Have you ever noticed that little voice inside you?

The one that nudges.

The one that whispers, “Don’t do this again.”

Or, “There’s a better way.”

We often think about longevity in terms of diet, exercise, sleep, or genetics. But there’s another factor quietly influencing how long—and how well—we live: optimism.

In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr asked a group of high school students a simple but confronting question: “What is your life’s blueprint?”

It’s a confronting question. One we often ask silently in our harder moments, usually when life feels heavy, lonely, or unseen.

We often talk about where we’re from, but rarely stop to ask what home really means. Is it a country, a city, the people we love — or something deeper? After listening to a TED Talk by Pico Iyer, I found myself reflecting on my own sense of home and how it has shifted across continents and chapters of life. This piece is an exploration of belonging, identity, and the idea that home may be less about geography and more about where we choose to stand and the people in it!

A new year rolls in and suddenly we’re surrounded by big promises. New habits. New bodies. New careers. New versions of ourselves. And yet, for so many people, those resolutions fade before the first month is even over.

As one year closes and another arrives, most of us take a moment to glance in the rear-view mirror. What worked? What didn’t? What stretched us? I’m no different — and if I’m honest, I’m not sad to see 2025 roll on by.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve run straight into obstacles on the path I wanted to follow. Every time I’ve tried to change something in my life, there’s been resistance. And yet — again and again — I’ve learned to adjust, rethink, and keep moving forward.

This blog is a little early, but I wanted it to come out on Christmas day here in Australia.

I know this Christmas will be a tough one for many people and I hope this can help even just a little.

Love Carol xx

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs happen when someone tells us we can’t. This week I’ve been reflecting on how perseverance, grit and a growth mindset can reveal potential we never knew we had. Here’s a story that reminded me why we should never let others decide our limits.

How many of us simply accept what is? We reach a certain point in life, in our education or our career, and settle right there. Comfortable. Safe. Familiar. And for a while, that feels perfectly fine.

Life is full of people, but there are a few we simply can’t do without—those who shape us in ways that often go unseen, yet leave a lasting impact on who we are and who we can become.