Oops I did it again! It’s really important to me Foxies that I humanise myself and my experiences in every blog. Mistakes. We’ve all made them. To start blogging about this I genuinely sat for a few minutes as all the mistakes I’ve made in my life came mentally flooding back to me.
Haha gosh! There were a lot! I didn’t want to occupy two years of your life (or give you anxiety or a headache or both!) sharing them all with you so I’ve honed in on the 5 mistakes that have really stood out to me and helped me grow and evolve as a person.
How many times have we kicked ourselves thinking, “what did I do that?” Hindsight is twenty twenty and it’s so easy to look back at what we could, should and would have done if only we knew what we know now, isn’t it?
Sometimes people don’t call them mistakes, instead they are simply ‘life lessons.’ Without these mistakes I wouldn’t be where I am today so I like to reframe the experiences and really consider them to be redirectors toward the path meant for me. I believe that the universe has our back, and we will always end up right where we are supposed to be because of all the events of our lives.
Mistake One: Don’t Stop Pursuing Your Natural Talents
I should have kept studying acting at NIDA in Sydney. NIDA stands for the National Institute of Dramatic Art. It’s an absolute honour to attend as famous actors such as Nicole Kidma and Mel Gibson have trained there and graced their screens.
I used to complete weekend workshops when I was young. When I was at school I was told by so many teachers that I had such a natural talent for acting. I would receive A’s for workshop acting as they said many times that I was a ‘natural.’
I would complete actions in scenes that they had not yet taught and I would just naturally do it, it would come to me automatically, I would feel it and just go with the flow.
I love to model more at the time and found acting easy, a non event and not as fun as modelling. So I gave it up.
All I can think now is “stupid girl” haha.
Back then, when you’re young, we just can’t comprehend the opportunity that is before us. They even wanted to cast me on a popular national television show after I was invited to audition through my agent. As a young girl I thought, “whatever.” I didn’t sign on for the show. Can you believe it? As an adult I imagine how my life would be now if I had embraced that opportunity and had gone for gold and never looked back.
The Lesson:
So, what can we learn from Mistake One? My advice to you is to grab life’s opportunities by the horns. Stay open minded, embrace it, protect it and give it everything you’ve got. We only have one life.
Mistake Two: Never Change or Quit Your Job For A Partner
I let go of my dream job for a man.
Why, why, why did I do this?!
I was a flight attendant. I love flying with every fibre of my being. I used to think I belonged in the sky and I would call the sky my office.
I loved the excitement of travelling to a new place each day and meeting new people, not to mention all the glamour behind it (when I was flying it was still so glamorous and everyone dressed up to catch a flight, not a pair of flip flops or board shorts in sight). I would get up and do a second service of food and drinks instead of sitting in the galley ready magazines. I would get up at 3am, 4am and excitedly get ready for work to arrive an hour early before my first sector.
I had my sights set on one day becoming the First Class Cabin Manager for Emirates. I dreamed of living in Dubai, wearing the stunning uniform and jetting all around the world. I’d done the work, I’d put in the hours, I was ready.
I had worked SO incredibly hard to climb the ladder.I had worked what felt like thousands of graveyard shifts as they call them, I absolutely killed myself to get to the top position I had finally earned and what did I do? Let it all slip away for a promise from the man I loved. A promise that never happened. The Lesson: Ladies, girls, boys, men! People in the back! If your career is your passion, never let it go. If you are working your dream job hold onto it with both hands. Giving up your career for a promise, wish, hope or things that aren’t solidly in front of you and reliable is not worth it. Your career can be a huge part of your destiny and identity so if you love your job, it’s not worth compromising that. The right person for you will appreciate your career and the oxygen and passion your job gives you.
Mistake Three: Wear Eye Cream Did you read last week’s blog about How to Create My Simple Everyday Makeup Look? EYE CREAM. Please start using this in your early twenties. If it’s past that point let me tell you that it’s never too late to hop aboard the eye cream train.
Nobody tells us this when we are fresh faced 23 year olds, this is the time when we must start investing in and applying good, results driven, hard working eye cream.
It’s all fun and games when we are young. We think we will never get old and we will never ever have crows feet, sagging skin or wrinkles (what are they? We think). Well Foxies it absolutely does happen.
One day we are 16 years old and going through the McDonald’s drive through for the second time with our abs and satiny soft skin. The next we are knee high to a pig’s eye and looking in the mirror at all...the…lines. Shit.
I feel lucky that my eye area isn’t too bad considering I didn’t have this information until recently, but I could have definitely looked after those precious eyes more. And if I had known, I vow that I would have.
The Lesson:
If you are a young Foxie reading this blog get some eye cream in your paws and get rubbing it in haha. If you are in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond get some eye cream and get it yesterday.
Skip the Chanel, the Olay, the Lancome. You don’t have time for just hydration and fragranced products that don’t actually create change and protect. You need the stuff that works. You need Dr. Perricone. Why? It’s a cosmeceutical brand. Cosmeceutical is Foxie talk for ‘results.’ I’m time poor, some days I feel old, and what we wall want is bang for our buck and results. Get it around your eyes.
Mistake Four: Don’t Date A Footballer (or any professional athlete, ever)
Ok, don’t come for me, I know you are probably all shaking your pretty little head at me right now Foxies but this scenario almost always ends in tears.
Well it most certainly did for me (and many of my friends too).
I could write an entire blog on this topic but I won’t. I will just give you a few examples.
The overconfidence of these men/women. Gifted at sport and paid so much at such a young age. The egos that result. Dealing with this is just one tough gig for us mere mortals. Always having to attend the games. The constant attention they receive from every other woman on planet earth. They say a man is only as faithful as his options. The way I was made to feel on countless occasions. The list goes on and on. I think for me it’s all about being humble and grateful and really rejecting arrogance. It’s true that some professional athletes are lovely and humble and hardworking all round. But for me, my experience with this profession was life altering. The Lesson: Date people who have the same heart as you. Ignore their job, looks, all the superficial things that one day fade or go away and close your eyes. Ask yourself what their heart looks and feels like? Cheesy I know, but this is the most important component. No, no I’m not saying marry a broke, unattractive kayaking instructor with no life ambitions because he has the same heart as you. I’m saying make this aspect the highest priority. Match the heart first then worry about the rest later.
Mistake Five: Worrying About What Others Thought of Me
I don’t know about you Foxies but I used to always place far too much importance on what the people around me thought about me. Now I look back and think, “who cares if they judge me?” In the moment I used to think their opinions were crucial for my future success and self worth when it genuinely could not matter less.
The Lesson:
If we are happy then that is all that matters. We all deserve to have a good day and a lovely fulfilled life. So focus on what you think and not what everyone around you thinks. Have the courage to have your own opinion and stand strong in your identity and beliefs. You’re worth it so keep your personal power and stand tall in it. The end.
Maybe you found yourself relating to some of my mistakes? I’d love to know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. At the very least I hope we enjoyed a laugh together at some of the mistakes I’ve made in life so far.
I think I’ll make more as the years go on, but to be truthful, I’m grateful for them. We never stop learning and each mistake teaches us a lesson. I wrote this blog with the wish that you would be able to better your life through my errors. That’s a win for me right there.
Life is a maze, sometimes you just need some direction as to which way to go.