It took being burnt out in my late 30s to learn that I had been on the highway to self-destruction. There were to-do-lists to accompany to-do-list. There were footnotes and appendix on those to-do-list. So much so that I wasn’t even aware that I have forgotten the reason why those to-do-lists exist in the first place.
It took resigning from a 25 year corporate career to start to unravel the knots I had inevitably bound myself up with.
So began a two year sabbatical to learn who I am and what was my why in the world.
The world became my classroom and every person I met, my teacher.
In the course of my un-learning, I discovered how much I appreciated the stories of the people and places I met for no reason other than I was curious how did they arrive at where I found them on my own journey of discovery. The fellows who love their cars and shared their love of it by starting a dedicated workshop with speciality tires. The girls who love homemade pie so much they started a pop-up shop that eventually became their own little restaurant selling delicious pies they lovingly made by hand.
In hearing these stories, I was so touched by the courage, resilience and tenacity of these individuals. I felt called to share their work that others might come to discover them and support them.
Being a Local Guide has meant that I could use my voice and platform to champion the causes, people and movements I value and want to uphold. As a photographer and writer, I discovered the joy of using my work to give a leg up to those individuals and use my skills for good.
In helping others, I discovered the why of my calling.