When life throws you lemons make lemonade

One of life’s greatest challenges is accepting that it is not what happens to us that defines us, but how we react to what happens to us. While there are many greater tragedies that we face in the cycle of life than breakups, it is indeed one of those defining moments that can make or break us when it hits like a tonne of bricks. For me it happened when I was overseas, solo, in a foreign country in Asia.

It has taken me 8 months to write this post.

So there I was, sweating it out in the gym at 8am on the crystal clear beaches of Nusa Dua, Bali. This is one of Bali’s more upmarket areas with very few crowds and plenty of room to move on the beaches – it was a blissful few days prior to this one. I was in the midst of a health kick following a very indulgent 6 weeks in Europe with my (then) boyfriend, so I was feeling on top of the world working out every day and eating healthier than a herbivore.

Following the Europe trip I had the opportunity to fly to Bali and review a few luxury properties, but given he had work commitments he had chosen not to come on the trip. I took it as a chance to give my health kick a kick start, have some ‘down time’ following a whirlwind 6 weeks across Europe, and clear my mind before my exams started.

So I’m in the gym… Kanye West blaring through my speakers… feeling as though I was in training for iron man (in reality lifting 10kg dumbells), and my phone lights up. The text message (yes you read correctly) revealed my fate: I was being broken up with. Let me say that one more time for complete clarification – I was being broken up with over a text message. Yah, ouch.

My initial reaction was only human — less than 24 hours later I was on a flight home to Australia.

It’s never an easy thing to be let down by someone you love, but to be intentionally hurt is undeniably worse. It’s only human to let this affect you for a set period of time – but it is also only human to bounce back stronger than before.

After weeks of moping around my living area like someone who had been told they would melt like a vampire if they went out into the open air, I finally started to turn my life around. I now look back at this and think to myself GEEZ BROOKE, IT WAS ONLY A BREAK UP!

….indeed, it was only a break up.

But when you’re in that state of mind where you let yourself convince your mind and body that life has no purpose anymore and you might as well ‘give up now’…. it’s hard to see the scenario for what it really is.

But I learned from this experience.

What did I learn?

I learned that I will never again rely on one sole person my happiness.

I learned that I would never again lower my expectations of how a girl (any girl, not just me) should be treated for fear of ‘never finding anyone else’.

I learned that if anyone ever treats me this way again in life, it is acceptable for me to shut them out of my life for good.

I learned that forgiveness is not just a selfless act, it also helps us to grow too.

I learned that the only person who determines your happiness is yourself. Take control.

Since then, I have been travelling the world with a purpose: inspire others. The rest will take care of itself.

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