Everything is Changing, and I’ve Been Here for too Long
Paloma Faith, who would have thought?
That one lyric from Sigma resonates with me this week as it’s been one heck of a journey and I’m about to Carpe Diem all over your screen. Let me begin…
I’m moving to Manchester.
So all my life, since the age of 0, I’ve lived in a small town just north of North London (I like to tell internationals that I’m actually from London, but I can’t say that to the people who are actually from the UK – they would laugh at me!). It’s been a blast, really. From the leisure centre, to the pubs that scatter my hometown, I found there to be enough for me to get by for what is approximately a quarter of my life (if I live to 100, major fist pump’s will be had at that grand old age #JustSaying). There was enough to keep me grounded living with the parents after finishing school, sixth form and university. In all honesty, at times I was living the life and full well knew it.
There were plenty of occasions when I couldn’t stand the town I was living in though, like how the majority of my friends went away for university. I got used to it, became stronger as an individual and only had to rely upon a small number of people to keep my motivation going.
But recently, I’ve found that the time has come for me to hang up my hat.
Everything is Changing…
The reason for the change is because I’ve become bored of the routine and not finding anything new + exciting these days. And from everyone I have spoken to about it, they totally understand and are super excited for me. There is no area in the country where you can live there for so long and not get tired of it! The past year or so, I’ve been looking forward to the day I can pack my bags and have new experiences.
So in early February, after many months of house hunting, I handed in my notice at an employer that actually treated me really well. It was the only way I was going to take that plunge. Just think about it, I could have waited a couple more months to get some premium Apple Training from my employer… And when that time comes rolling around, maybe I could stay a bit longer because then I can look at a house-share with those who return back from their final years at university…?
The point is, there is always going to be reasons why you won’t make a decision when it really needs to be made. The reasons for procrastinating can be the smallest of things and really, I find they hold you back. As for a personal example, I could have said no to Camp America. I could have earned 3x the amount of money I did out there, but now I know it would have meant I would have missed out on the best experience of my life. When it comes down to it, I always try and put my personal interests above anything else. I’ve learned it’s never worth doing it for the money… Now that’s a blog post waiting to happen.
Tell me more about Manchester
Why Manchester? Well to be honest with you anonymous folks, it was a toss up between Milton Keynes and Manchester. I visited Milton Keynes in December after it has had such a great reputation of being the upcoming, younger brother of London. In the few hours I spent there, I fell in love with the place and the people. There is so much to do in a city that feels as though it belongs in America (it’s very flat, like Florida).
The thing was, Manchester really came out of nowhere. It dawned upon me when daydreaming about other places to check out. The thing that really twisted my arm? The quality of connections I have up there. The majority of the best friends I have made live up north and that was all it took. The idea of being able to live with and intermingle different friendship groups was exciting. That was all it took to get the ball rolling.
A pretty risky move for sure. No guaranteed job and not being fully in the know of what to expect. Heck, I’d been there over a weekend in 2015 but didn’t have an eye out as a potential place to live!
But you know what, so what if I fail? While I doubt it’ll happen, it isn’t impossible. I’m young and ambitious. If I were to make a huge cock-up, I’d prefer it now so I learn from it instead of a midlife crisis with dependants.
So as I take the biggest risk of my life, not knowing what the f**k to expect, I’m excited. I’m going to be living with new housemates and will be living a stones throw away from incredible friends. Stories will be made, relationships will blossom and I will become an adult.
Till the next time,
A.
First of all, welcome one and all to my blog.
I’ve finally lifted the silk curtains to my wonderful creation, my baby… my professional portfolio. But now you are here, what can you expect?
Well, first up this is going to be a blog from the man himself. Will it have personal stuff? Of course. Professional talks? Hopefully. Ramblings of a mad man? A bit.
I’ll try and keep the blog updates regular but they will be coming as and when I feel the need to exhale my thoughts into the wide world of the web. Seeing as this is the first one, the pressure is definitely here to make sure it’s not an embarrassing one I look back on and cringe at. So here goes nothing.
Carpe Diem
Why do you have Carpe Diem as the first thing you see when stumbling about my website?
Well. I’ll fill you in on a secret of mine, it’s the motto I live and swear by. Translated directly, Carpe Diem basically means ‘seize the moment’ in Latin (I believe). I take it to mean the following:
How did ‘your mantra’ come about?
Bizarrely enough, my memory is vivid about the moment my eyes were opened as to what I had been missing out on. It came from a close friend of mine who was being paid to travel Australia for a year. From someone I’d never expect to be seen out of the town they group up in too! I was in awe when I met them in a London pub and they had all of these wonderful experiences to share. They chose to make that leap out of their comfort zone after watching a film. Yes Man (you know, the one with Jim Carrey in it).
I’ll let you in to another secret of mine. I haven’t watched the film, on purpose. That film alone and the very idea of transforming yourself from someone who has been wasting opportunities all these years because of money, time or other commitments (like work) into a Yes Man is too overwhelming for me to sit down and watch. The day I watch Yes Man won’t be for many years yet.
How it has changed my life.
The very concept of Carpe Diem took me to America three times, won a load of competitions, started a casino website, it got me to try a wide variety of foods, go on spontaneous dates, start a YouTube channel, a podcast, travel the breadth of the UK and most recently, I’m about to publish a book.
Now on to what I missed from that list – this very website itself. #InceptionMoment right!? I wanted somewhere I could put my name to the work I create over what is to be the span of my career. I had to start somewhere for both a personal blog and professional portfolio so I ‘seized’ (see what I did there?) the URL under my own name. andrewwaterhouse.com is going to be my risk.
More on the #InceptionMoment thing, who do I expect to be visiting? Well to start with, the extended network of social media once I put word out. As time goes by, traffic will perhaps be minimal to passing employees, future employers and the like. Occasionally though, someone outside of the circle will stumble upon here. Who will these people be?
I’ll name one very small group – other Andrew Waterhouse’s… #InceptionMoment.
They supposedly do exist in the wild so I have heard, other people with my name. From time to time, a bit of googling will perhaps evoke their envy at missing out on a domain with their name on. Does this make me ‘the official one’? Maybe that’s for a later blog.
People think of me as being lucky. They’re wrong. I seize opportunities.
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