Do It Scared
On bidding wars, big risks, and the new version of yourself on the other side.
A clipping from a newspaper article when I had grown my business to 3 salons.
Well hello there,
I hope you’ve had a good week.
I had a couple of posts ready to go—one about gardening, another about our trip to Braga—but as I sit here today, I can’t seem to focus on anything except this:
Risk.
I’m currently hiding out in a Costa with questionable WiFi. The kids have been off for Easter break for two weeks, and I needed a few hours of quiet. Whitney Houston is playing “I’m Every Woman” over the speakers.
Yes, Whitney. I am.
Hearing her voice is comforting, brings me right back to the 90’s where my risk story began.
We’re in the middle of a bidding war for a house we truly love.
It’s been a rollercoaster—not for one, not two, but seven weeks since we first saw it. Things are coming to a head, and a decision will be made on Monday.
Our own house is sale agreed. Everything is moving quickly. We’ll be out soon, whether we have somewhere to go or not.
And the truth is—I really, really want this one.
There’s a particular kind of vulnerability that comes with wanting something this much. A mix of hope and exposure. Excitement and fear.
And as I sit in it, I’m reminded—
This isn’t new for me.
My life, when I look back, has been a series of risks and leaps.
I finished school at 17 and went on to study Beauty Therapy, but I left early with a diploma instead of a degree. I didn’t want to wait—I wanted to work.
And I loved it.
I loved the rhythm of showing up somewhere.
I loved being around people.
I loved earning my own money and buying my own clothes.
It felt like freedom.
It was the Celtic Tiger era, and Ireland was buzzing.
Jobs were everywhere, even for someone young. I moved easily between roles, picking up experience, slowly figuring out where I fit.
By 19, I found myself working in a software company in the Guinness Enterprise Centre. I noticed quickly that communication between teams was lacking, and before long, I stepped into an office manager role.
It was my first step outside retail—a world of creatives, developers, and big ideas—and I thrived in it.
Around that same time, something deeper was unfolding in my life.
I wasn’t someone who naturally gravitated toward relationships, but I found myself drawn into something spiritual—a relationship with God that felt real, immediate, and alive.
It stirred something in me.
I wanted to understand what I believed. I wanted to ask questions. I wanted to learn.
And then, somehow, doors opened.
I ended up in California studying theology.
I spent two years there and was eventually offered a job in San Diego.
It was tempting. Everything about that season had been rich and full—but something in me was pulling me home.
Back to Ireland.
Growing up, Ireland had felt small. It is an island after all. I had wanted to leave and explore. Back then, if someone travelled to the USA, you’d ask them to bring back a pair of Levi’s. Things weren’t as easy to come by, the global online shopping phenomena hadn’t happened yet and places like Australia and America seemed really far away.
And yet, there I was—choosing to return.
That decision lasted all of four months.
Soon after, I randomly applied for a job with Emirates. Within weeks, I had moved to Dubai.
I spent nearly four years as cabin crew, followed by time working on a private jet.
It was expansive in every sense of the word.
I learnt so so much about people, nationalities, world history, religions and of course shopping and interiors!
When I eventually came home, around 2006
I was very sick with a severe case of mono and had to be wheel chaired off the plane.
After I recovered, I found myself asking the same question again:
What now?
Ireland was shifting. The Celtic Tiger had faded, and recession was looming.
I chose to risk again.
I opened a beauty salon.
Not just any salon, but one built on a vision: five-star treatments, professionalism, and an elevated aesthetic that was new at the time.
I poured myself into it for the next decade.
It became something I was deeply proud of.
Just before Covid hit we bought our first house in a County far away from all of our family and friends, another first for us.
None of those moments felt safe, each time the risk was real, financially, emotionally and physically. There was so much work and patience and experience in some of those moves and looking back I can see that every decision no matter how uncertain it felt created room to grow.
New connections, new friends, new trust in myself and in God. Those experiences even the failures make me who I am today. They’ve grown my character and my history and my confidence.
I don’t think anyone wants to be uncomfortable, or wants to be stretched. I know I don’t.
So if you find yourself in a moment of uncertainty like I am right now, a bidding war, a crossroads or a big decision to make, take heart.
Be Brave
Do it scared. I always have.
You will learn, You will grow and if it’s bitter, the sweetness of the following season will give you depth you never know you had.
And sometimes— it will be exactly what you were hoping for.
I’ll be back with hopefully good news next week about our house move,
In the mean time, have a great Sunday,
Anna X
As cheesy as this sounds, I'm extremely proud of your journey love!