How would your life be different if you weren’t afraid? Would you change your job? Go back packing around the globe? Leave your partner? Apologise to someone you’ve hurt? Approach the cute girl on the checkout you have a crush on? Admit you’ve made a mistake? Tell the people you love that you love them? Move house, location or even country? What would you change?

In my 20s, while bedridden with a brain injury and facing the possibility of death on any given day, I had a lot of time to re-evaluate my life (short, then, as it was). It changed everything for me. I ended my relationship as I knew it didn’t really make me happy. I was ill health retired from my job, which was a blessing because I hated it. I discovered the people in my life who truly cared about me and the things in life which really matter. And I made plans for if I ever were fortunate enough to recover.

If I were told today that I had a month to live, nothing about my life now would change. I’ve travelled to 46 countries. The people I care about, and who care about me, know how I feel about them. I spend my days doing the things I love. I am free from toxic relationships. I owe no apologies. My life is fulfilling, peaceful and joy filled. But it is not this way through luck or chance, but through direction, determination, vulnerability and graft. I’ve made mistakes, but I’d rather have got it wrong than lived with ‘what ifs’ – regrets can torture us.

I don’t understand the fear and inertia that many people seem to live in. My Mum left my Dad with 2 kids, 2 suitcases and no job – it’s do-able if you make a safe plan. My friend who was staying with me last week has just left America and her home, possessions and family, to live in the UK in her 70s. My nephew quit his job and worked his way around Australia for 2 years, where he met his now Wife. If you want to change your job, take some night classes and get yourself in a position to get the job you want – I spent 4 years doing an HND in Business & Finance, and a foundation Law degree, while also working full time and renovating a house. I took up photography in my mid 40s despite having no money for kit and no photographic skills whatsoever and it has been transformative. What’s stopping you from living the life you really want?

None of us know the day we’ll die. I never thought in a million years I’d be diagnosed with a brain tumour at 56. But you know you’re living a truly authentic life if nothing about it would alter if you were told it would end next week. Change can be scary but even if we make the wrong choice it’s not exactly going to kill us and we can always choose another path until we are where we’re meant to be. Take a leap of faith.

“You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind.” – Dale Carnegie