Editor’s Note: This is a post from Edwina Storie, a freelance journalist based in Sydney, Australia who recently quit her full-time job in pursuit of her dream to be a freelance writer. Since then, she has contributed to ABC’s Radio National, GQ and international magazine Renegade Collective.
It was last Monday afternoon at about 2:30 when I realised I was living my #dream. And it was not at all what I had imagined.
Until Monday I thought dreams were one big goal that all culminated into a single moment where you know, this is it. This is your dream – everything you’ve failed at, struggled for and overcome has contributed to this realisation.
I thought dreams were major accomplishments like giving a thank you speech for winning an Oscar or buying a waterfront investment property. I thought dreams were very specific goals that you put on a vision board or a ten-year career plan.
But my idea of what a dream is has recently become a little blurred.
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| Blurred dreams. Photo credit: Madhya (Flickr Creative Commons) |
A few months ago I quit my full-time job to be a freelance writer. Dumb decision many would say – myself included – but something the universe gave me quite a public kick up the pants to do. But we’ll leave that story for another post themed ‘life lessons’.
So back to Monday.
I was sitting with Leanne Whitehouse, the founder of the Whitehouse Institute of Design, hearing about her journey from being Jamaica’s female windsailing champion to packing up her bags, returning to Sydney, and opening the institute as a single mother in the ’80s – a time when business was still very much a man’s world and single mothers could rarely get a bank loan.
Before her hiatus as a windsailing champion, she had been teaching at the National School of Arts through her 20s in Australia. But one morning, when she was 28 and working her dream job as the acting head of the institute, she felt it was all too simple – that she didn’t want this to be all that her life was.
So she sold her car and house, gave up the job, and hitched a ride to New York. “I learnt to work,” she told me. “I learnt to really work.” She earned her place in America amid the 250 million people competing for success. That was, until she miraculously perfected windsailing for a few years, then suddenly knew it was time to go back to Australia.
A few years after she’d returned, she wanted to move on from her husband and start her own design school. Her husband to whom she was pregnant at the time was a successful businessman, and they had built up the whole white picket fence dream – but the one that’s based on Sydney’s waterfront property, complete with a pool man and manicured garden.
Despite knowing the hardship she was about to face, she went ahead with it. They separated and she withdrew her $1,300 superannuation to place a magazine ad for the soon-to-be fashion school. “It was very hard taking my baby daughter from all the luxury into my poverty stricken life,” she said. But 25 years on, Whitehouse has become one of Australia’s most prestigious design colleges, having churned out some of our internationally recognised fashion labels.
Now, Leanne is not my idol, although I certainly can idolise her drive. But her stories – now that is what I love.
There is something about a good story that sends energy through my veins and makes my feet itchy. It’s as though it turns the volume of life up a notch and make me excited for what’s possible.
And sitting there interviewing this wonderful woman I realised – this is it. This was my dream – having the opportunity to hear and articulate other people’s stories.
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| Edwina in action. Photo credit: edwinastorie.com |
But it didn’t have the sheen that I expected that one moment to have, because it isn’t just one moment. I realised that your dream, or at least mine, is an epiphany. It’s a realisation of being in a situation that feels entirely aligned with all your passions, and that you feel completely encompassed by. It doesn’t necessarily have an award attached to it, or a dollar figure, or a major investment.
And that’s what living a life less ordinary is to me – not necessarily just yearning for the big dreams with all the shine and glamour, but taking a risk and enjoying the unexpected epiphanies that make you realise, this is it – even when it’s not what you were expecting.
Can you relate to Edwina’s story? Did you realise that a dream or life change wasn’t just one moment but the culmination of events creating a change in situation? And what does living a life less ordinary actually mean to you?
Share your comments with Edwina and I below.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Edwina Storie
A freelance journalist, journal keeper and ideas addict, Edwina is fascinated by the weirdness of the world, the rhythm of words, and the unusual interests that connect underground online communities – a niche of a niche.
For Edwina, living a life less ordinary is about asking intriguing questions that lead you down unexpected paths – whether that be of conversation or adventure. She follows the crowd at @edwina_storie and writes at edwinastorie.com.
