I grew up in Donegal dreaming of the sun.
Not a good summer. Not a lucky week.
Real sun. Heat. Blue skies that stayed.
At the time, it felt a long way away.
Because it was. Donegal gives you a lot — resilience, perspective, a sense of place.
But 365 days of sunshine isn’t one of them.
Still, the idea stayed with me.
Years later, I had a choice. I’d built a career, moved countries, taken chances.
And at some point, I realised something simple: I didn’t have to wonder anymore where I might live.
I could decide.
So I left Chicago and moved to California — the Coachella Valley. Right in the middle of the desert.
That first summer? 50 degrees.
You don’t forget heat like that. It’s not just warm — it’s something you respect.
But there was something else too.
The light.
The consistency.
The predictability.
Autumn, winter, spring — incredible.
Warm days, cooler evenings. A rhythm you could rely on.
For a while, it felt like I’d found exactly what I’d been looking for.
And then, quietly, something shifted.
Because even in all that sun, I found myself thinking about something else.
The sea.
Movement. Air. Space.
I’d sit outside in the evenings and think about what it would be like to wake up and see the water instead.
Funny how that works.
You get what you thought you wanted — and then you realise there’s more to it.
Then it was time to come home.
After decades abroad, we moved back to Ireland. And somehow, we ended up in Blackrock.
Right on the sea. Now I wake up and look out at the water.
It changes every day.
Calm, rough, clear, grey.
Nothing like the desert. And yet, in a strange way, exactly right.
Looking back, none of it was accidental.
Donegal to Scotland.
Scotland to the US.
Chicago to California.
The desert to the sea.
At every stage, there was a decision.
Not always easy.
Not always clear.
But mine to make.
That’s the part people don’t always see.
From the outside, it can look like luck. Timing. Opportunity.
But at some point, you take responsibility.
For where you go.
For what you build.
For the direction your life takes.
Early in my sales career, I believed — without really knowing how — that one day I’d lead a global sales team.
No roadmap. No guarantees.
But I believed it anyway.
And over time, it happened.
Not by accident.
By decisions.
By backing myself when there was no obvious path.
The same applies to how you live your life. You don’t need every answer.
But you do need to take responsibility for it.
Because no one else will.
I dreamed of the sun.
I lived in the desert.
Now I wake up beside the sea.
Different places. Different chapters.
Same idea.
You don’t wait for life to happen.
You take responsibility — and then you move.