February for us is usually a settling month; a month when we can finally start to breathe a little. All our celebrating is done (for the moment), kids are back in care/school, everything is back in routine, and we can finally rest and recoup. In fact, I’ve even taken the next week off work so I can recover from last year and enjoy some time to myself without (hopefully!) falling sick or chasing after the kids.

But this time last year, instead of resting, I did something that disrupted my safe routine. I took a leap of faith and made a decision that would change my life: I closed my cake business of 5 years. I went behind the scenes in my blog post 2 weeks ago and shared what was happening and my feelings leading up to this decision. If you haven’t read it, you can catch up here, but basically, something wasn’t quite right anymore.

The one thing you can guarantee in this life is that it is never constant and it is never predictable. Life is always changing, and as you go along for the ride, you find that you end up changing too. And suddenly, things, people, and places that used to fit just don’t fit quite so right anymore. And sometimes, you end up finding that you need a change.

That’s what happened with me. As I wrestled with God over my cake business and processed what I was meant to be doing with my life, I realised exactly what had changed, what had stayed the same, and what needed to change. And it all started with me closing my cake business so I could focus on my writing.

Was it scary? Yes. Was I worried about finances? Also, yes. And was I terrified that I’d fail and end up wasting even more time and money? Most definitely! But my writing was tied to a passion and a purpose, and like I said in that previous blog post (again, if you haven’t read it, then catch up here!), life is too short to be doing something that doesn’t bring you joy or meaning.

So, one year ago, I started this blog, Mother | Write | Inspire, to use my writing skills and my life’s experiences to help inspire and encourage other mums in the hopes that they would feel more seen and understood, and a little less alone. And even though I did this to help others, it has completely changed my life.

Because of this change, I’m happier and more fulfilled because I feel like I’m making a difference through what I do. And because I had more time now that I wasn’t caking or creating teaching content, I became more available to take on new opportunities that came my way. I met lots of new people, grew my writing skills even more, and ended up fulfilling my childhood dream of becoming an author with my very first book From One Heart To Another.

And the best part is, there are still results and opportunities coming from that one change, so much so that by this time next year, I’m hopeful that it’ll once again look very different from right now. And although I’m not quite ready to share what some of these changes may be, I can let you know how excited I am and how grateful I am to God for all that He’s got planned for me in this next year. It’s not even March and I’m already having to remind myself to be patient and go through the blooming process instead of wanting to jump ahead to the harvest!

So, I guess what I’m hoping to encourage you with today is this: don’t be afraid to embrace change. Or, better yet, be courageous about making change! You never know where you could end up or what you might accomplish from it!

And in a completely unplanned coincidence, this week also happens to be the first week of the Chinese New Year. And, as I’m sure you’ve seen all over social media, it just so happens to be the Year of the Fire Horse, which is all about courage, momentum, and taking leaps of faith. Now, I’m not superstitious but I do like what it represents, especially since it lines up with this week’s blog post.

So, if something isn’t feeling quite right, maybe it’s time for you to take a leap of faith and do something about it! Sometimes, you just need a change! And with that, I’m going to leave you with the lyrics of the song that’s been stuck in my head while writing this post:

“I’ll take a risk, take a chance, make a change, and break away.” – Kelly Clarkson

Oh, and here’s to ONE year of my blog, Mother | Write | Inspire, and to you, my beautiful readers 💛