What revolution do you want to lead?

It is Day Seven of the Live Your Legend writing challenge. I think I must be the last person to finish this, as it has taken WEEKS to get this far. This is mostly because I have been busy setting up our marine conservation charitable cause Friends for Sharks and continuing with our World Tour plans for 2015. It is such a privilege to be working full time on this and it is leading me down paths of discovery I didn’t even know existed. It has huge highs and lows, I am learning every day and it is incredible. The best bit is that I am doing what I love and people are interested. Dive clubs, schools and aquariums are booking events with us and this morning I received emails from schools in The Cook Islands wanting to work with us. Did I really make this happen?? It is a leap of faith and one I wouldn’t change (even when I lie awake at night unable to sleep due to fear).

Enjoy the Friends for Sharks blog at www.friendsforsharks.com

I have also taken another leap of faith and entered a travel writing competition. I have never branched into travel writing and felt it was time to push myself and try. Admittedly it terrifies me and I don’t think my writing is necessarily of a ‘travel’ style but we shall see. I hope you enjoy the first of my four entries under the competition theme “Gratitude: A Place That Inspires You to Feel Strong and Hopeful.” 

The Watercolour Coast

Just over the prow of the hill lies the Watercolour Coast

For the final day of the writing challenge I am asked…

What revolution do you want to lead?

The more I pursue my path in life, the more I realise that I simply want to inspire and encourage people to reconnect with the oceans and sharks through my work. I want to provide a healthy dose of optimism and love for the natural world around us at a time when I believe we need it most. I want to be the voice that people listen to and walk away afterwards feeling uplifted and empowered to make changes to improve their life and the environment around them. I also want to be the written voice that takes people away from their troubles in life and comforts them with beautiful words of positivity, enthusiasm and storytelling.

On which note, I have almost finished the final edit of my first book. All 123,000 words of it. It is time to take one more leap of faith and begin the process of approaching publishers with my work.

Have a wonderful day, think about what revolution you want to lead….and then DO IT.

Sunrise at Seal Island, Fale Bay, South Africa.

What’s your elevator pitch?

Isn’t it strange how we feel fear when someone asks us to define our hopes, desires and dreams? As if it is somehow selfish and unrealistic to have them? In this day and age the world desperately needs more dreamers, more creators and people who are willing to step up to the mark and create a better future for mankind. Nonetheless this question fills me with fear. So….what is my elevator pitch?

I am excited about inspiring others that feet lost and unsure about their path in life to step outside of the conventions of society, outside of their fears, dream big and lead a life that is true to the person they are. I am excited about reconnecting people with the natural world around us, specifically the oceans and those magnificent, awe inspiring creatures called sharks.

 

I am also excited, deeply excited, about writing. More than anything else in this world I want to use my words and create new worlds.

I am excited about this because I know how inspiring words can change a life. I have been incredibly lost at times, an outsider full of fear, and it is an incredible gift to now be able to pass on my knowledge, experiences and passion to inspire others to step up and make a change for their future. I am so crazy excited about the possibility of inspiring others to make a positive change within this world.

It ties into my story because I turned my life around against the odds and I know how it feels to be in need of support. I have such passion to inspire others, to speak up on behalf of those that can’t and I have plenty of experience of life’s pitfalls and getting up time and again to keep creating. I can relate to people, I care about them and I can  create bonds that I believe lift people and make their day that much brighter just by reading my words.

My elevator pitch isn’t very refined yet, it isn’t as short as it ought to be (1-2 sentences max) but I can hear the passion inside me trying to overcome my limiting beliefs, I can feel that I care and it is giving me an idea of how to define and act up on my passions. Take a moment yourself and have a go at creating your elevator pitchThe Live Your Legend guidance to do so is here. Go for it!

Inspire Me

The Other Side of Ugly – You are not a tree

Totally Inspired Mind – Yesterday I was clever

Mastering Today – Change your life

Princess of the light – Be the little engine and believe

Positive Outlooks – Regret is not an ideal way of life

Never (Ever) Give Up

Today has been awesome, so full of bright sunshine – and that is just from the people out there that have connected with me! What a perfect day to smile! You have all inspired me so much with your views and comments on here.

