One Small Step For Man - What's Stopping You From Making Your Leap?

I'm half and half. No, not like the milk and nor my gender identity. I’m talking about my nationality. I am half British, half Canadian and so proud of it (well recently).

I wasn't always as proud as I am today about coming from a nation famous for sitting on the fence, with an affinity for maple syrup and Mounty’s. It's mostly because I endured a good eight years of torment about my cross-breed accent during my school years. In fairness my accent was, and still is, an eclectic mixture of Yorkshire lass, the Queens Speech and a twang of Albertan loveliness. After being born in Canada and emigrating to England at 6 years old, as a friend once said, I don’t associate myself with any particular country and apparently neither does my accent.

Yes, I am a lady, a lass, and a hometown gal who isn’t quite sure which country to call home.

So when my job in England ended two years ago and I found myself out of work (thank you economic climate), I decided it would be the ideal time to return to my country of birth that I have so many fond memories of.


Welcome to the Canadian Rockies



Let me paint you an idyllic picture of a small town nestled in the Canadian Rockies, where you can walk from one side to the other in 10 minutes, where locals of 30 years happily rub shoulders with tourists from Japan, and where iconic peaks loom over you in every direction. A place where you share the sidewalk with deer and the ski-slope with some of the friendliest people in North America.

This was a town I promised myself I would spend at least 6 months. It was my first solo journey, into the unknown, with no job lined up and nothing but an overstuffed 23lb backpack and my passport in my nervous hands. I was Alberta bound!

 

Two years later….

....after two of the best summers of my life, winters spent snowboarding through the Canadian Rockies and making friends who have become my family, I now call this place home.

Opening my mind, my soul and my boundaries has led me to the most life changing experience I could have ever imagined. Actually no, that is a lie; I could never imagine my life and my travels could have even been this soul defining.

I found myself in friends, lost myself on hikes, had my heart broken, fell in love with this country and met countless other backpackers, travellers and locals. I’ve opened my mind and broadened my horizons. I’ve taught myself to rely only on myself and learnt how to trust in others and that how some people, above all, have an inherently good soul.

One small step for man…one giant leap for you

 

Leaving your job, your friends, your family and your life is no easy decision. There are many reasons (excuses) to talk yourself out of stepping out of your comfort zone that you’ve spent so long living in. But there are more reasons that outweigh your worries to book that ticket, make those travel plans and get on that plane to a foreign land where nobody will know your name, unless you pick up that beer and go over and talk to them.

For all that I come across as bubbly and personable (and in the words of my Dad, able to talk the hind legs off a donkey) it’s actually all an effort. I’m introverted, private and shy with the ridiculous ability to believe I will be rejected from a group or a person if I try for conversation. I’ve written some posts with tips like how to start a conversation with complete stranger as well as tips on how to make that leap to and new country.


So what's holding you back from taking that small step, your giant leap, into the unknown?

- Do you have any travel plans?
- What are your biggest fears about travelling or living in a new country?
- Do you have any questions you need answering?

Send me an e-mail or leave a comment below if you have a burning question, a constant worry or story about making your leap that you’d like to share. I reply to everyone :)

I cannot implore you more to make that leap.
It will be the biggest, scariest and greatest one you have ever made.

Love always,
Jones x