Show Up

For most people, it’s not easy figuring out what to do with your life, let alone how to turn your passion into a lifestyle. Believe it or not, I was one of those people. For a long time, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do, only that I wanted to make it big! The best way to find your direction is to give things a go.

Sometimes I think how different my life might have been if I never went to Singapore. You do need to get out of your comfort zone sometimes. Sitting around and overthinking things will often make a situation worse, while getting up and trying something new will bring a shift. I tried plenty of things that didn’t work out before I discovered my passion, including going to university and a job I really hated.

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After I finished high school, I moved back to Australia and enrolled in a business degree. I didn’t do it because I saw it as my career pathway, I just couldn’t face taking on a nine-to-five job. I figured that since the degree had the word ‘business’ in it, it might give me a chance of following in my step-dad’s entre­prenuerial footsteps.

I soon realised that this particular university course wasn’t the kind of business dream I had in mind at all and, despite getting good grades, subjects like Economics 101 weren’t doing it for me. Truthfully? I hated it and, like for so many other high-school leavers, the years after I left were pretty crappy. There’s so much pressure, making that big decision about what to do with the rest of your life, and most of us have no idea. Even though the person probably means well, when I hear people asking teenagers, ‘What are you planning to do after school?’, I want to step in and say, ‘Hey, don’t ask them that, it’s too much pressure!

How is anyone at that age supposed to just ‘know’? That pressure was something I didn’t cope with well at all and having seen what people in Singapore were capable of made me feel, in a way, even more useless, indecisive and inadequate. At that point, I spiralled down in a pretty bad way. I was partying hard and smoking weed, which only made me sadder. My energy and motivation to do anything vanished. I became lost and depressed and didn’t know how to climb out of the hole I found myself in.

Then someone suggested meditation and yoga. Lucky for me, I’ve always been open to trying new things. Get out of your comfort zone, Tammy, I thought. I was in a pretty low state, so I figured anything was worth a shot. How hard could it be? I opened a meditation app, thinking I’d be told to chill and take some deep breaths. Little did I know, I was about to have my mind blown.

Guided into a deeply relaxed state, I became hyper-aware of every molecule in my body. My imagination kicked into action. With the deep breathing acting like a drug, I felt like I was being scanned energetically and healing with each inhale/exhale. In that moment, I learnt the meaning of being ‘truly present’. At the same time it felt like I was having an out-of-body experi­ence. When it was over, I felt totally transformed.

Meditation led to yoga, where I began training as an instructor. From there, the world of weight training and fitness opened up. Each day, moving my body began recalibrating my mind. It was like a light had been switched on, illuminating what had been a dark place. It was as if the exercise and mind-work had unlocked the universe. Suddenly, and with complete clarity, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I knew what my passion was.

Give it a go

Have you ever tried something new and thoroughly enjoyed it? Maybe there’s something you used to love doing that you haven’t done for a while. Either way, could you make more time for it . . . could it even become your passion? Your career?

Here are a few ideas to prompt you. Circle the ones that appeal and maybe add in a few more. Come back and revisit this list often, continuing to try new things until something clicks. Doing what you love is always a good idea and, who knows, it may just lead to you getting paid for it. It did for me.

Things to try:

• Organising social events
• Going to new places
• Working out
• Meditating
• Planning an adventure
• Creating imaginary worlds
• Taking up music
• Trying a new hobby
• Other: __________________

Your inner journey reflects your outer one 🌸 I love working out & working on my physical form, it’s a kind of therapy for me. But your mind is something even more important to work on . . . I challenge you to start doing 5–10 minutes of mindfulness in the morning or evening. See how it makes you feel, see how your life evolves & changes. Your sense of peace, your mood, your mindset, and in turn, your actions & your life.