Long Story Short, I'm Moving to LONDON. #KM2UK

"I refuse to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death."

My intimate going-away affair at the Regent Cocktail Club this Thursday.

The plan was to create a video post and explain this all to you in person. But the time has run short.

Long story short, this Saturday, September 21st, I'm moving to Europe.

I'll be moving to a town in Surrey just west of London to study for my MBA at Royal Holloway, University of London.

I don't have many regrets in life. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and is all a part of God's master plan.

The one thing that I did not do, but wished I had done in undergrad, was study abroad. I had always known that I was going to pursue my MBA after I had worked for a few years, so when I felt the time was right, I decided to look into international masters programs to satisfy my curiosity.

I found that MBAs in Europe were typically one-year programs, as opposed to two-year programs domestically, point one for the move.

That would mean only one year of lost income while attending the program, only one year of loans needed for accommodations, tuition and books (less debt) and only one year away from my already flourishing career, point two, three and four for the move.

I wouldn't be Kelliann if I hadn't considered the personal branding aspects of this decision. I also thought about the cachet an international MBA would bring to my resume and credentials.

Domestically you will find many Ivy League and top-tier educated MBAs, but you will find fewer globally educated ones.

A global experience and perspective has become one of the main focuses of most domestic (and international) MBA program, just take a look at any prospectus. I thought why not make my education a truly global one while standing out from the crowd by studying in and traveling about Europe, point five for the move.

While this dialog may make it seem as if this was an easy decision for me, it was not. My strategy was clear, but my emotional hurdles and reservations were as well.

For me this is a life-changing decision. I worked on being as level-headed about it as possible.

To this day I still have some anxiety, but I think anxiety comes with any major shift in life, so when ever I feel myself getting too anxious, I review all the reasons for making this move and I vent to my A-Team and Prayer Warriors who remind me what a wonderful opportunity this is for me and how it will change my life for the better.

#KM2UK is the official hashtag for my move to the UK.  Follow my journey  on Instagram, Twitter, FB and here on my blog. Also, if you would like to wish me a found farewell, I'm host an intimate going-away affair on Thursday, September 19th at the Regent Cocktail Club on South Beach.



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Kelliann McDonald is an author, a marketing and public relations strategist and a community advocate. A recognized #BrandMotivator™, McDonald works to generate results that attain and surpass brand and organizational objectives.