5 reasons I chose to quit my job and move to Bali

Sharing my 5 reasons why I chose to quit my brilliant job at Accenture, leave my beautiful flat in Clapham and move to Bali ?? #digitalnomad #lifestyleentrepreneur

On the 25th January 2018, I flew from Heathrow to Bali to start a new adventure. I left my corporate job at Accenture, a Management Consulting firm, packed up my room and prepared myself for a new life. I had planned to move to Bali, for however long I fancied, the previous March when I came over for a 2 week holiday with my best friends. It’s quite a big thing, at 25, to move out of your London flat, quit your job, and move to another country when you don’t know anyone there but for me it felt like the only thing I wanted to do so fear wasn’t something I felt. Having graduated with a Law degree and spent 2 and a half years working for a Corporate I felt I was ‘allowed’ to take some time out, despite being only 25, an ‘indulgent millennial’ I saw so many people online becoming ‘digital nomads’ or ‘lifestyle entrepreneurs’ and wondered, why couldn’t that be me! So, below are the 5 reasons that I moved to Bali in 2018.

1) To learn skills – the term digital nomad is thrown around now in almost a jokey way, however it is, in fact, a totally real thing. Being able to work remotely and find work which is fulfilling, enjoyable and develops your skills is more possible now than it’s ever been before. As long as you have a Laptop, an internet connection and some tenacity, you can find online paid work. Of course, it’s not super easy, just like finding a full time ‘normal’ job isn’t easy, but it is possible. There are thousands of people making a full time living by blogging, being digital marketers, or more recently (and popular in Ubud!) trading cryptocurrency. In my first year out of Uni I worked as a Project Manager for a Government funded digital capability project. I worked from home, from my Laptop and was able to have complete flexility in my life and working location. After the project finished I travelled round Indonesia and Malaysia with a friend and saw these digital workers, typing away on their laptops in trendy cafe’s and juice bars and from then I was hooked, I needed this. I had a great 2 and a half years working at Accenture but something inside me longed for more, and what better way to force yourself to learn new skills and find a new source of income then moving to a place where it’s your only option! They are so many different ways of making money online its completely overwhelming, which is what I’m finding at the moment. It’s hard to land on the ‘right one’ because the options are so huge. So my first few weeks will be spent heavily researching, reading and learning to find the work which is best for me… stay tuned for what I find out!

2) Health – I’ve been fairly obsessed with health since 2014, following the death of my 29 year old cousin, Vicki, from a rare and aggressive cancer, which took her life 2 months after diagnosis. Since then I have become passionate about health and wellness and have spent countless hours reading and learning about nutrition, different types of exercise and what I can do to be the healthiest version of myself, whilst still having a fun social life. The balance is not easy, I think the balance is what most people struggle with. I have been through the obsessive phase with no alcohol, no sugar, totally focused on my body and health and then the opposite of that, eating and drinking whatever I wanted to counteract the limitations I had placed on myself. Having being diagnosed with PCOS at 16 it is important I follow a low carb diet due to being insulin resistant, I ignored this advice for 8 years and was always a little bit ‘overweight’. So at 22 I went on Atkins and lost 15 kilos, losing 2-3 dress sizes and feeling, for the first time ever, slim, but started my complicated relationship with food, something I am still working towards solving. 2 summers later I watched some ‘vegan’ documentaries and became completely convinced and obsessed that the vegan diet is the way to live. Marrying the two, low carb and vegan, however is not an easy task and something I have hugely struggled with, causing me to become almost a ‘yoyo’ dieter, eating perfectly one day and terribly the next, not a sustainable way to live. This is why being in Bali excites me, the food and lifestyle out here promotes healthiness whilst also being an awesome place to have a great social life, so I intend to spend my trip, finding my balance, between health and happiness.

3) Self development – over the last few years I have some serious adversity causing me to be diagnosed with anxiety and PTSD. I have spent a lot of the last 2 years on anti-anxiety medication and in therapy to deal with my issues which has been hugely beneficial, however, I believe the journey is only just starting. The last year has opened my mind to the world of ‘self development’, reading books, doing yoga and learning meditation. However, London life is not necessarily conducive to this (for me anyway) so an ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ trip seemed the perfect solution for me and where better to go than Bali, one of the best places to go for spiritual awakening, yoga, mediation and peace. The amount of books on my kindle and audio books on my phone mean I’d probably have to live here forever, however slowly does it and I’m really enjoying indulging myself in books such as The Power of Now, The Monk who Sold his Ferrari and the Happiness Project.

4) A break from the Western World – I would say I am pretty much the epitome of capitalism. I love designer handbags, drinking prosecco in fancy places and putting photos instagram. I love bingewatching shows on Netflix, shopping for that life changing pair of jeans and finding the perfect brow brush. But I really want a break from it. I, like most people, feel the pressure from social media to be perfect. To have an amazing social life, go on holidays and buy nice things, whilst also saving for a house. To eat at the trendy new restaurants and drink loads on the weekend, but also have a perfect figure. To regularly see all my friends and family but also have time to do things for myself, and go to the gym, and keep my room perfectly tidy. A break from this is much needed for me, not saying it is for everyone, but the fast paced life has tired me out so I’m happy to opt out of it for a bit, until I find my ‘balance’ and work out exactly what the life is I want to lead.

5) Because I LOVE Bali – If you haven’t been to Bali, you should, it is one of the greatest places on earth in my opinion. The food, the people, the activities, the weather, the views, the yoga, the ￡5 massages, the ￡1 Bintangs. It is just the most amazing place. This is a good enough reason for me, ignoring all of the above, because if I didn’t do it now, then when?

Hannah x