#LifeLessons - Rhiannon Downie Hurst

NAME: Rhiannon Downie Hurst (AKA Rio)

AGE: 42

INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @riocaptures

JOB TITLE: Serial Entrepreneur

I am a multi-faceted entrepreneur, revived thespian, Mumma to a beautiful boy and wife to a wonderful man. I am a bit of a joker and a hippy at heart, I enjoy a challenge or two, and always fight for the underdog. You will often find me exploring the soulful side of Dubai with my laptop in tow. Originally from London, UK, I moved to Dubai 14 years ago to work for one of the regions leading publishing houses and have since launched several small businesses, including award-winning wedding media platform.

www.brideclubme.com.

What are Rio's key #LIFELESSONS

#LIFELESSON – 1

Do more of what makes you truly happy!

Take away your work, business, kids (if you have them), partner, and family……Aside from these things (which of course bring many of us joy), really think about what makes you light up, what encourages that feeling you get when you are truly happy. For me, it’s being grounded around nature and animals, it’s travelling to new places, it’s being creative and experiencing new things, it’s people, I actually really do love people and I love learning from them and hearing about their life experiences, it’s performing/acting/singing my heart out. When I reached my 40s, I found I slowed down a little and started to set time aside for me and only me, doing what makes me smile. It’s OK to be a little selfish sometimes.

#LIFELESSON – 2

Don’t let the fear of what others think about you hold you back! This can kill dreams! It can dampen creativity; it can crush spirits. Stop allowing the opinions of others to hold you back from soaring to heights you can only imagine. Seeking external validation is something we ALL do, whether people like to deny it or not, but when you live your life by it, it’s a curse. Thankfully, I have “mostly” ridden against the grain most of my life and have never really been caught up on seeking approval of others (parents/family/friends), but there have been stages in my life where I have held back from doing things, launching new ventures, hitting ‘post’ on something for fear of what people may say or think. I stopped that a while back, after a few life-changing experiences, and I honestly do not care anymore. You won’t always be everyone’s cup of tea; you won’t please everyone all the time. But you only have one life, and when you reach 40, that realisation gets a little more REAL.

Stop wasting a minute further worrying about what people think and just go be authentically YOU!

#LIFELESSON – 3

Prioritise your HEALTH above all else.

And when I say health, I mean physical, mental, and spiritual. Without our health, we are nothing and are no good to anyone. I wish knew what I did now when I was in my late teens. I would have made early life habits, but it’s never too late. I am now so much more aware of what I put into my body, about what triggers me mentally and what helps me spiritually. I have a way to go with some things, but my health is now my number one priority above all else, for my sake and my family's. When you have your health, you have the best start to anything! A million dirhams in the bank means nothing if you can’t live life to the fullest due to ill health. Obviously, some things are beyond our control, but what we can improve/work on, we really should. Here’s to a happy and healthy 2023 for you all!