This post goes out to all the Free Rangers that read my story on the Friday Love Letter, the Free Rangers that I know are busy flapping their wings towards their dreams of freedom. Each and every one of you is incredible and I am so excited for you…who knows where today’s dream will take you tomorrow.

All I have ever wanted to do is inspire people to achieve their dreams and help them along the way with words of encouragement and a supportive arm around the shoulders that says ‘you can do this’. To know that I have inspired one or two of you to just go for it in life is simply wonderful. Thank you for making my day so special and for inspiring me to never (ever) give up.

And for those of you that don’t know about Free Range Humans, you really need to check this tribe out. They are incredible people. Go find them, join us and be inspired…

Free Range Humans

I think today is also the perfect day to share with you that, you know what, I know how it feels to be on the journey of going free range and I know how utterly terrifying it can be to make the decision to stand up and say

 ‘Hey, this isn’t working for me. I want to change my life and I’m going to do this’

 It is terrifying reaching that moment and I remember so many sleepless nights as I wondered if I could actually admit that let alone do something about it. The pressure and expectation placed upon all of us by society is huge and I couldn’t begin to imagine standing up to that and saying

‘Actually, I believe in another way. I’m sorry but I don’t buy into this for me’

That moment for me came this time last year at a family reunion – which was also going to be my wedding day as it happened. As you know from my previous posts and the Friday Love Letter, the groom had departed prior to then and rather than be sad we turned it into a family reunion day. My brother and family flew over from Australia especially to be there as a surprise. I remember standing in the kitchen thanking everyone for their support after my groom had left me and toasting to a brighter future. I then broke down in tears and confessed all…that I couldn’t go on like this, all I wanted to do was follow my dreams of working with sharks and being creative. I felt ashamed that I had such a dream, ashamed that I was admitting it and terrified that my family would reject me. This feeling had been within me for years and I embarrassed yet felt free to be admitting it – even if it did mean I had tears in my pink champagne damn it.

I couldn’t believe it when my family turned to me one by one and, with a smile in their eyes, said ‘We always knew you were a free spirit and wondered why you hadn’t done that many years ago’.

And so my journey began

With my sisters by my side the following day, I wrote down exactly what it was I wanted to do. They did the same and it was a powerful moment as we committed to realising our dreams. I signed and dated it and promised myself that a year later I would be making it happen. Don’t for a minute think I actually believed I could make it happen though. I was convinced it was impossible but by writing it down I had at least made my dream real on paper. Not once did I think a year later that dream would have come true.

You see I am not naturally confident in my abilities; I have to work on my confidence and anxieties daily as look in the mirror and dislike the reflection I see. I know how it feels to sit down in tears on the edge of my bed (many many times) and feel my heart break into pieces as I realise I am just not good enough to achieve my dreams. That there is no value in who I am, no value in what I want to do and I will never make a change and fly free. But the thing I have learnt lately is this…Those feelings, those fears are NOT real. They are tricks of the mind, tricks of our primitive emotional brain yet they consume and break all of us at some point. They are the moments that have made me give up in the past and convince myself that I should just do what everyone else does and throw my dreams away. I am sure you have had those moments too, we all do. So if you take one thing from me, please take this.

 Your fears are NOT real. They are NOT real. They make no sense, serve no purpose and will NEVER help you. Do not listen to them and NEVER GIVE UP

If you are reading this as someone about to make the decision to fly or your confidence and courage are wavering, remember we all have days like that. It is okay to feel that way, just don’t listen too closely to the fears and don’t believe the voice that tells you to give up.

NEVER (EVER) GIVE UP

Instead, go find someone inspiring to lift your spirits or maybe even remember my little story. I am not superhuman, I don’t have a long list of talents and skills. I am just ME but finally I am realising that every ME and, of course, every YOU has gifts and heart to share with this world. If you just keep on dreaming big, keep on believing in yourself you CAN do it.

I know you can do it because I am doing it right now and if I can make it happen then you definitely can too.

May you all keep chasing your dreams, keep flapping those wings and fly free. And make sure you tell me how you get on as you leap to your freedom xx