It’s been 2 weeks since I came back from a trip home to Ireland. In that time I went to my sister’s wedding in Portugal, saw all my family and friends, plus throw in having a month were you don’t need to think about anything too stressful and can completely switch off. Not to mention having the World Cup on. Unreal timing! Essentially it was the perfect month.

Fast forward 4 weeks, a 32 hour Journey to Sydney Australia and having to switch from summer to winter. It is tough leaving everyone behind and getting back into a normal routine, add a week of jet-lag for good measure! Like the thousand’s of immigrants that make this kind of trip all year round, you usually start to question why you keep doing it. Living abroad in a country so far from home minus your family can make you think about some of your decisions. Some do it for their career, some do it for a new adventure, and others to live in the glorious lifestyle that Australia provides. My own take is, I do it for the lifestyle, and to carve out a career in an industry that is more vibrant than its counterpart in Ireland.

It is within that conflict that I asked the question, how difficult is it for people to make choices in their lives when the consequences are much bigger. Rather than spending a lot of time questioning and answering one’s self, I tend to give myself the advice I give to others, go and ask someone else for their help. When you are caught in situation and you can’t see the wood from the trees, it doesn’t matter what the scenario is, if we are stuck in our thinking, a fresh pair of eyes can bring a new perspective to a situation. Our natural position is always from our own perspective. As a coach you are taught to help people look at their own position from someone else’s perspective. When you are coaching yourself in certain situations it’s quite easy to exhaust this avenue.

When choosing this person who ever it is, you should value their opinion and know that what they are saying is coming from a place of wanting to help. Sometimes the advice we receive may be simple and obvious. You might have even known it yourself deep down, but because of your situation you are simply oblivious to it. Fear blinds a lot of people, fear of a situation that never materializes in the first place. People think time is going to run out to turn their lives around. This is usually never the case. Getting your head into a place where you can see and think differently makes all the difference. I have found that fear is usually by not knowing what you want in the first place, and struggling to find a place to start.

Every week of our lives we are forced to make decisions no matter how big or small they are, they usually have a consequence. So it’s really important to give ourselves the best chance possible. Don’t let your fear take control of you. Once you master controlling your fear you are already one step in to fixing your issues. Successful people always know when to ask for help. The key is knowing your strength and your weaknesses, asking for help and letting others show you the way should always be a part of the plan. I tried that last week and I can’t tell you how much it helped. This is my thank you to that person.