What is stopping you from doing what you’d love to do?

When Chris Packe quit his well paid job he was told that he was in a privileged position and that it was all down to luck of circumstance.

But he believes it’s also down to choices and priorities.

He’s noticed that people often deny that they have the power to change things, saying their lives are out of their control.

However, unless you are one of the very unfortunate ones in society, the situation you are in (or not in) is most probably a product of choices you have made (or not made), whether deliberately or passively.

When talking to someone he once worked with, they said what they most wanted to do was leave their job, but couldn’t.

They needed to keep working to pay for the massive house, the kids’ school fees and their love of fine wine and fine art.

To Chris, money can facilitate or limit a person. Their sense of freedom and autonomy depends as much on lifestyle as income.

When Chris decided to leave his job as an investment banker, money was a practical consideration but the real driver was simply to allow himself to have an adventure.

For most people, making a big change in their lives comes down to priorities, not circumstance.

Or whether they are willing to make the choice at all.

In this episode of the Friday Fireside we’ll hear more about Chris’ journey from working in finance to working in nature - running youth programmes and events for teenage boys and girls, fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, adults and business folk.

The Friday Fireside - From hedge funds to hedgerows