Whatever You Choose Comes With A Risk - Let Your Choice Lead Towards Your Dreams
“The waves were crashing over the break wall of the marina, and the pontoon boardwalks were moving like concrete ribbons with the swell beneath,” said my new marina neighbour.
He was relaying the experience of living through an east-coast storm while living onboard his yacht in Coffs Harbour marina in 2016.
“There was a limited time to get off and leave your boat because the concrete walkways broke apart and then you were stuck on your boat. It was very hard to be rescued. Many boats sank,” he said. (You can see the news video footage of the marina after the storm here).
I looked at the excavators maneuvering large boulders in place, following the engineers’ plans to rebuild the seawall so it would withstand another storm of such ferocity.
Imagine having your boat sink, while you were in a marina.
Life, despite us wishing it was otherwise, is like that.
We can be doing all the ‘right’ things, following along with the directions given by society, playing it ‘safe’ and still things don’t go to plan.
There is a risk in every decision we make.
I know plenty of folks who have worked in jobs they despised, spending their lives trying to build a seawall as a buffer against uncertainty, only to be faced with an unforeseen setback such as a divorce or investment that has gone wrong. They’ve lost not only the wealth they’ve worked years to accumulate, but they’ve also lost those very precious years as well.
I know of others who have post-phoned their heart’s desire while they focused on following the rules, being the ‘responsible one’, not rocking the boat and were then faced with a life-threatening illness that brought the value of their priorities into sharp focus.
Our culture likes to paint a very sanitary portrait of how we should live our lives. Consumerist culture wants us to believe we can buy our happiness and fulfilment. But in our heart of hearts, we know, deep down, that cultivating fulfilment and meaning involves taking risks.
We can stay in the marina where we think we will be safe, or we can choose the risk of going for our dreams. At least when we choose our own path, the risk also comes with the possibility of getting what we truly want.
Yes, there is a risk in everything.
Let the risk you take be one of your own choosing. That way, the possibility of reaching your dream is available, and not overshadowed by ‘playing it safe’ where that possibility isn’t available at all.
You can develop the capacity to hold the tender parts of yourself that feel afraid, and in doing so, expand your capacity to experience and accomplish more than you may have ever dreamed possible.
By leaving the safe harbour, my husband and I were able to sail to tropical islands, experience the awe that comes from sailing alongside whales larger than your boat, spot loads of dolphins and turtles in amongst the coves, and paint on the beaches along the way. Experiences we will cherish forever.
What risk are you feeling the pull to explore?
Writing a book of poetry and publishing it to share it with the world? Finding a cause or pursuit you feel energised to nurture as you enter retirement? Building a creative business on the side of your full-time role, where you can express different and yet vital parts of your fullest self-expression? Moving across the world to give yourself space and inspiration to bring together the whole suite of resources, tools and experiences you’ve had that you want to share with others? Shifting out of a box, career or role that no longer feels fulfilling and cultivating a new life that interests and energises you?
There are no guarantees in life. But I can guarantee you this, if you don’t try, you won’t get there.
So what do you want to do? What is your heart calling you towards? Not to impress or rebel against anyone else - just simply because it feels important and meaningful for you.
If you want to build a heart-led life that fuels your fulfilment, creativity and freedom, and you would like a community that will cheer you on every part of the way, you are invited to join my new group coaching intensive, Odyssey: Navigate to the Heart of Your Purpose
ODYSSEY is a 10-month experience to support you to get free from the beliefs and patterns that keep you from following your heart, take the risks that you long to take and make the creative contribution you would love to make in the world.
Applications are open for a limited time and you can find out all the details here.
I’m so excited to hold this space, offering mentorship and guidance for Creative Hearts who want to cultivate their own uniquely energising and fulfilling life. For me, Odyssey is the heart-led project that has been calling to me for a long time. And now it’s here! Yay!
You are welcome to browse the full page and see if you would like to join our creative cohort. I’d love to support you, cheer you on and accompany you on this path of authentic creative living, together.
Be kind to yourself and nurture your creativity.
With my warm wishes,
Nicola xx
About Nicola Newman
I'm a Creative Business Coach, Award-Winning Artist & Mentor for Creative Hearts who want to flourish, flow & prosper.
My passion is inspiring and supporting Creative Hearts to trust their inner wisdom and carve out a life that’s personally meaningful and fulfilling to them.
I share practical, evidence-based tools for Creative Hearts seeking to improve their lives or businesses. My work draws from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness-based techniques, body-based practices, and neuroscience -- and my own creative living adventures -- among other approaches.
My mission is to support Creative Hearts to:
Dissolve creative blocks, develop a loving relationship with themselves, nurture their creativity and reframe the beliefs and patterns that keep them from following their heart and making the creative contribution they would love to make in the world.
My approach is to embrace gentleness, playfulness and self-care to navigate self-doubt and instead cultivate deep self-trust so you can truly enjoy the creative process, bring together your body of work, make money doing what you love and leave a creative legacy you’re proud of.
Let’s pour a cuppa and get to know one another, shall we? :) Read more about my story here.
