i’m starting to realise that where i live needs to reflect who i am.
there’s the person i see myself as, the way i actually live, and the person other people experience. feeling aligned means those three things matching. if i value adventure and curiosity, they need to show up in my life.
three months in australia gave me a clearer picture of what that could look like. early mornings, training, good food, community, time outside. people working hard while still making room to enjoy the day. i felt at home with the people i met and the things they valued.
that experience has stayed with me. it showed me how much of what i’d accepted as normal was specific to the environment i’d grown up in.
i’m also drawn to the permission to be ambitious that i associate with america. the willingness to try, build something, take a risk and be openly proud when it works. in the uk, i often feel pressure to play that down. i want to be around people who encourage that part of me.
i wonder how much of our appetite for adventure is inherited and how much our surroundings bring out of us. whatever the explanation, i’ve learnt that certain environments make me feel more curious, more capable and more myself.
turning 28 has made this feel more immediate. i want more exploration before mortgages, children and commitments make moving harder. i want enough experience of different places to choose deliberately where i build a life and, eventually, raise a family.
my concerns about the uk add to that feeling. i worry about its direction and whether it’s somewhere i want to take business risks and build my future. seeing people i admire leave makes moving feel more possible, though i still need to make that decision from my own experience.
i think of 21 to 28 as a period of experimentation. 28 to 35 feels like the time to act on what i’ve learnt. build the business, explore properly, choose my surroundings and commit to a life that fits.
adventure and curiosity are two of the clearest values i have. the next seven years need to reflect them.