Dead ends brings new beginnings

Have you ever felt as what you are doing is not satisfying you anymore? Or maybe it never did. Maybe a lack of purpose and meaning in what you are doing, a job you are doing for the salary, or something that doesn’t give you that burning interest that pushes you forward.

In 2018 I had been working for the same company for 2 years and I felt that job wasn’t offering me any progression and with that, I don’t refer to a promotion, if not to a sense of accomplishment in doing what I was doing. Office jobs are easy: 9 to 5, free weekends and a overall nice atmosphere. Despite that, I took one of the best decision of my life. I had to quit my comfort zone. In January of that same year, I had visited one of my favorite countries in the world: Dominican Republic. It had left in my heart wonderful memories alongside a bitterness for its poverty.

My calling was clear. I had to leave my comfortable life and do something worthwhile, which not only would have helped others but would have changed my life for good. I didn’t know how I was going to do it but something was very clear. I had to go to DR and spend some time there. But as every projects that requires traveling it came with a cost. I had to maintain myself in a foreign country while of course having to keep up my payments, rents, bills etc. in London. That didn’t scare me, I had a plan.

When I told my friends and colleagues about the idea, the question I got more asked was: how will you do with the money? I wasn’t rich, yet my motivation pushed me through a plan. I had 3 months to work on my savings before the trip. During those months I cut much of the useless stuff: Amazon prime membership , Uber trips, dinners and drinks, useless cloths shopping and so on. I was still enjoying life, meeting up friends and have fun, but in a smart way. That gave me the chance to put aside not only the money to face the trip for 1 month but to pay rent, bills and living costs for when I would be back, because I knew the time I would return in London, I would have been nicely jobless.

I remember many colleagues at that time told me “I wish I could do it too.” And I used to reply ” What stops you from doing it?” I usually didn’t get any answer, just a vague look who hid deep thoughts.

Me and my sister started to work straight away on our project. We planned our fundraising, we knew what we wanted. To pack for a purpose. The fundraising was successful and in less than 3 months we obtained monetary donations as well as school materials, and sports supplies for kids in need.

Motivation was firing up and soon was time to give my notice at work. It felt so refreshing. I was so excited for what I was about to do. When you take choices like this, people will say you are crazy, that you are leaving a great job and your comforts and that you won’t find anything better than what you have. Sadly most of the times, this come straight from the people we love most. Security is paramount importance, having a safe job, a safe life, a safe shell is what is most encouraged. Getting out of your comfort zone is a thing for few.

When you know deep in your heart what you are doing is the right thing for you, then you don’t need to seek for anybody else approval. Yours is enough.

The time came and we flew to our new destination. It was extremely rewarding. In the end what mattered most was the genuine gratitude people showed us. Unforgettable smiles.

If you are curious about the project, have a look at my Facebook page right here. You can also read the article published on Pack for a purpose website right here.

If you feel you have a bigger mission to accomplish but something is stopping you to pursue it, get in touch. Mutual motivation is the key and I can share some insights with you that have helped me a lot. The reward I got from this adventure was priceless. By living this experience in first person I learned a lot more than I could by staying in my shell. These are the most valuable lessons I took away with me: material possessions don’t mean nothing, everything we have is a blessing, experiences matter more than objects, people are the real plus in our life, travels make you wiser, having less makes you happier.

Packing for a purpose has brought me even more than that by bringing me lots of love. That’s in fact where I met my husband and I couldn’t be more grateful to have a person like him by my side. That clearly means something for me: do what you love and you will be blessed with positivity and bliss.

When I came back to London, finding another job was extremely easy, because I had learnt not to focus on any limitating belief. I found another job I liked very much and that most important, I had a whole loads of memories I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Don’t be scared, step out of the comfort zone, don’t listen what others say, see your goals, pursue your dreams.

If you have any stories that resound with this please share!

I made this video documentary myself about the project so you can have an idea of what it was like. I hope it can inspire you and give you the confidence to go for your ambitions. Enjoy.