Usually, what attracts us in the first place is the desire or the need to satisfy our curiosity, to answer the question ‘What if…?’ This is the voice of your intuition telling you that maybe the time is right.

How come you ‘hear’ at this moment? Well, you hear when you are open to it. You may have heard a faint whispering in the past but ‘turned a deaf ear’ because you were not ready then.

But you are not the same person you were five years ago or even last year come to that. On a practical level your circumstances may have changed. Your relationships too will have affected you, psychologically and emotionally. Most significant of all is your relationship with your Self. If you can be open to your intuitive voice you will hear, ‘What if…?’

But then that other little voice starts up. ‘I’m not sure’, ‘I’ve never done it before’. You may be aware of stepping out of your comfort zone, moving away from what is known, safe and familiar. Interesting how we tend to use the words ‘safe’ and ‘familiar’ in the same breath, because often what is familiar can be very unsafe.

As when we are familiar with high levels of stress in our lives or when we remain in an unhealthy relationship. We may be miserable, even fearful, but at least we are familiar with our own particular brand of misery and fear. And then one day we hear the question, ‘What if…?’ and we begin to wonder, ‘Could I…?

Sometimes all it takes is someone who genuinely believes in us, perhaps a teacher, counsellor or a good friend. This belief in us is enough to spur us on. I decided to backpack round the world at the age of forty-eight because my daughter believed I could do it. Before reaching a final decision, I took a few months to think it over and during that time did some extensive reading and visited a couple of travellers’ seminars.

So the next time you get the urge to strike out, tune in to the voice of your intuition, examine your doubts and fears to see how valid they are and ask the opinion of someone you really trust.

But to minimize any risk, do your own research. Find out as much as possible beforehand so that you will be in a much stronger position from which to take that first step from ‘What if…? to ‘Maybe I could!’

Now, more than ever in our lifetimes because of the pandemic, we all face an uncertain and unknowable future. For many people, this has brought about a degree of anxiety, even fear that can seem impossible to handle.

For some, this has come in addition to an existence that may already have been close to the edge, because of a change in circumstances or difficulty in finding work that satisfies and pays well enough. The economic climate has improved for some but continues to create restrictions, sometimes hardship, for others.

Of course, some countries in the world never experienced the prosperity that we in the west took for granted, certainly for the last fifty years.  Those that did benefit did so often because of the increased spending power of people in western nations, perhaps through tourism. We might spare a thought for their struggles.

Faced with such uncertainty what can we do?  In practical terms if we can be more creative, we might discover alternative ways to live our lives.  We might discover a latent skill or talent that takes us in another direction, perhaps self-employment. Or, if we’re young enough, we might re-train in an area we have always wanted to try.

But, if for whatever reason, those options aren’t open to you now, or in the immediate future, the most pressing need is how to manage any anxiety and negative thoughts you may hold about your own future and perhaps those closest to you as well. It’s only natural you may feel this way but left unchecked such thoughts and feelings can easily spiral out of control.

What we must attempt to do is learn how to embrace the uncertainty.  That’s not the same as suggesting you do nothing but, sometimes with the bigger issues, there is nothing we can do to effect any change.

When I returned to U.K. after living in France for six years it was not completely unplanned, but the move happened more quickly than I’d anticipated because of my health at that time. I was sad to leave my life there, but happily anticipating the birth of my first grandson and being nearer to my two children.

I was anticipating a more stable existence and the more ‘grown-up’ part of me thought it was probably about time I ‘settled down’ after my wanderings around U.K. plus my year out to travel round the world, then later my sojourn in France.

Since then it’s been more of a struggle than I anticipated partly because setting up again on my own has been slow and more of my time than I would have liked has been taken up in work that depletes my energy.

Still, there have been very positive aspects to being here, primarily, since 2011 the arrival of another three grandsons and a grand-daughter. I adore them all and wouldn’t have missed being here to witness their amazing development.

I’ve recently returned to developing my work on the internet and I shall continue with my writing. I believe this time of uncertainty is a kind of shuffling of the cards for my future, perhaps more stable, existence. I intend to embrace it as fully as I can.

If you are in a precarious situation, do whatever practically you can that might help but also try to embrace the uncertainty of it by discovering what hidden benefits exist in your particular situation.