The butterfly effect: a decade of wild adventure
Recently I read about the famous Artistic Director of a large dance company retiring, and it had a significant effect on me. Life has taken me on a wild adventure over the last decade, and it may not have ever happened if it wasn't for this person.
You may be wondering where I'm going with this. In 2013, I moved from Melbourne to Queensland for two reasons. One part of the reason was that I had hit rock-bottom and was deeply depressed, in the thick of a daily drug habit, and desperate to change my life. I needed to get out of the cold, out of the environment that I was in, and sunny Queensland seemed like the perfect fit.
The other part of that was the guy I had been (only slightly more than casually) seeing had been offered a job. At this particular company by this particular person, and had moved up to take the offer. Continuing what seemed like a good thing, in a sunny new place, was exactly what I needed at the time.
Would I have moved to be with him if it had been any other place? With the number of companies in Australia, the options would have been limited. Had he gone overseas, it would have been goodbye. The specific relationship he had created with this director was the reason he was offered the role. Had that not happened, I would have still been in Melbourne.
The flow-on effect of this decision is huge. I started my own events business, and ended up running marketing events for Apple. My brother moved here too and we became even closer than before...
I volunteered at events and met soul-led business owners, coaches, bloggers, and entrepreneurs. I helped run events to encourage women to nominate as political candidates. I started a Women's Low and Slow BBQ group. I met one of my besties through Yelp Brisbane events. I went back to Uni to do my Nutrition degree and decided to finish my Psychology degree too. With the distance between me and my family of origin, I started to heal.
When I found myself newly-married and divorced, I had my bestie, my brother, and a local coaching company to support me. I was able to pivot my career and dive into an area I had always dreamed of exploring. Walking along the river in the sunshine helped me come back to myself.
A punk bar opened up near my house around the time I was juggling exams, a new career path, and separating a household. It was a welcome escape where I could be my real self and connect with people who gave a shit what I was going through. My people.
One of the people who was often there to listen to my weekly debrief over a few beers, was Scott. Two years later we were together, and two years after that we got married. Before the pandemic, I planned to move to Sydney to work for 12-18 months and hang out with my bestie before making my way back home to Melbourne. Lockdown, redundancy, and a new love kept me in Brisbane. Who knows what might have happened if there was no pandemic.
When I went all-in on my inner work through my divorce, I had no idea that I would end up working as a coach for that very company. There are so many little things that I look back on and connect the dots. It helps me trust the Universe and the way that things unfold.
I'm so grateful for all the things that led me to the life I have today. I wouldn't change a thing. I'm in this exact place; happy and in love, married to my dream guy and 7 months pregnant, building our first home. All because of one person taking a job at a company that had a flow on effect on my life that they will never know about. It blows my mind.
More than that, I know for sure that I have made the absolute most out of the cards that have been handed to me over time. I've done so much, explored possibilities, tried things on for size, moved on... and created a life for myself that feels authentic and fulfilling. Accepting the situations we find ourselves in is one thing, but really making it work for us is another. Being able to intentionally move forward in line with your values and despite fear is a real gift.
The incredible transformations that I've navigated over the last 10 years have been supported by many tools and processes. I teach many of them in my courses and 1:1 programs that use my recently created signature, The Phoenix Framework! I've been dreaming of this moment throughout the last decade and I finally here to share it with you. If you would like to learn how to rise from the ashes like I have, get in touch!
Side note: The Butterfly Effect (2004) was also a great movie that had Ashton Kutcher in a serious role , and he was really good in it. I may have to go back and rewatch it. The whole concept is wild.