By Jessica Hepburn – list-loving author, arts producer and adventure activist. (Unlikely) record-breaking Everest Summiteer * Channel Swimmer * Marathon Runner. (Much more likely) Desert Island Discs Devotee * Founder of The Arts Adventure Retreat & Fertility Fest * Former CEO of the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith * Author of: The Pursuit of Motherhood * 21 Miles * and (out March 2024) Save Me from the Waves.
1. Live Big and Brave
Live big and brave has been my personal hashtag for a while. But what does it mean exactly? Yes, it means living a large life - I’m going for full technicolour myself. Yes, it means living bravely – I think the piece of advice I’d give to my younger self: is ‘Be braver, sooner’. But it also means living life as if you know you’re going to die. Because we all do: die. Sorry to put it so bluntly but sometimes human beings seem to forget this irrefutable fact. And living big and brave is about realising that you’ve only got one shot at giving it a go - so you might as well put on your biggest and bravest boots and try to climb your mountain(s).
2. Your Shit is Your Superpower
Possibly the single most important thing I’ve learnt is: Your Shit is Your Superpower. We’ve all got it. Shit. Mine is that I couldn’t have a baby with the man I love. Then we split up, heaping loss upon loss. And there’s been other shit as well - that’s just the epicentre. But what I’ve realised is that everyone has something in life that makes them sad. So our job - it seems to me - is to turn your sad thing into something good for yourself and other people. Your Shit is Your Superpower – get down and dance it, or get up and sing it.
3. An adventure will always change your life for the better
Ok, so, yes, we’re all on an adventure. The biggest adventure of all is life, and we’re all on it. But embracing mini or maxi adventures along the way will change your life for the better, especially if you’ve been through dark and difficult times. For me, the essential ingredients of an adventure are: 1/ Doing something new (to you) 2/ Doing something that requires an element of effort (for you) and 3/ Doing something where the outcome is uncertain. And don’t worry, in the end the outcome won’t matter. Adventure dreams don’t always come true, but the journey is always worth taking. Because an adventurous life makes you feel alive. It heals you from the hurt you’ve been through. And it connects you with other human beings, and social connection is one of the keys to human happiness. So go on as many adventures as you can, because death is always following close behind.
And sorry to mention the ‘D’ word again, and end on what some might say is a grey note. But death is a rainbow to me. I know it’s coming and my favourite colour is gold (check out my shoes in the pic at the top of this post!). I’m hoping there will be a pot of it waiting - but let’s face the facts who the hell actually knows?
So for now I live by these three commandments - they are the most important things I’ve learnt about life - so far.
What are yours? I’d love to know. In threes, please.
PS. This post is my ‘Substack Launch Post’ – for more details about me and my ‘Lists of Love’ and what you’ll get if you subscribe - see my About Page.