Wandering à la Merry Loner Lifestyle in Cannes, France, November 2024.

While the Merry Loner Mindset praises leaning into self-confidence and going after your dreams, I haven't always done so publicly—and when I have, it often comes with a lot of hesitation and worrying before hitting PUBLISH.

It just doesn't come naturally to me. I don't maintain an Instgram account with lots of pictures of myself. I'm always forgetting to post on LinkedIn, even though that's what all the freelance writers do these days. And when I am asked to share a picture of myself for a project (like I was last week), I'm often hard pressed to dig up some photos that aren't group shots. (I'm more of a journal-er than a photographer when it comes to documenting my escapades.)

But this week, I'm trying something different.

After a monthslong hiatus from A Merry Loner for a sunny vacation in Cyprus and Spain (followed by almost a week bedridden with a virus), I'm eager to get back to writing. So when Olivia Wickstrom from Petal and Hearth (a new publication on Substack) reached out to me to contribute a guest post, I was absolutely tickled—and ready to share more of my personal story than ever before.

In her new Her Best Life series, Olivia asks fellow writers "to share the choices and rituals that have shaped the lives they have today."

For my guest post specifically, Olivia asked me to recount my move to Paris. I've already shared a little about my experience in an article I wrote last year for Business Insider. But when you're lucky enough to get commissioned by a big-name publication, it usually means you've got to stick to some very strick parameters—i.e., my love of the verbose and the over-explained was (understandably) trimmed down and the emotional factor kept to a minimum.

But today, I get to reveal more shades of the story.

THE SHORTLIST: A Merry Loner on Thriving in Your Own Company

• The mission behind A Merry Loner (and why I write)
• How the Merry Loner Mindset helped me quit my desk job, start my own business, and dare to permanently settle in another country
• Simple habits (I cling to) to make daily life more beautiful
• A solo ritual to help you become more comfortable doing things alone
• My best advice on how to start building a more independent life—without waiting for your current cirumstances to change
• My brutally honest advice on what to consider before making a big move
• The one small choice I made years ago that's profoundly changed my life

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MORE ARTICLES ON LIFE IN FRANCE

• ​Where to Take Yourself on a Solo Date at Night in Paris​
• ​26 Things To Do Alone in Paris (plus a complete itinerary for a week traveling alone in Paris)
• ​21 Quotes for Traveling Alone, including wisdom from voices like Belgian fashion designer Diane Von Fürstenberg, and English novelist Daphne du Maurier

Very sincerely,

Merry

NOW GO ON YOUR MERRY WAY...

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