Ever Held Yourself Back Because of What Others Might Think?

This week I felt something I didn’t expect. Disappointment.

Like many people, I’ve followed certain public figures for years, I’ve read their books, quoted their work and even integrated some of their ideas into my own personal growth and programs.

January rolls around and we do it again.

A new year.
A fresh calendar.
Good intentions.

You may have already thought about, or even written down your goals, resolutions, or intentions for 2026. And if you’re being honest, they might look very familiar.

Same goals.
Different year.

How are you tracking so far?

Let me start with the obvious: I wouldn’t trade my son for a Eurail Pass and a backpack.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t secretly long to see the world in my twenties - when my friends were jetting off on their OE and I was learning how to change nappies and mixing baby formula on zero sleep.

Luckily, social media wasn’t a thing back then. I wasn’t being bombarded with curated sunsets from Santorini or Bali beach clubs at golden hour. Out of sight, out of FOMO.

Fast forward a couple of decades (and a lot of life), and now? Travel is a dream fulfilled. It’s the chapter I always imagined, just with better luggage, deeper purpose, and a damn good travel partner (Rik, you legend).

There’s a moment that lives in the back of my mind, quiet, but defining.

It came not during a board meeting or big decision, but in the stillness that followed something much harder. My brother had just passed away suddenly at the age of 46. Not long after, I lost two dear friends. Life as I knew it cracked wide open.

I had climbed the ladder. I had led teams, mentored hundreds, managed multi-million-dollar businesses. On paper, I had it all. But in that moment, heartbroken, questioning, raw, one quiet question echoed through me louder than any corporate achievement ever had:

“Is this all there is?”