Just when I was getting comfortable and settling into Melbourne, BAM! I up and moved to Perth. I didn’t HAVE to move to Perth, I could have easily found another family to au pair for in Melbourne, but I had nothing holding me back. I looked at it as a chance to see more of Australia, so I chose a city on the complete opposite side of the country. I packed up my bags, said goodbye to my friends, and moved to a place where I knew no one… for the second time in 5 months.
Traveling has taught me how to step out of my comfort zone and talk to people, so I wasn’t too nervous about making new friends, and I was definitely excited to explore a new city. However, I did have one fear in the back of my mind, “Am I making a mistake by moving?” I loved Melbourne and I wasn’t sure if I’d love Perth the same. For the three weeks in between making my decision to move, and actually moving, I constantly had this fear in the back of my mind. I knew I was comfortable in Melbourne and could have easily spent my entire time in Australia there. But then I took a step back and thought, “I’m not on this trip to become “comfortable” somewhere, I’m on this trip to experience a new culture and to travel.”
We often become too comfortable with where we are in life. Whether it’s a job, a relationship, or a location, many people play it safe by keeping their routine the same, even if it doesn’t fulfill them. We’ve become obsessed with being “comfortable” in life, and forget to take risks to follow our dreams. We get to a certain point in our lives and think “well, this is good enough for me”, but that shouldn’t be the case, we should always be willing to take risks for more.
Upon arriving in Perth, I knew I was going to have to find new friends, new local stores, a new favorite cafe, and even a new CrossFit gym, but I was okay with that. I was okay with starting over fresh, because it meant that I wasn’t falling into a routine and becoming comfortable in life again.