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I was covered in mosquito bites, sand, and had been awake for a solid 24 hours with no sleep in sight. I was sitting in an empty bathtub in a tiny hotel room in Goa, India. And I was struggling to get a new idea out of my head, it had latched onto my brain and wouldn’t let go of me. I could be a tour leader. At the time I decided to travel to India my life was an absolute mess. I was stuck in a toxic stressful job and needed something to give me a kick and shake me out of the funk I’d been living in. So as one does I decided to book a spontaneous trip to India, thinking that if this couldn’t change my outlook, then nothing could. Oh how I underestimated the experience I’d signed up for, I had no idea that such a snap decision would change the course of my life for years to come. I spent three weeks travelling around India, and each day I learnt something about myself a bit more. I met a woman on the flight over who was terrified of flying, so I held her hand and talked about how I’d trained as cabin crew, so she was sitting next to the best possible person. After the flight, she insisted I visit her family in Delhi and we exchanged contact details. That was my first glimpse of Indian hospitality. Over the next few weeks I met person after person who showed me that happiness is what you make of it, and that the traditional western “recipe for success” isn’t really required. The secret to living a happy and meaningful life (so I learned) is to care, provide for, and help others around you. If you can do this within your work, then what starts out as a simple job can turn into your calling. After discovering this tidbit of information I started wondering how I could apply it to my life at home. I met a local guide who became a very good friend of mine, and after a particularly long chat he suggested that it sounded like I could use my passion and experience to do his job. “Why don’t you try it out? Lead a few tours and see how you like it.” “Are you crazy!” I replied, “I don’t have the confidence to speak in front of a tour group! I couldn’t do it.” But he just smiled and said “You don’t know what you’re capable of until you do it.” That was it, I tried to shake off the idea over the next few days, thinking of all the stressful and negative aspects that leading tours would entail. But it was a light-bulb moment, I suddenly had a new path in front of me that I could choose to take, and I was terrified of it. I wasn’t a public speaker, or a party animal. I considered myself an introvert who couldn’t really do much, and preferred people to ignore me. That was exactly why I decided that I had to prove myself wrong. That last night in Goa I filled out expression of interest forms, and typed up my CV on my phone. That’s how crazy I was feeling at 3AM. I heard the rest of my group leaving for the airport and made up my mind to take a chance. Because otherwise I’d just ignored the lesson that I was looking for in India the first place. A few months later I got a response. After three months of full time study I attended the gruelling training trip, and then worked for an entire season on the road. All within a year of stepping foot in the most incredible and life changing country I could imagine. I learnt from the people of India to be more confident, to stop chasing happiness, and to take my dreams seriously. They showed me that my purpose is to inspire others while always striving to improve myself. Now it’s your turn, will you find your unexpected path and take it? If it scares you, you should absolutely do it. Especially if you think you can’t.