Taking the plunge: Why I’m relocating to Melbourne after 30 years in Cairns

That’s it.

After 30 years of living in Cairns, I’ve packed up my house, with decades of memories, security blankets and junk and made the move to Melbourne.

At 52 I’m no spring chicken, so the question I get asked all of the time is, why on earth are you moving from Cairns to Melbourne?

OK, so the first most time-saving response is that I’ve met an amazing lady. But the second reason is equally as powerful. It’s about comfort. And ease. And change. The easiest thing I could have done is to stay in Cairns, never leave, and die there. It’s a great place, stunningly beautiful. But staying somewhere because it’s beautiful is not enough for me these days.

There is so much more I need and want

Even though I’ve lived in the same place for a very long time, I’ve come a very long way in that time. I started life in Cairns as a dive instructor, I’m leaving Cairns as a bestselling international author and global speaker. But I feel I have so much more to do. And I know that to do it, I need get out of my comfort zone, do what’s hard and embrace change, no matter how easy it would be to do none of these things.

In fact I feel like my journey has only just begun.

Please don’t think this article is just a self-indulgent story about me moving. It’s really about me challenging our thinking, to ask ourselves some hard questions. Are you doing what is easy? Are you firmly entrenched in your comfort zone? Are you hiding from change? Are you really living the life you want, with the business you want, or are you settling because it’s easier to do so?

I’ve pushed hard all of my life

There are many times where the harder I pushed, the harder my life became. But I’ve always fought hard against the comfort zone and haven’t always won.  I like security, I like certainty. But I also know, that without a doubt, the things I’m most proud of about myself and my life happened in the times of great uncertainty, of massive change and upheaval and the times where I fought against the soothing lull that comes with the status quo.

Make of this what you will, for now, I’ll see you on the other side.