10/06/2026
This photo popped up in my memories today
9 years ago I started stacking shelves at Tesco.
9 years and 1 day ago I ruptured my ACL the day before my first shift and hopped through, stacking potato's on one leg ๐
Then at 22 I was using my trusty art degree, designing bathrooms,
But by 25 my soul was dripping out of my ar****le with every commute ๐ฌ
Sure, I had a safe job & it was by no means bad.
I was also in the wrong relationship. On track for house, 2.5 kids, Labrador.. all before 30, the age I am today
Which is wonderful for some. But for me?
Felt like sprinting on a hamster wheel made of sandpaper ๐
& it was my dad clocked it at the time, pulling me up and calling me out on my BS
โRach - whatโs up? Your fu**ing spark as goneโ
And that pull up forced me to be honest (with myself more than anything)
โI donโt know what I'm doing. I feel like Iโm watching my life, not living it.โ
โNo one knows what theyโre fu**ing doing. But you figure life out by finding more of what you DON'T want.โ
Well sh*t-me-dead. That stuck.
So I stopped obsessing over the perfect path and started testing the wrong ones.
After building enough savings to cover a few months, I quit the โsafeโ job I had worked hard to get - turned out I didnโt want to beg for days off & always wanted to coach. I backed myself to give it a shot.
I travelled the world because I thought the UK was miserable - only to discover it's what feels like home and with my favourite people is where I want to be (except Jan/Feb - the UK is still a wet sock ๐คฃ)
I ended my 6+ year relationship - learned I deserved a bit more than the bare minimum + I was dating the wrong gender all along ๐
Every wrong turn gave me direction.
Each dead end pointed me closer to what I did want.
And none of that wouldโve happened if Iโd sat there twiddling my thumbs waiting for clarity to arrive.
So hereโs your nudge:
Stop waiting. Stop wondering.
Trip over it. Face-plant it. Order the wrong thing off the menu. Date the wrong person. Do it scared. Fail fu**ing forwards.
Because, at least for me, getting it wrong was literally the shortcut to getting it right all along ๐ค