As I prepare to leave for the beautiful Greek Island of Hydra again for my second yoga retreat, it is not lost on me how blessed I am to be travelling the world and experiencing all that this life of mine has to offer.

We all make choices everyday about how to live our lives in a more positive and productive way, but I didn’t always see it that way.

When you face life challenges there are really only two roads to take, stay in bed for the rest of your life or fight for your life.

When these times appear in our lives, this is when we learn the most and when our personal growth soars and we become more evolved into the people we are meant to be. It’s not always easy, (far from it!), but without these challenges we have no purpose.

I don’t always go back and read my own work (LOL) but I happened across some scribbles of mine when I was writing ‘The Leap Year’ about how I didn’t feel that I had a life purpose. I loudly announced that I wanted to be a higher spiritual person and I wanted to help people.

At the time, I really did think I had gone bananas. But, I stood tall and wrote those exact words at the start of my journal and read it every day. I like to think of it as my ‘why I get up in the morning!’

Fast track three and half years and I have done so many things to progress to the life purpose I set myself. I truly know what it is that I want to do and I believe that this is my path. So many people (and places) have fallen into my life (as if by magic!) and that is why I know I am heading in the right direction.

My yoga practice means so much to me on a spiritual level. I have learnt compassion, empathy, self-love and being generous of spirit through this ancient practice. This yogi world was unknown to me before then and it has taught me how to reflect, listen and understand my body and be present in my life. I certainly feel that I am well on my way to finding my higher spiritual self.

My writing has blossomed into not only my own books, blogs and magazine articles but I now also write for other people. It has been a wonderful start to helping others fall in love with the written word.

And lastly I have applied for a volunteer role at my local hospital in their oncology ward. This is something I have wanted to do for quite some time but I had to wait until now. Being a cancer patient myself, I understand more than anyone what it’s like to walk into an oncology ward for the very first time. It’s the scariest thing I have ever done.

I want to help people navigate their own life challenges and help them recognise that personal strength and commitment is available to us all. I am walking proof that there is life after cancer and it is better than ever!

And on that note, I must get my bags packed, Hydra here I come.

Big Love Jane x