On October 24th, 2019 I landed in Sydney with three suitcases and not a clue what my life would look like. I walked off the plane to see Kyle, knowing I didn’t know anyone else in the entire country — it was a weird feeling.
Those first two years were one of the hardest times in my life. It took me a while to make friends, I felt lost with my career, I was living in a lockdown for over a year without the ability to go visit my family. But I knew that Australia was worth the patience. I slowly made friends, I grew my coaching business, I tried new things, I had some failures, and I made pivots when I needed to. Now, 5 years into this life abroad, I finally feel like I’m hitting my stride.
I love working from Australia and having the freedom to work from wherever I need to. I am so so proud of that 2019 me who decided to try. To move. To start over. To change the course of my life. It’s better than I ever expected.
Sharing some 5 year reflections below:
You will grow.
- Moving abroad to a place I had never even visited felt risky and scary because IT WAS. I never thought I would do anything like this, but the growth I have had in countless ways is immeasurable. I am more brave, I am more confident, I am more secure in my choices, I am more “me” than I was when I lived in Chicago. I had coffee with a friend back in Chicago last month and she said, “It has been so fun to watch you evolve.”
You will learn what’s important.
- That feeling of missing out will subside (a little bit). Your priorities may shift, your friendships may shift, but you will prioritize what’s important to you. I put the same if not more energy into my relationships now.
You will cherish family time more than before.
- Yes, Australia is really far away. I don’t see my family as frequently as I did or as I would like to, BUT the time we do have a couple times a year is longer periods of quality time. We make the most of it, we treat it as a celebration, and I think we get more out of it.
You will be the best version of yourself.
- Living far away, stepping outside of your comfort zone, facing challenges, and choosing your happiness again and again helps you become the best version of yourself (I think). I chatted with a friend here about this the other day that living in Australia has helped create the best version of her and now that is who she shows up as for everyone in her life — and I couldn’t agree more. I love the 5 years into life in Australia version of me and I think it has made me better at showing up for everyone else in my life.
And I will share this quote every year:
“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” – Miriam Adney
It isn’t easy, but I wouldn’t change a thing. The richness I feel from loving people in so many places is worth it.
