Dream to Travel. Prepare to Live.

It’s my dream to travel. To see the world, and various cultures. To witness in the raw form, roots that people call their own. I envision myself visiting beautifully organic places that one must sweat to have the reward of experiencing. I want to taste foods that are so much more unique than what my pallet is accustomed, that my taste buds soar away into blissful flavors of the unknown, only to be rediscovered within my memories.
My mind races at the thought of beholding the blessing of being able to pick the brains of so many different personalities in far away lands…. and my heart leaps forward with no bags in hand towards the feeling of connecting with so many yet to be known beautiful souls of this earth.

The world is calling, and so I must go.

‘One step at a time’, I continue to soothe my wanderlust heart. I dream every night of all the opportunities. What I could do, what I could learn, what I could see, who I could meet. There’s endless possibilities.
Some say it’s easy. Just pack your bags and go.
But I’ve done that already…and it didn’t resonate with me like it does to the many i’ve met. After my previous travels I decided that the next time I up and go,  I’m going to do it right. The way that sits right with me… and that is through being able to support myself 100%.

First, I need some reasons. It may seem so effortless and adventurous to travel and just see the world, not really think too much about it and just go do it. That’s enough of a reason, right?! But what I’ve learned is that it actually makes it a lot easier if you have goals in mind first. Places you want to see and visit, and a mission at hand, a reason for why you are there. Perhaps that’s to experience and write, take photographs, research a specific topic, or to volunteer yourself to a greater cause, or all of the above.. there needs to be a reason. Or you will find yourself lost.

Second, I need some money. Yes, living minimally is the plan. Pack light and smart. It’s better to not spend money, yet have money in the bank just in case, than to have absolutely nothing at all. Shit happens. (let us take a moment to remember Forrest Gump) And you must be prepared. A safety cushion simply eases the mind of any worries, and allows one to travel complication free. It doesn’t mean you have to spend that money along the way, but it’s there incase you need it. Another thing to ponder upon, are ways to make money while you’re out on the road. Making money along the way is very vital to surviving; unless you choose to beg for chump change.. It’s your choice, but for me, one sits comfy in my heart, and the other does not.

Proper planning and preparation is important. 

One baby step at a time. With ideas and goals in mind, and motivation to achieve, everything will fall exactly into place as it should.

How to get to where you see yourself.

I think everyone sees a clear picture of themselves, where they are now, where they want to be, and everywhere in-between that they are not.

The funny thing is, majority of the time, the picture one sees of where they want to be, is often remotely different than where they are now. It’s as if people are trying to head into a misleading direction that they believe will take them to the place of where they think they want to be, but once they reach that destination, they are still unsatisfied, and left looking for a new direction, position, place to be in. At what point does one just simply stop, breathe, smile, and think “I am exactly where I need to be.”

We’re all at fault. It doesn’t matter if you’re a CEO of some major company making thousands by the day, or if you’re a stay at home parent living with three crazed but beautifully radiant children of your own, or if you’re a 20 something, managing an ice cream shoppe.. we all at some point fantasize about what our lives ‘could be’ or ‘could have been’.

Don’t get me wrong, change is inevitable, you never know where you’re going to wind up, nonetheless, how you wound up where you are today.. And you should have goals  and ideas of where you want to be and what you want to do in your life.
My point here is that you’re not going to get anywhere simply by fantasizing about it. Or wishing for a better or different outcome. And if you continue to do that, you’ll never be satisfied with where you are in the moment. You are exactly where you need to be in your life to get you to exactly where you need to go. The key is action. Not stalling because you’re ‘unsure‘, or the opposite, trying to accumulate everything all at once so it all works out ‘perfectly‘.
All of the opportunities to make your next move, are often right underneath your nose.

Yes, we all dream about how happy we will be once we get to where we think we should be.
But you’re never going to get yourself there if you don’t take action in your present moment. Find the happiness in today, live your days to the fullest with your goals and dreams in mind. Make decisions which show you a clear route to your destination. Practice taking action right this moment! Even if you have no idea of how or why!
And absolutely everything will fall into place as it should.
Just remember that you are exactly where you need to be to get you to the next check point in your life.
See yourself in the moment you’re in right now. And love every second of it.
There’s no use in fantasizing about enjoying the moment of tomorrow, if you’re not in it for today.