"Other inspirational brand slogans are available..."

When I actually stop and take a second to think about my life for the past four months, I sometimes can't quite believe it. Ok, so it's hardly been the most extraordinary of experiences, but it's more the fact that it's me that's been doing these things that's hard to believe.

At 7am on 25th July I waved goodbye to my parents and set off on a 6 week trip to the USA and Canada. I spent two weeks in Texas, followed by a month in Toronto, interrupted by a 5 day trip to Boston, and then flew back to the UK in time to spend a week in Cyprus with Mum and Dad. Thank god for student loans is all I can say.

While I was in Cyprus I was offered unpaid work in London running on a kind of "pop up" TV channel at the On/Off TV area of London Fashion Week (see what we got up to here), followed by 'Dead Cat' (see earlier post). I left for London the morning after I flew back to the UK. And now I live here.

I dropped everything, knowing it could be the start of everything I wanted. I left behind my family who I am incredibly close to, my lovely little nephew who I'd been looking forward to spending time with the most, my Grandad who had just had a triple heart bypass four days earlier, as well as a few plans I'd made and spent a lot of money on (including a ticket to the L Word convention in Blackpool, the last time it will be there, with the chance to meet the stars, at £90).

So it was a pretty tough decision, and if I was ever in that position again I would choose in exactly the same way. If you have a passion for something, if you have dreams - nomatter how unrealistic you might think they are - you have to grab any opportunities you're faced with and do what I did... what I do..... just don't think about it. Just do it.

I didn't think too much into travelling alone for 6 weeks, or about taking two 14-hour bus rides between Toronto and Boston because it was half the price of a flight. And I had the time of my life.

I didn't let myself dwell on the fact that I was leaving everyone I was close to behind and I didn't think twice about putting absolutely everything I had into a great film with an amazing cast and crew for no money at all, or about going for a job in Soho after being in the industry for two months.

It worked. I'm so much better off for launching myself into the deep end of the real world that I'd only ever dipped a toe into before. And I'm still going - I'm moving into a box room in a house share with four guys who I've never met, whilst trying to figure out how to budget on very little. Very little. And I couldn't be happier.

Just don't think about it. Just do it. To revisit a slightly cheesy anecdote - which my friends will definitely rib me for! - on one of those 14-hour bus rides from Boston back to Toronto I met an old lady from County Durham who had lived in Canada for 40 years. We chatted about my plans (or lack thereof) to get into TV and film, and how torn I was between that and my family, and when we got off the bus she kissed me goodbye and said "Follow your dream."

I'll never forget that lady.