Today is a really exciting day for me, because I finally get to share some really exciting news with you. It has been hard keeping this from you, trust me.
Since leaving my job around this time last year, things for Little Grey Box (LGB) have continued to grow and that’s thanks to all the wonderful people who read, subscribe, follow, comment on, share and like what Matt and I create. As things have continued to grow and both of us have found so much happiness in what we are doing, we have seen LGB as a business and our future.
We have so many ideas to help it continue to grow and so much passion and drive to make them reality. What we didn’t have, was time to make it all happen. Thankfully, that’s something we have control over and are able to change.
So, today I can finally share with you that Matt has resigned from his full-time job and will be joining me to work on Little Grey Box full-time. WOOHOO! Here’s a file photo of a very happy Matt in Sumbawa last year:
All those things I say to you in these weekly personal posts are from my heart, they’re completely true and words I live by. I’m always telling you guys that absolutely anything in life is possible if you want it bad enough and you trust your heart to guide you. At some point, you just have to take that leap of faith. I took my first leap this time last year, so it seems fitting that 12 months later Matt should take his and we should take another one together!
When we were living for the money, paying bills and saving for the future so one day we could travel to the places we wanted and do the things that make us happy, we weren’t satisfied with our lives. Since I took this step 12 months ago, my entire life has changed and I’ve learned a great deal about myself and what life is really about.
For both of us, we’ve realised that life is about being happy. Simple as that. Find what it is in life that makes you happy and do as much of it as you possibly can. Don’t waste time being unhappy or settling for anything less than a wonderful life you love.
So there are some really big changes happening in our lives at the moment and they’re going to have a HUGE impact on Little Grey Box and, ultimately, what we share with you!
This month we’re moving from our inner-city apartment to a lovely house that backs onto national forest. It’s surrounded by big trees and feels like a secret tree-house, where native birds and wildlife, like wallabies and kookaburra’s, are frequent visitors. The house is so quiet and peaceful, a huge change from the noise and bustle of where we live at the moment. I’m looking forward to the chilled out, slower pace and, hopefully erecting a TeePee in the living room and purchasing walkie talkies… cos, they’re obviously both essential to creating the ultimate home-office.
We’ll be setting up this new space as the official LGB Headquarters! Both of us will be working from home full-time, creating content and videos to share with you and new subscribers as they join us.
These changes also mean we will be able to travel significantly more than we do at the moment as we’re not limited by annual leave. You can expect to be coming on holidays with us a lot more and discovering new and interesting parts of the world and Australia, as well as still getting your hands on practical guides and helpful tips for travellers.
Are we worried about money? Are we scared of what could happen to us? No. Those fears are always present in your mind and they’re a good thing, they’re there to make sure you don’t do something stupid like get yourself into dangerous situation. The decisions we’ve made aren’t putting us in a life-threatening situation, so what is there to be afraid of? Nothing. They’re just fears. The trick is to take notice of them then let them go as they’re completely useless.
There’s no fear of failure because, as we’ve already learned through me taking this leap last year, things have a way of working out. When you follow your heart and want something as bad as you want to breathe, it will work out. I guess the best way to describe it is the certainty of success is so much bigger in our hearts than anything else that the idea of failure seems laughable. It’s just not possible. It’s not a matter of ‘Will this work?’ it’s a matter of ‘When this works’.
Our long term plan had always been for Matt to work on LGB with me because we’re so passionate about it and it makes us so happy. I guess the tipping point came when we re-watched one of our favourite movies, The Best Exotic Marigold, and got another jolt of inspiration to remind us that there’s no time to waste in this life. You just have to, as my Grandmas always says, “Reach out and grab it with both hands. Take hold of your life and enjoy every moment of it. Don’t wait.”
I’m thankful to have my family be so understanding and supportive of the decisions we’ve made. It makes all the difference having your mum, dad and grandma repeatedly tell you to go for it and not waste a moment of your life doing things that don’t make you happy.
Since we made the decision so many things have happened to confirm for us it is the right decision. LGB has kept growing, people have started to recognise what we do more and more, lots of fun opportunities are coming our way and we have met some amazing people who have said and done things that have confirmed our decisions. These signs and symbols are all around us every day, you just need to slow down and look around to notice them.
The biggest thing you can use to guide yourself in life are your emotions. Since making this decision we have both been so incredibly happy and excited for what the future holds for us. That right there is the BEST way to know if you’re making the right decision. Does it make you happy? Yes! Do you feel excited about life? Yes! Then you’re doing the right thing.
It feels like a path has been laid out in front of us, just waiting for us to walk down it. Once we mentally made the decision to go down this path, everything else just clicked into place. It was so easy and it was made that way so we would know it’s the right decision. There’s no resistance, it just feels right. You know in your bones when something is right.
This new journey is going to kick off with a BANG as we’re taking off to Hong Kong and China for 4 weeks on May 6th. We’ll be taking you with us through Hong Kong, Guangzhou Beijing, Hangzhou and Huangshan via LGB posts, sharing photos and updates on social media and posting videos on our YouTube channel. I hope you can come along with us and follow the journey, there’s a lot I want to share with you already and we’re just in the preparation phase (hint: getting a visa for China ain’t a walk in the park). It’s going to be a very fun trip.
I just want to thank you for all the support you’ve given me and want you to know how much it is appreciated. You’ve been drawn to LGB for a reason and, hopefully, through Matt and I living our dream and taking this huge leap, we can inspire you to do the same. Don’t be afraid, guys. Anything is possible.
