How I did it: It's all about finding your passion, and having the courage to admit certain things to myself, do things that scare you, and know that you're doing the right things even when others question you. Because I think that the path that will give you true fulfillment, and that feeling of thrill rising from your heart (which I now get almost constantly. Which is miraculous considering that I was depressed and unexcited by life since I was about 7 years old...) can never really be found in paths that society finds acceptable.

For me it was letting go of a lot of things that I'd invested my time, things that I had seen as a compromise between my passions and society. NO COMPROMISES! Do what you want even if it means being poor and a bit lost for a while.

It took about 4 years for me, after realising the path was wrong, to realise what was right. At first it was running away to London, where I was able to re-define who I am as a person, learn how strong I am, and also develop a stronger work ethic, because life is different when there's only your own will and energy keeping you from ending up on the streets. When I finally began to find a bit of energy and passion for life, I decided to come back to Australia, which was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but now I love it here. So thrilled I came back!

At the moment I'm juggling a paid job and a 'passion' job, I get a whole lot less time to myself than I used to, sleep less. But guess what? I'm happy! No, I'm freaking ecstatic! Because although things are a bit tough still, I can see I'm doing the right thing, I have energy for life. And slowly, opportunities are developing. I have no doubt that within a few years I'll be one of those ridiculously lucky people that feel excited to get up and go to their job.

Life is life. My mantra, when facing a difficult situation, is 'One day I'll die'. Which sounds morbid, but it really helps focus me to what I want. No second chances. Grab life and shake the hell out of it!

Lessons & tips: Feel the fear, and do it anyway. A cliche for a good reason. A certain level of fear is always present when you are doing something that is going to extend you as a person.

Learn to appreciate everything. Be thankful. Life is a gift. It's when I realised that that the gifts really began to roll in. Resentment is not at all a useful emotion. I grew up in an immigrant family. Quite poor, not a lot of friends. I felt like I'd missed out on a lot of tools and was 3 steps below my peers. But then I came to the conclusion that you can either complain about it, or you can do something about it. And yes, I still meet people that are 5 years younger than me, and yet have better social skills and cultural understanding than me. But I no longer resent them. I view meeting them as just another opportunity to learn and grow. Everyone's path is different. Don't compare yourself to other people, simply learn from them.

Resources: Find a good career counsellor. Mine really helped focus me to what I
want, and helped me realise that things that I previously thought were
pipe-dreams are actually possible!

Ok, I know a lot of people see this book as a gimmick, but don't knock it until you've tried it. The Secret. It's really helped me. I'm not rolling in billions of dollars yet, but the way I look at life, and the way life responds to me, is changing. And it looks like it's just going to get better.

Travel. I recommend going alone. It's harder and lonelier that way, but what you get out of it is so much more profound. I travelled through Europe for 2 months alone, on a pretty slim budget (I was a single 25 year old female). Those 2 months were the steepest learning curve of my life. I kept a journal, and re-reading it occasionally is incredible. My entire attitude to the world changed. Do it.

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Nov 14, 2008, 06:26PM PST | 12 comments | 61 cheers