I could really relate to your epiphany, Edwina – ‘realisation of being in a situation that feels entirely aligned with all your passions, and that you feel completely encompassed by’. Too many people get caught up in the remuneration or job title or other perks. I truly believe if you take a chance on doing what you love, you’ll figure out (eventually) how to make it work.
Absolutely. Well said, Linda 🙂
Thanks Linda. It’s certainly a scary decision to make, but the fear of never having giving it a shot is almost scarier than failing!
Great post Edwina 😉 You sound just like me! I love being the voice for people and introducing their weird and wacky ways to the world!
Thanks Laura. Great minds think alike! Is there anything particularly weird, wacky and wonderful you’ve stumble across recently?
And some of your own, no doubt! 😉
I gave up my job as a lawyer and booked a one way ticket to Vietnam (then onto Paris) with one weeks notice. I am three weeks into my trip and have never been happier or felt freer. I realise now that I should have been more fearful of living a life that I wasn’t completely passionate about, rather than fearing what would happen and what people would think should I quit.
Hey Krystal, thanks for your comment. I’ve lost count of how many times people tell me they didn’t give up the life they had for something more meaningful and personally rewarding because of fear. You’re right, we should be more fearful of living that less rewarding life and taking a chance on what we’re passionate about. You can always go back to that life if things don’t work out. So pleased you did it and you’re enjoying it. I wish more people had your strength of mind and resolve!
Hi Krystal, what an incredible story. And congratulations on making the leap. It must be such a liberating feeling to escape to Vietnam and Paris in search of something new. You’re right, an ordinary life is surely what we should be more fearful of as opposed to the unknown. But I guess that’s what makes those realisations all the more rewarding. xx
I am fascinated with the stories people have to share. I just love uncovering what makes them tick, where their talents lie and encouraging and sharing that with others. Recently I was introduced to the music of a modest 13yr old girl who no doubt will be the next Adele. Through her singing I can feel her soul..it just sends shivers down my spine! It is amazing what beauty there is in people..you just have to scratch the surface to uncover it. And it’s our job to show the rest of the world ! Loved your article Edwina 😉
I can definitely relate to your experience, Edwina, thanks for sharing! I recently had the epiphany that I am currently living my dream though it hasn’t quite turned out the way I expected it to. Probably why I didn’t notice it at first! I agree it has been an culmination of events rather than one specific point in time. And isn’t it better that way? That we continue to live the dream rather than always striving for the next thing, and the thing after that etc? Why not live it day in day out? To me it has become important to enjoy the journey and not only be fixed on the destination because it can all change. A friend (who’s like a grandmother to me) said earlier this year, ‘there is no roadmap’ – you make up your own. Isn’t that liberating?!
I think enjoying the journey is so important to live by. How did your dream not quite turn out the way you expected it to, Carrie?
Well, in quite a few ways my dream hasn’t turned out how I expected it, for example, I thought I would be living a city life in The Hague, working in a part-time job to enable me to work on my writing the rest of the time. Instead circumstances/life/universe have thrown me off that course and I am living with my parents again where I have my own floor/space and it’s in my hometown where I grew up, I am working full-time on my writing and now my art too (got my first paid commission, that is way beyond my wildest dreams!!)…and you know what, now that I have accepted this is the way it is I am so happy and grateful I am living my dream – even if it isn’t quite what I imagined. 🙂
It sounds like you’ve made the situation work for your (with some success!) and I’ve also found that things don’t always work out how you planned but the end result can be just as fulfilling. Love that you landed a commission – how great is that?! 🙂
Thank you, very chuffed! 🙂
🙂
This is wonderful- the way Edwina writes leaves me hungry for more! I can so relate to that ‘epiphany’, I had mine, when I was photographing a look book (for almost no money) in a cramped studio surrounded by aggressive PR reps and I looked down at a delivery box emblazoned with the brands name and realized this is what I wanted (no, needed) to be doing. It was certainly not what I imagined my dreams would manifest as yet the process of photography colours my life with a certain beauty and I could never give it up. Stories like Leanne’s make you feel fearless of the uncertainties of life, which is exactly what I needed today.
x Eva
http://www.elm-evamarie.com
Thanks Eva. I’m sure she’ll be pleased you said so. Great to hear you’re hungry for more 🙂
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