I remember daydreaming one day about the professional self that I wanted to become. I was midway through my masters in business and was trying to picture what I would look like as a successful business owner.
I made a picture of myself with straight, highlighted hair. I wore a suit skirt outfit with a collared shirt and fancy shoes. I made comments along the side of this image like “long hair” or “get braces”. In my picture, I had a briefcase and was smiling.
I looked down at my current status and sighed. I was going to have to go from cargo pants, hoodies and flip flops to a whole ‘nother me.
I was going to have to change a lot…Or Was I???
Well, truth be told, I thought I had to. I got the suits, the shirts, the briefcase, and went to the salon. I started my business and went to networking events. I had my perfect business cards and my first real website. I got clients, speaking opportunities, and I got Noticed.
But not really in the way that I wanted to be…
Some part of me felt off. It wasn’t really even something I could place at the time, but it was as though I was trying to be some “better” version of myself; but maybe not the right one.
When I packed my bag for Thailand, I can assure you there were no suites (other than bathing suits), no collared shirts, and my fancy shoes were a pair of Reef flip flops that I got on sale for $7.
While it took awhile, I slowly shed the seriousness of my past-professional-self, and started settling back into me. I started doing the things I used to love but had become a bit too ‘caught up’ to do before.
- I started diving again, climbing more, dancing, having wild nights out, letting myself enjoy a cold beer, and playing pool.
- My highlighted hair grew out and faded into its natural sun-streaked self. My skin cleared, my mind cleared and my calendar cleared.
- I’ve spent the past 14 months traveling, writing, sunning, and generally enjoying life.
You can imagine my shock when I was contacted by Discovery Channel to be interviewed and featured on their show. Even as I made arrangements, appointments and scheduled filming dates, I didn’t believe it was really happening.
I was going to be on TV??!!
We spent two days filming. The first day was rock climbing. This was a comedy of errors, trying to get ropes up, cameras up, crew members that were afraid of heights on the rock. Meanwhile, the host, Janet, and I were climbing (with one rope and only two people to belay). We wrapped up climbing and I did my interview on the trail by the rocks that overlook the ocean.
Day two, the whole crew came to my place. We filmed driving on my motorbike, which was a near disaster. I haven’t ever had a passenger, and just learning to drive, I wasn’t quite ready for a camera crew to be following alongside in a tuk-tuk that was running me into oncoming traffic whilst filming. We walked around the beaches, shopped and finished the day out with my birthday party at my friend’s restaurant.
My Old Self…
My old self would’ve been concerned with my hair, or what I would wear. But for some reason I actually didn’t care at all. For climbing, I wound my hair up, had an old pair of sweatpants that my friend gave me, and had on a $5 sports bra shirt.
The second day, we needed to pack quickly for the scene, so I wadded up a cheap beach dress and stuffed it into my bag. That’s what I wore to the party, with a pair of $2 flip flops I bought from 7-11 six months ago. I had on no makeup, and I simply let my hair down… in more ways than one.
The night was a fantastic success… and I felt a new sense of satisfaction… I could be famously myself.
I think the best part about this entire experience was that I knew every aspect was 100% me. My biggest takeaways from this experience were:
- You don’t have to try so hard.
- The more you become yourself, the more people will seek you out.
- Trying to portray a perfect image is meaningless and exhausting. At the end of the day, people want to be around someone who is relaxed, confident, and authentic.
- By leading an authentic life, you can become a true inspiration to everyone.
I’m very grateful for this opportunity and found it incredibly exciting as a Lifestyle Coach to be a guest on a world renowned travel and leisure show. I’ll let you all know the details of when it is going to air, and hopefully you can check it out! Thanks for your ongoing props and support!!
