“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”

The quote above is from the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off which was released in 1986, before I was even born, but the reality is that these words have helped me make the most life-changing decision so far. As I sit here and write this post, it is less than four weeks before I leave my life as a qualified lawyer behind and start exploring this world we are so lucky to be a part of.

Who Am I?

My name is Jamie Paddock, 28 years old with a passion for travel, music, photography and just generally being creative. For the last year, I’ve really been focusing on travel photography and trying to build up a following on Instagram.In the first 12 years of my life, I lived in five different places including Cyprus. I still look back to our time in Cyprus with such fond memories of ultimate freedom. Coming from a Forces background, I am quite used to change and new surroundings; maybe that’s what started my interest in travel.

My path so far has taken me from school to sixth form, to university to law college, to a desk in an office where I have worked for the last six years. This is quite obviously the path that so many follow and what we are taught is the ‘right path’ to take. I set out at 15 years old to become a lawyer and that’s exactly what I achieved. It is rewarding to know that your work directly helps someone in their time of need. Sometimes though your personal happiness is found when you escape your comfort zone.

Setbacks Only Make You Stronger

Earlier this year, I was given the devastating news that I needed surgery on my hip. I’d been having problems for a while but I tried my best to ignore them. The operation was quite invasive and will take 12 months to fully recover from. I’m determined to come back stronger than ever. During my initial recovery, I spent a lot of time thinking about where my life was currently at and what lay ahead. I have friends who are married, some have had children and many own their own homes; none of that applies to me and the thought of it, if I’m honest, scares me a little. Luckily for me, it also scares my partner.

Whilst I was pretty much bedbound for eight weeks I read an excellent book, one that I’d highly recommend, ‘Everything that Remains’ written by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus; together known as The Minimalists. Whilst I won’t be selling all of my belongings and living a minimalist lifestyle, the book helped me make my decision. I had to leave the apparent safety of my ‘career’ and see more of the world for myself.I intend to use this blog as an outlet for not only my photography but also my writing. Instagram is great but I find that I always want to add words to give the photos context. I want to continually improve and challenge myself and, hopefully, someone will be inspired by my story enough to follow their own dreams.

Please bear with me for a few weeks whilst I get up to speed with running a website; I’ve never done this before. Make sure you follow me on social media where you can keep right up to date.