Say hello to the real world.

As you grow older and time passes it is inevitable that change must happen. You cannot remain stagnant. That photo snapshot in time is a moment that will never recur. You will never be the person that you used to be.

Change is never more evident than when you move into a new phase of your life and the harsh reality of the present sends you reeling.

I used to think that I could be a carefree youth for years on end; running, laughing, joking with friends and never looking back. I used to frequently crack the pithy one liner: 'You're only young once, but you can be immature forever'. To a certain extent that is true. Your heart can remain in the giddy rose tinted light of youth but the bite of the real world, and its lessons and responsibilities, eats away at your mind.

When I moved to London I welcomed the world of 'adult responsibility' in a warm embrace. Five months later (Oh God, has it been five months already?!) and my prior assumptions are seeming increasingly naive. The thing about the real world, the adult world, outside of the confines of University life and the requisite reckless behaviour, is that you stand alone. You budget (or in my case don't) your own finances, you are reliant on yourself to do well at work and the gleaming future of big houses, big cars and big wardrobes (that's my future life anyway) is solely dependent on your own success. Your parents (if they are as generous, warm hearted and loving as mine) may provide emotional and financial support where necessary, but inevitably it is up to you.

I do not hesitate to admit that I am incredibly ambitious. I have a career plan and I know what I want to achieve with my life. Mediocrity is not it. Women have been berated and labelled as bitches for displaying a firm resolve and ruthless drive when it comes to succeeding at work and the truth is that those who berate and label are just scared. Scared that they will be trampled on and overtaken on the race to the top. They fear ambitious women. They should do.

Big events in life make you re-evaluate your priorities. No event in my life has been bigger than the recent arrival of a beautiful baby boy. Do not fear, he's not mine! Well he is. He is my wonderful, perfect, sweet and tear-inducingly innocent little godson: Oliver Jack Webber. Born on November 24th to my amazingly strong best friend Luci- he is a little ray of sunshine. More than that, he is a glaring beam of light shining through a magnifying glass and burning into my life. He is my realisation that I'm not a kid anymore.

I need to grow up.