Every step, every decision, every moment, we are designing our lives.  What influences us, or the way we view things can be enriched or limited by our mindset, our attitude, our life experience.  Some moments are bigger than others. They change your life.

For me there was one of these moments, almost 12 months ago, as I sat in a mid-morning meeting surrounded by 4 or 5 gentleman in their late 40’s and 50’s.  It was no reflection of any of them personally, they were faceless to me. But it represented an image of where my life could be very rapidly. I was on the same path. Corporate was my working life. I would be one of them. And I wasn’t ready to be.

This image drove an overwhelming urge to try something else in my life, and for new reasons. I was not unhappy in my job, in fact I was loving it. I was working with great people, doing something that challenged me and I believed in. The new reason was personal fulfilment, and what that meant to me.

I pondered on the image in my mind for a few weeks before telling my wife that we were moving to Canada, something that we’d spoken about so often, but never committed to. It’s not easy to turn your life upside down. Often  as humans we always find a reason not to do something. If it were a run, we would say it’s too hot, it’s raining, it’s too windy, my legs hurt today, the kids are sick… seriously, is running really that good for you anyway?

It was this moment in my life that motivated me. It started a change in me and how I was viewing life. It changed my priorities, and I suddenly felt heightened and free.

We are moving to Canada. We have less than 3 weeks to go. We have a lot to do. We have a lot of stuff to make disappear. We have to work out a way to entertain an 18 month old on a 14 hour flight. Three minutes at a time. Maybe two minutes. Might still be optimistic. Not planning on getting much rest. We will layover in LA for four days. We will live Saturday twice.  On to Toronto. It may be  a 50 degree difference in temperature compared to Sydney.  Two hour drive North West. We arrive at our new home. With family. And soon there after we hit the road.

And so our story begins.

We’re designing our life.

By Ben Gray