It’s amazing what a difference a year makes. As we reach the end of July I’m reminded of what my life was like a year ago; the anxiety that I was going through to try to make things work.

Following your dreams isn’t a straight line with one step after the next. It’s two steps forward and five steps back; it’s trying to make everything work and not giving up. 

Last June I was about to give up. I wasn’t able to make it work. My income dipped and I wasn’t able to find my next month’s rent. Panicking I applied for every job I could find. Work that I was skilled in years before. I walked around Barcelona with my CV to numerous Irish bars looking for work. I applied for jobs remotely as well as back in the UK. And as each door closed my anxiety grew, and I had to admit defeat.

My defeat was confirmed when others told me to come back to England and get a job. That was the fuel I needed to make it work and not give up.

Maybe I’m obstinate but as an entrepreneur I’ve realised that without drive and determination there are so many times that you can step off the entrepreneurial journey and go back to your safety zone.

After a previous meltdown years before I had come back to Girl about the Globe with a renewed energy. Girl about the Globe wasn’t just a brand I had created, I was emotionally invested as it was part of me. I was Girl about the Globe.

I was determined not to give up. Instead of admitting defeat, I was forced to think differently about my situation; different revenue options and optimise what was working. It paid off with a little helping hand to get me through the next month but I swore to myself that I would never get into that position again. It was a lesson to step up my game.

Fast forward just over a year later and I’ve just had my best revenue month ever! I've had 3 students join me as interns for the summer period and I’ve just been interviewed on another two podcasts, this month alone. None of this would have been possible if I had walked away from something that I was so passionate about.

The moral of my story – If you’ve put blood, sweat and tears into making your dreams happen, don’t give up. Sometimes you just need some breathing space to take a step back and reassess. It would have been so easy to have given up but I would have been giving up on not only me, but inspiring others too.

So, if you are in a similar situation or maybe others are telling you that you can’t live or study abroad or that you wouldn’t be able to cope travelling on your own, this is your opportunity to prove them wrong. No one understands your life and dreams more than you. Show them that you can and please don’t give up.