The Pineapple Chicken Blog

Recently, there has been a constant battle in my mind between being determined and courageous versus giving up; as it makes for a more comfortable life (in the short term). For those who had followed my blog earlier this year, I set out the resolution to post twice a week, every Thursday and Sunday. Reviewing my timeline, my readers would be lucky to have a post once a month in the past six months! Writing has become even harder because I have not built the habit of writing and my creative juices struggle to flow. Blogging has become an increasingly difficult thing to do, which in turn has meant I avoid it even more. A lose-lose situation.

Why? Why is it so hard to keep determined/have willpower in what you want to do? I get angry at myself and ask why it is so hard to step up? There are instances where I should be kinder to myself, however, I feel like I have more to give and I want to achieve more. I am not okay with the status quo.

The choice is ours: “We can either stay in bed where it’s comfortable, warm and there are no critics to judge us, or we can face the world and push beyond our limits”. Some have described courage as a muscle that has to be exercised, but ultimately, it is a very simple thing.

Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen – Brene Brown

Brene Brown discusses courage in-depth in her books and she also has a Netflix special which I highly recommend viewing as it introduces some key ideas that I have tried to exercise in my life.

I have recently met an extraordinary individual and who I feel may become a life long friend, especially if I have anything to do it with it! She is a coach and has started her own stationery business. I only spoke to her for 15 minutes during this event I was at, in that short amount of time, she concluded that I need to pick up the courage and just do it. She said it is not necessary to make any grand announcements or get buy-in. If I felt that something was right then I should just do it, no excuses, nothing should be holding myself back. *Phew* that 15 minutes was one of the most intense conversations I have ever had in my life. After recovering from the shock and letting myself process what she was trying to tell me, it left me invigorated and my call to action was to evaluate and consider what was holding me back.

During my journey of self-improvement this year, I have been more willing to try out new bold ideas. I recognise the reason I have been unhappy was that I was stuck in my comfort zone; I knew that my job was not providing the mental stimulation I required. Instead, I was becoming more skilled in a role, though not necessarily bad, it meant that there were no incentives for my bosses to train me to do something different. They needed me exactly where I was, and thus, any discussions about career progression ended up being a lot of talk but not a lot of action.

Taking my friend’s advice to just do it – I finally picked up the courage to hand in my resignation letter! I decided that there is no point continuing to work in a job that I could not give my 100%, but instead to focus on moving to a new industry that I have a passion for. It has been a week since I have handed it in, I was disappointed that I did not feel euphoric when I informed my manager. Instead, there was this creeping dread that I might have done something rash. However, since that day, every day I have become more excited. I am prepared to rise to the challenge and have started to build confidence in myself to succeed.

I am certainly not telling you to quit your job, but I hope that as I blog this journey, it will (hopefully!) prove that the courage to do something different will give great rewards. By taking a bet on myself, I am hoping it would change the course of my life and enable me to work in something I care deeply about and align with my values.

What has been holding you back?

Could you take some courage and take that leap of faith in yourself? 

Have a wonderful weekend! With Sweet & Sour Love,

Pineapple Chicken x