken on full-time. She believed in me, but the CEO took a bit of convincing. I promised the world and was taken on.
I quit my job as a nanny {which was excruciating and sad, one of the hardest things I’ve done as I adored my family but I knew they would outgrow me} and I started working online, from home, full-time.
It was at Kidspot that I found a passion for Social Media. Connecting with people in all corners of the world on topics close to the heart? Brilliant. I worked my butt off for two years. I maintained my blog, worked hard at Kidspot and somehow managed to get dinner on the table {sometimes}. The thing about the internet is that it never, ever sleeps. Never. It’s a hungry beast that will eat up everything you have, whenever it can. So, when you think you’re giving it your everything, it will always want for more… which is kinda… exhausting and exciting at the same time.
When the owner of Kidspot sold the business and the headlines hit that the sale was in part due to the Facebook fan base I’d created in my role, something sparked inside me. Perhaps I could do something on my own. What I was doing was already making an impact…
It was then I created three goals for myself: I wanted to work from home, live where ever I wanted and eventually work for myself, connecting with people from all around the world {in whatever form that took}. Oh, and I wanted a dog.
So it started with that little whisper inside, and then over the months it became louder, until when I was away on the Problogger trip in June that it became so loud it could no longer be ignored. So I sent off an email and I quit. I moved up the coast. I worked part-time for Mamamia for a short time and then decided to take the huge leap and go out on my own. Unlike the past decisions in my life that have seemed to take months, I decided in a day that I could go out on my own and achieve my own dreams and goals…
Of course it sounds like it was as easy as switching from one favourite bread type, and simply picking another from the shelf for a change. In reality I felt sick with fear, but there was this underlying sense of calm that everything was going to be just dandy. I called on a lot of friends and family for support. I must have mustered, “Can I really do this?” a gazillion times.
And I’m doing it, and loving it. I’m able to stay home with my daughter, and work too. I’m able to continue sharing stories. Being part of a brilliant community with the photo a day challenges, doing some freelance for a great company and I’m the proud owner of a dog. And a cute one at that.
It’s been a lot of hard work {working weird hours}, setting smaller goals and lofty ones too, taking chances, saying yes, and saying no when things don’t feel right. But I’m so glad I made the decisions I did, as scary as it felt at the time. And I’m glad that one day I decided to open up my computer and start a blog.
My dreams evolve and change as the days pass. I still have so much I want to do and achieve. So, let’s see what happens, shall we?
I told my story to that group of people that day. We chatted about online, social media and my journey. After finishing, I walked out, closing the door behind me and took a deep breathe, standing just metres from the room. I’d done it. And hopefully it was interesting.
Suddenly, I heard the door behind me open and the group leader came out. My heart sank. Was it not inspiring enough? Did they need me to go back in and make stuff up?
“Everyone’s asking to get a photo with you. Can you come back in?”
I laughed, and went back in for a photo or twenty. No pretend inspiring stories required.
I feel so lucky to be living my dreams, and you could realise your true potential too. Do you have a dream that you want to achieve? I’ve been selected as one of three ambassadors for American Express in their new campaign, alongside Marion Grasby and Samantha Wills. American Express Realise Your Potential in 2013 is an opportunity for people all over Australia {that means you} to take their passions to the next level. We’re asking people to share their passion in photos – you can see my photos here for inspiration - and then perhaps yours will be selected to be made true. There will be three winners, one major winner and two runner-up winners, who will receive the chance to take their passion to the next level. I’m so excited for the winner. Head over here to enter before 21st February 2013.
