7. What Do You Do When Life Doesn't Go to Plan?
Sometimes we don't get to choose the next chapter.
Sometimes it arrives anyway.
In this episode of An Ordinary Tuesday, I'm talking about what happens when life changes in ways we didn't expect — and what we do when the life we thought we wanted no longer feels like it fits.
Over the last few episodes, I've talked about change, new chapters, asking ourselves what we really want, paying attention to where our lives are going and making choices, even when we're scared.
But there are some changes we don't choose.
A diagnosis.
The end of a relationship.
The loss of a job.
Financial difficulties.
Children leaving home.
Having to move.
Or simply waking up one day and realising that something you once wanted desperately is no longer right for you.
In this episode, I share some of my own experience of navigating unexpected change.
I talk about becoming an empty nester, leaving a house that I once thought was my dream home, and the gradual realisation that sometimes a life can look right on the outside but stop feeling right on the inside.
This isn't an episode about having all the answers. It's about recognising when something has changed.
It's about allowing yourself to acknowledge that what once worked might not work anymore.
And it's about understanding that you don't always have to make one huge, dramatic decision.
Sometimes the next chapter begins with one small movement in a different direction.
In this episode, I talk about:
What happens when life changes in ways we didn't choose
The experience of becoming an empty nester
When a dream can slowly stop feeling like a dream
Recognising when something in your life no longer fits
The difference between choosing change and adapting to change
Why you don't need to have the whole plan figured out
How small movements can eventually lead to much bigger changes
Learning to navigate uncertainty when you don't yet know what comes next
A question to think about: What has changed in your life that you might still be trying to make fit, even though it no longer feels right?
You don't have to know what to do about it yet.
You don't need to have a five-year plan. But sometimes the first step is simply being honest enough to notice it.
The Next Chapter Pathway If you're at a point in your life where you know something needs to change — but you're not entirely sure what comes next — I've created The Next Chapter Pathway to help you work through it. It's a space for building the foundations for whatever comes next, working on yourself, your work or business, and the life you want to create. Find out more about The Next Chapter Pathway here: THE NEXT CHAPTER
FREE DOWNLOADS - you'll find all my free downloads HERE
If you'd like to connect with me on Instagram, you'll find me @Helen__Collard — The Next Chapter.
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Let's walk this journey together.
