I Gave Up a Pension for an Island | Lesson 5
An old professor emailed me a job ad. I almost deleted it.
I was 35, comfortable, and not looking for anything. I had a pension, a huge mortgage on a house in Cochrane, a young dog, and a job at a diamond mine that I genuinely loved. And then a man I had never met called me from an island in the Maldives, and somewhere in the middle of that phone call I realized... I was being interviewed.
He gave me a week to decide.
So I made a deal with God. Two things had to happen or I wasn't going: someone had to rent my house, and someone had to watch my dog. I listed the place ten minutes later. It was done before the night was over.
Here is the truth I keep coming back to: fear should never be the thing that makes the decision for you. Every good opportunity is supposed to scare you a little. That fear isn't a warning, it's a sign you're about to grow. The question is never "what if it doesn't work out." The question is "what if it all works out, and I'm smart enough to handle whatever comes?"
I got six months instead of two years. COVID took the rest. I'd still say yes again tomorrow.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The Deal with God: How to know the difference between fear that's protecting you and fear that's just keeping you small, and what happens when you finally call its bluff.
Paradise Has Politics: What it's really like to be the outsider, from being deliberately left off the invite list on Christmas Eve to a linen uniform that made half the island resent me.
What If It All Works Out: Why the opportunity that scares you is usually the one you're supposed to take, even when it ends far sooner than you planned.
✨ Enjoying the show? Please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it helps more listeners find these conversations!
⛓️💥 Connect with the show:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigfeelsbaddecisions?igsh=MW83NjNlZmJtMmhtMQ==
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigFeelsBadDecisions/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meredithmedia?_r=1&_t=ZS-945FSDZb1PQ
I was 35, comfortable, and not looking for anything. I had a pension, a huge mortgage on a house in Cochrane, a young dog, and a job at a diamond mine that I genuinely loved. And then a man I had never met called me from an island in the Maldives, and somewhere in the middle of that phone call I realized... I was being interviewed.
He gave me a week to decide.
So I made a deal with God. Two things had to happen or I wasn't going: someone had to rent my house, and someone had to watch my dog. I listed the place ten minutes later. It was done before the night was over.
Here is the truth I keep coming back to: fear should never be the thing that makes the decision for you. Every good opportunity is supposed to scare you a little. That fear isn't a warning, it's a sign you're about to grow. The question is never "what if it doesn't work out." The question is "what if it all works out, and I'm smart enough to handle whatever comes?"
I got six months instead of two years. COVID took the rest. I'd still say yes again tomorrow.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The Deal with God: How to know the difference between fear that's protecting you and fear that's just keeping you small, and what happens when you finally call its bluff.
Paradise Has Politics: What it's really like to be the outsider, from being deliberately left off the invite list on Christmas Eve to a linen uniform that made half the island resent me.
What If It All Works Out: Why the opportunity that scares you is usually the one you're supposed to take, even when it ends far sooner than you planned.
✨ Enjoying the show? Please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it helps more listeners find these conversations!
⛓️💥 Connect with the show:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigfeelsbaddecisions?igsh=MW83NjNlZmJtMmhtMQ==
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BigFeelsBadDecisions/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meredithmedia?_r=1&_t=ZS-945FSDZb1PQ
