Today's Decisions = Tomorrow's Game Changers
You never know what decision (big or small) today will change your life's trajectory. The trick is following your ❤️ and being on the lookout for clues.
Happy Thursday.
Starting things off with a request.
Please stop what you’re doing right now, and ask yourself the following question:
How did I get here?
And by “here,” I don’t mean, Why are you in the living room? (If you’re like me, you’re probably like, Hell if I know, I just walked in here~) Or… What brings you to Toronto? Why are you walking down a particular street?
I’m not asking about those things.
I’m talking about where you are in your life - whether it’s your job, relationship status, or the place you live…pick something to focus on for a bit. 🤔
Chances are, if you examine your current situation and do some backtracking, you’ll find that you’re there because of one thing a person said to you.
🤯 ONE THING! 🤯
That thing… prompted you to make a decision, which led to a million more decisions, and ultimately led you where you are now.
Yet it all began with something someone innocently said that prompted you to do something… never thinking that thing would literally change everything.
And here’s the deal: those things happen all the time.
Every day, we encounter things that can change the trajectory of our lives.
For me, one of “my things” happened in 2023.
Here’s what happened…
It was the summer before the Solheim Cup was to be played in my favorite place on earth… Spain. My golf writing career was slowly taking off, so of course, I was obsessed with the idea of going to Spain to cover the event.
The only problem? I didn’t really have a solid reason for going or a guaranteed assignment (i.e., payment to take care of little things like my mortgage).
I was alone in the wild… a freelancer without a gig. (Or expense account.)
In other words, I had no business going.
Which is precisely why I knew I must go.
(Maybe I’ve watched too many movies, but that logic made sense to me.)
So I brought it up to my husband, Eric, and was almost embarrassed by my proposal…
Hey, honey, you know I’m a freelancer, and I’m thinking of spending a chunk of change on an international trip with no financial payout. We good?
You’d think Eric would’ve talked some sense into me.
But since he’s my biggest career cheerleader, he told me:
“Do it! You never know what doors it will open. And Spain is your thing! Plus, think of the connections you'll make.”
His confidence gave me confidence. (Funny how that works.)
So I started planning my trip and pitching publications to cover my story.
And even though I pitched my heart out, I was still without a story when it came time for my trip. Yet, still, I went, somehow knowing it would work out.
Which, thankfully, it really did. 😅
And here’s the deal… the process of my planning, pitching, and actually going to the Solheim changed the trajectory of my career. In addition, two things emerged from that trip that directly relate to my recent trip to Portugal.
First, one of my pitches was directed to a woman named Pam Shaheen, the President & CEO of Let’s Golf Travel. I asked Pam if she needed coverage of the Solheim. She answered, “I don’t do international tours, but would you be interested in going on domestic golf FAM trips?”
Say what?
At the time, I didn’t even know what a FAM trip was. I quickly learned a FAM trip is basically a trip where golf writers stay and play in golf resorts in exchange for writing about the experience. Great promotion for the resorts and courses, great experience for golfers.
With this new information I told Pam, “Yes, absolutely. Tell me more.”
Over two years later, I’ve played more courses than I can count, all because I reached out for one thing ~ the Solheim Cup~ and ended up opening a portal to a new career ~ golf tourism writing. And thanks to going on one of Pam’s trips this summer, I met Carlos Ferreira, founder & owner of TeeTimes Golf Holidays in Portugal. (Which, by the way, if you’re considering a golf trip to Spain or Portugal, call Carlos’ team. They will set you up!)
Carlos and his crew, along with Visit Cascais, made my recent trip to Portugal possible. (Shoutout and thanks to both!)
The second result of my Solheim Cup experience was the fact that I made a new friend named Asa, who lives in Portugal. Asa and I were in the same hotel and would talk during breakfast each day, and we ended up at the same restaurant for dinner on my last night. We kept in contact over the past two years (since Asa works in the golf industry too), and wouldn’t you know… one of the courses on my Portugal tour was Asa’s home course! As luck would have it, Eric and I were able to play with Asa at Penha Longa Golf Club. Amazing serendipity!
The moral of the story?
Follow your intuition and listen to the clues you receive along the way - the times people tell you they believe in you, the chance meetings, and the new opportunities that appear out of nowhere.
And then… take action, because those clues lead to decisions, and those decisions lead to changes in our lives. (Which might not show up until years later!)
You just never know what one tiny decision can lead to…
I’ll let you ponder all that, and leave you with some fun discoveries and links.
Have a great day & I’ll see you next week…
WHERE TO EAT IN LISBON
How to avoid a hangry travel meltdown on the first day of your trip? Schedule a food tour, because chances are you’re hungry, tired, and don’t want to make any decisions.
Since Eric and I have been around the block when it comes to food meltdowns, we scheduled a tour with Eating Europe on our first night in Lisbon.
It was perfect - we didn’t have to go ten rounds over what we wanted to eat. Our guide led the way, showing us the places locals eat and drink. (A great way to avoid tourist traps!)
Here’s a rundown of the spots our local guide, Amanda, showed us, in case you’re headed to Lisbon:
Pão de Canela - we had cod ceviche “ceviche de bacalhau” and pork sandwich “bifana” with sparkling wine “espumante” São João from the Bairrada region.
O Jardim, we tried the traditional Portuguese tempura green beans “peixinhos da horta” with red or white wine Bico Calado from the Alentejo region.
Uva Livre, we enjoyed a charcuterie board with cheese, black pig sausage, and dried fruits paired with fine Portuguese wine (of your choice!)
A Obra offered octopus rice “arroz de polvo” paired with natural biodynamic green wine “vinho verde” from Vinho Verde region, and for dessert a traditional biscuit cake “bolo de bolacha” and moscatel wine “vinho moscatel” from Setúbal region.
Senhor Uva - for a wine-focused, botanical menu and the expert wine info from an Irish sommelier. The tapas and wine were the highlight of the evening.
BRAND SPOTLIGHT - LATHER
For clean skin and hair care with travel-sized options, look no further than LATHER, a company focused on natural ingredients and free from synthetic fragrances. Emilie Hoyt founded the brand as an attempt to determine the cause of her migraines. It turns out that the fragrances in the products were the cause. Now her mission is to create clean, wellness-driven skin and haircare formulations that prioritize ingredient transparency, environmental responsibility, and genuine results. I took a whole family of LATHER products with me to Europe, and I’m in love… especially with their recovery masks and muscle ease gel, which was by far the best pain remedy I’ve tried for my golf elbow. AND… good news for you, the folks at LATHER gave me a discount code for you! Click on the link and use ABBEY15 for 15% off!
Inspo from The Universe
SUBSTACK REC OF THE WEEK
EURO STYLE NOTES
I’m loving the maroons, browns, blues, greys, and creamy whites I’ve been seeing everywhere. My favorite Euro spots - Ese o Ese, Brownie, & Zara didn’t disappoint.
RANDOM
I’ll be looking for these hidden plane features on my next trip.
How to fly and live better (sign me up for both) on this great YouTube.
Forget lotions, potions, or diets… and check out
