What I love most about September is this feeling of new beginnings. It’s like a second round of New Year’s Resolutions. I’m sure it’s stemmed from all those “beginning of the school year” feelings, where you get to reinvent yourself each year for your new classmates.

Moving to a different country has given me many of these same feelings – a new beginning, a fresh start, a slate wiped clean. And yes, I know I’ve been here for 7 months technically, but I suppose I feel like I’m at the point now where it’s finally all coming together. That instead of continuing to “create” this new life, I can finally start living it.

I know I’ve written about this sentiment before, that when you move to a new country (or a new city or a new whatever), you get this really interesting chance to create a new life based on whatever it is that makes you happy. For me, it took a while to even realize what that would look like.

I still wanted to coach through Next Level Pageantry, but didn’t know the exact shape that would take. I wanted to get involved in something musically, but wasn’t sure exactly where I would land or what opportunities would even be available here. I wanted to stretch my corporate wings in my new job, but until the day I walked in, I didn’t know exactly what the realm of my responsibilities would be. And while this blog had an outline and a shape, my concern was that the audience was too limited and would eventually dwindle.

It just took a while to sort. And a lot of patience. And a lot of coffee.

For a while, I rode out the waves, spending a lot of my time taking in all the new information and really thinking about what I could build here. I suppose it’s a bit like an artist. You know in your head what you want the piece to look like, but until you’re given the material and the tools, you don’t really know what you’re working with. Only then can you tweak your original vision to create a masterpiece.

I think this September is the first time I’ve really felt like things are sorting themselves out. My Next Level Pageantry clients have been so faithful (and super successful!) this season, and the launch of my free video series went extremely well. I found an incredibly talented group of musicians to join who are also kind and welcoming. My job has rounded out to be a significantly greater responsibility than I anticipated, which I love (directing marketing for an entire company? #goals). And Holly Tree Cottage has garnered some great connections, has grown in readership, and has expanded in its partnerships.

I’m throwing this all out on the internet at the risk that I’m completely jinxing my entire life (and will be crossing my fingers, throwing salt over my shoulder, and all those other superstitious rituals as I post this). But I think it’s worth documenting this feeling of finally finding a bit of equilibrium amongst the chaos – both for my readers and for myself.

Because I’m going to be honest. This has not been easy. I’ve thrown my blood, sweat, and tears into building this new life (okay, not blood, but definitely sweat and tears), and there were definitely some days when I didn’t know if it was ever going to get better, much less ever be good. I missed my “old” life, felt like I was sacrificing so much, and wasn’t sure if it was ever going to come together.

I also know there are so many of you out there reading who are starting new lives; some of you are headed off to university, others are moving for jobs or loved ones, still others are chasing dreams and wondering when the effort will pay off. I know you’ve felt these feelings – anxiety, excitement, loss, grief – all mixed in with these blissful moments of happiness, when you forget how much your life feels like chaos. And we’re in this together because I get it.

No one has their life completely together. Even at the writing of this, while the four pillars I’ve been building my life on – NLP, music, marketing career, and blog – have been going well, I can’t tell you the last time I’ve been to the gym (does yoga count?), there is laundry all over that gorgeous closet you saw in my last NLP video, I haven’t seen enough of my husband or my dogs in the past month, and I am definitely feeling disconnected from old friends because I haven’t had the time to fit in FaceTime dates.

But it’s important we celebrate the small successes and the big ones alike. I’ve got to give my husband Martin credit here. We celebrated a lot of small successes in the past 7 months and went through a lot of champagne (when I say we celebrated, I mean it!). Almost every day, I’d come home from my day and we’d recap what we’d achieved that day.

One day it was that I had driven myself to a new town and taken a Pilates class. Another day we celebrated that I’d finished a major project at work. Yet another, we cheered to my audition with the CBSO. Small and large victories alike, we took the time to acknowledge the effort it took for both of us to step outside our comfort zones, take a risk, and try something new. For the only way you can create a new life is through these minute risks each day that build on each other and eventually become something great.

Now this September, I can start anew on this new foundation underneath me and begin to add more layers. And it will be ever important for me to continue to push past my comfort zone, to be patient, and to be caffeinated.

Shirt by Ralph Lauren. Jeans by Levis from Target. Monogrammed tote bag from Mark and Graham. Pearl bracelet and earrings from Kate Spade. Watch by Rolex.