05/09/2025
Hi all! I need a moment of your time! So, when you get a chance, could you read about my exciting new journey?
⭐41 & looking for the next chapter!⭐
I feel like I hit 40 and eased into it, not worrying about the number but accepting the addition to another successful year with everything I wanted and needed.
I had the home, the children, the job, the friends, the picture-perfect lifestyle that so many dream of. I mean, what more is there? A year later, and I was still in the same place, but perhaps not in the same headspace. I felt lost, a little confused about what to do next, and wondered why I wasn’t as happy as I had been.
🤹♀️For years, life was a mad rush: knee-deep in nappies, school runs, renovating room by room in our home, building an extension, sorting the garden, and constantly having an endless to-do list.
Then suddenly, my children didn’t need me as much as they made their own breakfast, packed their bags, and, on the weekend, ran off to the park to spend time with friends…without me! It suddenly creeps up on you. Doesn’t it? But the ‘mum worry and guilt’ doesn’t stop. Are they okay? Have I taught them right from wrong? Am I doing a good job? Should I take them for a walk instead? I bet other mums are teaching them how to do a sourdough starter!
I was now a spare part, had far too much time to overthink things, and didn’t want to spend my life becoming a 1950s housewife. Things had to change.
But how?
I spent the summer holidays chatting to family and friends, researching, writing, reading, and, at times, staring into space, hoping that an idea might hit me for my next step.
I wrote the following list:
I like helping others, writing, talking, being positive, cooking, watching TV, travelling, spending time with people, solving problems, events, planning, walking… it has become a little bit like being back at school! Telling your teacher what you want to be when you grow up! I’m pretty sure back then I said a mum, but that’s not going to pay the bills, and actually, an easy way to overspend.
📻Alongside this journey, I listened to podcasts and YouTube videos whilst cooking, doing laundry, or ironing. It’s a great way to multitask, learn, and make mundane chores more exciting. Something I took away from many of these daily ramblings was that time is short, life is short, and you only get one shot.
No regrets, no turning back, live your life to the fullest, and all that jazz.
What if I wasn’t living my life to the fullest? What if, at the end, whenever it comes, I regret sitting around watching reruns of Friends, catching the next big Netflix special, and haven’t actually lived my life or achieved anything? When your life flashes before your eyes - what do you want to remember?
🥂I’m not saying that I’m turning off the TV, some of it’s pretty good, and I love a glass of wine with the latest Location, Location, Location, but I also want to live a little. Again, I’m not one for skydiving, but something between a couch potato and a daredevil would be quite nice.
So here’s the idea!
To get out of my 40s rut, I have devised a list, a bucket list of such that is going to mix things up. I’m thinking life-affirming rather than life-altering! Something that will perhaps inspire you to celebrate the small moments and surprise yourself with how easy you can take charge of your own life. Taking responsibility for your life and how you live is the only way to grow, reach your goals and dreams, and become the person you want to be.
So let’s begin!
📅Now at 41 (and a half), I am giving myself 6 months (26 weeks), taking me up to my 42nd birthday, to complete a list of 41 tasks, around 1.5 a week. Some will overlap, taking a little longer to finish, but others will merely be a few hours or minutes.
I’d be thrilled to have you alongside me on this journey of self-discovery, so join me as we step into this new chapter with intention! I’ll reveal a new list of challenges next week — each crafted to help me, and you, Surprise Yourself, take charge of your life, and uplift others along the way. Minimal cost, maximum impact. Let’s empower women, strengthen families, and rewrite what’s possible.
Remember to follow along on facebook/instagram and substack!
~ Amy x
