Skip the small talk.

I feel like I've been going through a massive period of change over the past few years. It seems as though over the past 5 years there has been nothing but change and all I've wanted to do was make it stop but recently I've realised that the only reason I was feeling so out of control of my life is because I saw change as a bad thing. I wasn't setting goals to improve myself, I was setting goals just to get me to the next bit of life. Find a house for second year, finish that assignment, pass second year, finish placement, write a dissertation, graduate... then what?

Since 2012 I have lived at 5 different addresses, in 4 different countries and I've had 4 different jobs. All of this change, not knowing what was next, people telling me I needed to get my life together and make a plan, not having a plan and still having all of this change going on freaked me out. I just wanted to stand still and take stock of everything but I couldn't.

Recently I've started my latest new job and I've been encouraged to watch some TED Talks and one really got me thinking. a talk called 'How to skip the Small Talk' (seriously, watch it here). Kalina Sliverman isn't afraid to ask others and herself the big questions in life and she inspired me to take a look at my own life . Here's what I've come to realise, change is scary but it was only scary because I didn't feel like I was in control, I was being dragged along on the steamroller of life and just wanted off. When I started to take control of the change in my life I stopped viewing it as uncontrolled change, it became progress.

Kalina Sliverman began by asking big questions to total strangers and I wanted to take the time to answer some here.

What's most important?
Family, not just my parents but those friends who are so close I consider them as family and of course, the four legged family members. Without them I wouldn't have anything, I'd be incredibly lonely.

What do you fight for?
My friends, I hate seeing any of my friends suffering, I'm not one to get into arguments with other people but if you're upsetting my friends I'll happily take you on.

What is a new habit you want to take up?
I really want to be able to run with Oscar. There's a great canicross community here on Anglesey and if I'm honest I'm too scared to join them just yet.

Maybe we should occasionally skip the small talk and discuss what really matters with people.

Love,
Laura.