benefit by waiting until you’ve lived most of your life before building such connections all over the globe? Don’t you think your life would benefit more by establishing them now?
I decided to take my life, my happiness and my career into my own hands. So I left the States at the end of July 2012 and returned at the end of April 2013 with some of the most amazing new friends, agencies and experiences from all over the world.
I don’t want you to get the wrong idea: first, I was not born with this independent, “go getter” mentality. I realized that if I wanted more from life, I had to do something about it and put myself out there. If I don’t put myself first, then who will? Second, I definitely do not have an endless bank account or a responsibility-free life. Third, I have an athletic, pear-shaped body... certainly not the average stick thin figure which would have made it much easier for me to work in this industry. Thankfully, my personality seems to sell me more than my measurements -- something I learned by walking right into agencies that I want to work with.
This trip taught me a lot about myself, such as: I’m confident, positive and I can be more than happy couch surfing all over the world. Although I wasn’t in the 5 star hotels you may fantasize about while traveling in foreign countries, I actually did get to stay in incredible places with wonderful locals. I made new friends, explored new places, built valuable connections and created exciting opportunities for my life... which far exceeded my wildest dreams.
Things are not going to just miraculously change in the way that you want. The most important lessons I learned from that trip are that life is all about your priorities and how you handle situations. By staying positive and open minded, my life has been incredible... not because it has completely changed, but because the way I look at things has. My trip definitely had its bumps in the road -- that’s life -- but by choosing to focus on the positives, I can barely remember any negatives.
I must confess, the thought of leaving the States for 9 months to travel the globe with almost no knowledge of what was ahead was, to say the intimidating! Amazingly, everything worked out, making this the best and most magical experience
of my entire life!
I live by something Gandhi used to say: “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.
How incredible would it be if you chose to take responsibility for everything in your life and decided to be the change that you want to see in the world...?
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