Hi Reader,

We’d spent months planning our exit to warmer waters.

At the beginning of the year, a move abroad felt like the right decision. Every part of me agreed.

And yet October ultimately culminated in my husband and I receiving our permanent residency in the UK!

Let me back up.

October was an interesting month. So much shifted beneath my feet I could hardly plant them down long enough to see what direction I was walking. The month was full of hotel stays, writing, hiking, and exploring Scotland. It was full of storms and wind and delicious food.

But the more we thought about where we wanted to live, planning trips to check out cities and villages drenched in sunlight, the more overwhelmed we both felt at the prospect, not less.

It became less of an exciting adventure we were embarking on and more of a mandate we had set ourselves.

So over the summer when we learned we were eligible to stay on in the UK longer, neither one of us hesitated. We knew full well it would change the vision of the future we’d held for so many months.

It was a real lesson to me about the power of following the intuitive hits in the moment.

It’s a continuing theme for me, this topic of commitment. In fact, reliability is one of my highest values. Nothing will make me trust you less than if you say or promise one thing only to break your word at your earliest convenience.

However, I’ve had to learn where doing exactly that is actually beneficial in my own life. Saying one thing only to realize later it might not be right for me, and allowing myself to take a step back and reassess.

After relinquishing my permanent residency in Germany, I hadn’t expected to get the same here in England. It just wasn’t on my mind. But now that I have it, there’s a sense of relief to just belong without any hurry to be somewhere else.

Taking one step closer to becoming British is a result of exactly that change of heart. The part of me that was ready to leave, ready to move on to greener pastures, now knows that it’s okay to stay put for a while. And to perhaps fulfill another kind of dream: the kind that involves long countryside walks, tiny cabins in the woods filled with books and a fireplace, a writing nook watching the rolling hills or seaside out the window.

Things can change at any time. And they do. That’s why learning to hear your intuition is so important. It’s not just to feel superior to everyone around you (though that naturally comes with the territory), but it is to be able to discern, in the moment, what feels right for you, and what does not.

I would be the first to raise my hand and admit that I genuinely believe that hard work and some degree of control will get me where I want to go. Even though I’ve learned time and time again that it is simply not true.

Situations arise, new relationships form, new dreams emerge from the woodwork, and we are always invited to dance with what is right before us in this very moment. To look at the opportunities or information we currently possess, and to choose based on what feels right in the present.

It’s why my life has taken so many twists and turns in seemingly unexpected ways: the countries I’ve lived in, the professions I’ve switched between, and even the types of people who fill my inner circle. None of it could have been predicted. All of it felt right in the moment I chose it.

That’s what I find so magical about learning to trust yourself and your own inner knowing. The more we try to control the outcome of our lives, the harder it becomes to hear that wisdom. The more we loosen the reins and let our intuitive side lead, the more fulfilled we become.

So I’ll ask you, Reader, if you weren’t bound by what you promised yourself at the start of this year, what would you choose today?

Hit reply and tell me. I read every reply.

With love,

Amanda

P.S. If you’re ready to trust yourself on a level you’ve never experienced before, I can help. I will soon be retiring my Oracle Readings for good, but you can still book a session before the end of November. Book your reading here.​