Art of Starting Over: Dubai Is My Lucky Place

Last week we talked about how starting over can be painful and confusing, whether you’re forced into it or you choose it. Today, let’s talk about the other side of starting over. The side that’s a bit more fun.

Let’s talk about the pleasant surprises. I bet you’ve had them and I bet they’ve come when you least expect it. When you are just following through and going with the flow. Think about it, am I right?

There’s something to be said about going with the flow and trusting the process. What I’d say about it is this: it’s not easy. Not when you’ve been let down. Not when you like to have control. Not when you’ve worked hard to build stability and don’t want to feel uncertain again.

Trust requires vulnerability. And vulnerability feels risky.

But when you allow yourself to be in flow, when you loosen your grip instead of choking the fun out of your life, you often get something unexpected.

A surprise. Even if you don’t like surprises, sometimes they can feel really good. 

I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m in the process of starting over myself. I’ve traveled the world looking for a new home. I thought it would be France. I love France, it is my happy place. But getting approved for a long-stay visa isn’t easy. It was frustrating, but I knew that it meant I needed to keep searching.

So instead of forcing it, I kept exploring. And this month, I found myself in Dubai. Wondering how that happened?

Well, I told a mentor what I was up to. Immediately, she said, “Have you considered Dubai?” I said, “yes, but I don’t know where to start.” Then she asked her husband to connect me with one of his colleagues. That woman became my ambassador.

Sometimes your next chapter doesn’t open because you planned it perfectly. It opens because you told someone what you were trying to do.

Once in Dubai, I was whisked away to brunches, dinners, sporting events, and even spas. I wasn’t just scouting out a city, I was being welcomed into it. Somewhere in the middle of all of the welcome festivities, I was introduced to a radio host.

He had never heard of a financial therapist before. He was fascinated by the term. Curious. 

And that curiosity turned into an invitation. He invited me onto his radio show to talk about financial therapy.

I went on his show and I shared the interview on my own podcast, just in case you want to hear it. You can check it out here. Now there are millions of people in Dubai who know that I am the new financial therapist in town. Millions who are wondering about their Money Mentality type (money personality). The seed has been planted.

And once a seed is planted, all you have to do is water it. That’s what starting over can look like when you allow it to surprise you. I don’t know where it will lead, but I’m willing to cultivate what’s been planted.

Yes, starting over can be hard. It can be lonely. It can make you doubt yourself. But it can also be exciting, expansive, and fun.

When you believe you’re in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, even if you can’t fully explain why, you open the door to what could be considered luck.

Some might even call it alignment.

Having faith is a risk. You could be wrong.

But what if you’re right?

Wouldn’t you want to know?

Your next chapter could be more meaningful, and more enjoyable, than your last one if you let it. If you loosen control just enough. If you take one risk. If you test one new idea. If you listen to the crazy idea. If you let someone help you.

You don’t have to move across the world like I did. You don’t even have to move to another city. Starting over is not about changing geographical locations. It’s about changing how you manage your emotions and how you move through life decisions. 

You can start small. Start with one part of your life. The least scary part. The easiest part.

And pay attention to what opens up.

You’re not alone in this. I’ve had hard days. Not since I’ve been in Dubai—but in the seasons leading up to it. And I can tell you this: the pleasant surprises make the hard days worth it.

France is still my happy place.

Dubai, though?

Dubai is my lucky place.

And maybe that’s the lesson. You don’t have to choose just one identity or one destination. You can have layers. Happy and fun. Stable and adventurous. Planned and spontaneous.

I hope you find your happy place.

I hope you find your lucky place.

And I hope wherever they are, across the world or right where you are now, that the faith you discover brings you peace, power, and fun.

I share my journey here in this blog, on my podcast, and now on Instagram. Since being in Dubai, I’ve started posting there a little bit because Instagram is the social media of choice in the UAE (United Arab Emirates).

Starting over isn’t just about loss or detours. Sometimes it’s about discovery.

And if you’re willing to trust it…

It turns out to be lucky.