how to stop trying to be perfect

Annabelle Chauncy’s aid work in Africa has taught her how to focus on the bigger picture

A not-for-profit founder shares her wisdom.

Growing up on a farm and attending a primary school of just 26 students (where her mum was her teacher), Annabelle Chauncy has always understood the value of community. It’s the reason she, at 21, took a break from her arts/law degree to teach English to kids in Kenya for three months. A month into her trip, Kenya erupted into civil war and Chauncy found herself evacuated across the border into Uganda. There, she found where she was needed.

“I couldn’t believe how many kids didn’t have the opportunity to go to school. For those who did, every day at 7am, they’d walk five or 10 kilometres on an empty stomach, with no shoes on, to get to school, and they’d have beaming smiles on their faces. I quickly learned that it takes so little to make such a difference over there.”

That light-bulb moment led to Chauncy co-founding the School For Life Foundation, a not-for-profit now in its ninth year that builds schools in Uganda to provide communities with education and other opportunities. Dividing her time between Australia and the African nation, Chauncy spends much of the year fundraising and spreading awareness, and received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2015. Here, she shares her wisdom...

ask questions

If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Ask people who have done it before, ask them what they learned and be open-minded about it.

don’t limit yourself to one mentor

People are so generous – it really astounds me how many people got behind us and gave their time and expertise for free. I attribute so much of my success to that.

learn to go easy on yourself

My perfectionism probably drove me to a place I didn’t really want to be at 21, and once I let go of some of those tendencies, it enabled me to be far more successful.

step up to challenges

If it was easy it wouldn’t be fun – you realise quickly that when you dig you get that much more back.

be an extrovert, even if you’re not

Get in people’s faces! You never know who you’ll meet and who’ll be able to help you. Identify your point of difference, then spread the word.

be selective about your environment

Growing up, I thrived in really small, tight-knit environments. At university I was just a number on a paper – that just didn’t fit me, so now I keep things simple.