About Me
G'day! My name is Chris and I am making it my goal to see as much of Australia as possible and hopefully help some people along the way!
Early Life
I have lived a very fortunate life and I try not to take this for granted. I have lived in a supportive and a loving household. My passion for sport and exercise has been nurtured and I have travelled extensively all around the world. I am thankful for all of this and I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for these opportunities. But of course, I faced a number of obstacles along the way. In primary school I was bullied. Too many people are and I don't expect any sympathy, but it is important to mention before I go on with my story. I thought I wasn't good enough and this was reinforced by my peers and even my teachers. I was inadequate and I knew this had to change.
"Our deepest fear is not
that we are inadequate..."
Mid Life
In 2005, I started my high school career with a burning determination to change myself into the person I wanted to be. I was highly competitive and I was motivated by my fear of failure. I challenged myself in every facet of life - from the sporting field to the classroom, I needed to win. And I did. I have folders filled with certificates showing my merit and cabinets full of medals and trophies. I pushed myself to the point of breaking (and then a little bit further). I graduated highschool with a full scholarship to study Engineering at the University of Western Australia and some other scholarships and awards to go along with it.
Fast forward to 2016 and I had my Bachelors degree (I had decided to switch into Sport Science during a quarter life crisis) with first class Honours and with the top mark in my cohort for Biomechanics. I was offered three scholarship to assist me during my PhD, presented my research at an international conference in Germany, I had represented Australia on behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh Award and international forum and much more!
"Our deepest fear
is that we are
Later Life
2017 came around and it was one of the worst years of my life. I was diagnosed with bipolar, lost some close friends, I was stuck in a toxic relationship, I had my laptop/research and passport stolen from me whilst overseas and spent time in and out of a psychiatric hospital. I realised that achievements mean nothing if I wasn't happy. The certificates were pieces of paper with ink on them and the trophies were lumps of metal. It was time for a change.
It was the end of 2017 and I sat in the hospital with Nenek (my sick grandma) and we watched the fireworks on TV to see in the new year. It was really special to be able to spend that time with her. She had achieved so much in her life but more importantly she was happy. I watched her laying in bed, with a newfound determination. But I was no longer motivated by a fear of failure. I was motivated by the allure of success and the attraction of a happier life!
So I set to work. I worked hard, in a bottle-o and doing odd-jobs here and there, saving as much money as possible. I had a new goal - to travel, learn to be happy, tell my story and hopefully help some people along the way.
The day finally came when I had saved enough... (to be continued)
#BlogGoals
"What is important to me?", "What do I really want to achieve?". There are many important things in life, and one of these that is very close to me, is mental health. This blog has two main objectives;
1) to promote awareness and be a good ambassador for mental health illness, and help as many people as I possibly can, and;
2) share some bloody amazing locations and experiences throughout Australia, my favourite country in the world.
I welcome everyone to join me on my journey
