Friday 20 June 2014

Wandering what IT is all about?

Dear Wanderers,

Something has hit me hard this week. Well, two things really.

I am spending my final weekend living in Melbourne, and all I want to do is write about my motivations and inspirations and share them. Sharing them so maybe someone will speak out and say - You're not alone, this is exactly what I dreamt of, and now I am living it.

I have been living in Melbourne, for work, well my husband's work but I landed a gig here too. The experience of this cultural wonder of a city is spectacular, but without the flair of wandering I feel I am still missing out. As I look back, it has been a stressful year and a bit, filled with doubt, misery, a little bit of loneliness, and all those combined - boredom. The type of personality I have, is to branch out, make the most of anything life throws at me, but I stumbled while living here with not much passion to do anything at all, even struggled to chat to the local check-out chick at Coles. It dawned on me only recently, I hate the RAT RACE.

I'm a 24 year old married female. Firstly most of the readers right now are probably thinking, 24 and married does that even happen anymore? Yes, yes it does, and why not? I have been in a career for the last 7 years, and now look at it as a job - not going anywhere. My husband and I bought a property in Sydney and we have a 3 year old... mortgage, currently paid off by a couple of people we don't even know. Secondly, most of the readers right now are probably thinking, you have achieved so much in such a short life, you should be proud, happy, and fulfilled. Yes we have but it goes along with an attitude of making shit happen! However, it doesn't equate to a happiness you seek outside of what you own, a happiness of wander.

So it's true what they say..

Before I met my husband, I had my first overseas stint at 19 y.o on a cruise to get a taste of the big wide world - my family had never travelled greater than 800 km on the road or the shortest flight from Sydney to Brisbane. After that was no turning back, and I knew there was too much more for me to discover and the cruise was just a teaser for what else is out there. I bought a backpack, took 3 months leave at half pay and flew my first, long, 3 legged journey to London Heathrow. I backpacked through 26 cities and 12 countries by plane, train and automobile. I exposed myself to a global addiction,  an intoxicating PASSION for culture, wander and discovery. There was times when I was lost, no map could find me out of a dead end road, but in my heart I had found out so much about myself - and that there is the drug that keeps me going. A craving for going beyond what you thought possible, as a human with a beating heart wandering this earth.

Coming home, I needed to find a travel companion where I could journey with someone who shared a similar passion, and who wasn't afraid to wear a backpack and get lost. I met my husband, Shaun not long after and he proved to be the perfect match - flying halfway across the globe to surprise me on my 21st birthday in Las Vegas! We were both hooked with each other and travel and took 4 overseas trips that year, and ended with an engagement in New York City.

We have become two Wanderlovers and although we have worked hard to do and achieve what we have personally and professionally, somewhere along the way we have missed what we need to achieve passionately. 

 As our time in Melbourne has dissolved and there are empty boxes and packing tape sitting in the corner of our fancy-pants, over-priced architectural apartment in Melbourne, my heart is pounding for adventure. We are finishing our jobs here and returning to Sydney, where I vow not to be a part of the rat race but work towards creating a greater life for both of us. I am frantically Googling these searches: Career vs. Travel; Travelling with a Mortgage; Quitting my job to travel. 
 
Then I found this blog, Young Adventuress and the inspiration I needed found me. 

As I read Liz Carlson's words my heart raced, I felt like it was me in months time. I imagined the process all through my mind. And I thought maybe  I could do this too. But how can I just read one person's blog and let it influence me? What kind of person just quits their job? To be honest, I don't know but I am sick and tired covering up that tingly feeling in your gut. You know what feeling you get when your climbing the hill on a rollercoaster? I ran from that feeling for too long and now as I type this it is coming back all the way to my fingertips. 

Don't run from that feeling in your stomach - it's life screaming at you!
 As I finish up in the job I am in, I spoke with a fellow colleague. Someone who I seek work advice from when a tricky employee situation occurs, I spoke to him about my dreams to travel. I spoke to him about the career and property I have that have set me up, but not set up my happiness. That all I want to do is go on an adventure, travel the world. His response was: You have everything you need here, and this is life to make a living and set yourself up to have a family. He was telling me every reason in the world to convince me that what I am doing is right - all he did was convince me even further that it's wrong! I couldn't disagree more with what he was telling me, and how that was not what I wanted in life - so I just smiled and nodded. Just because we're told we should have a career, get married have children, and be content with that doesn't mean that life is complete. 



But THANK YOU for opening my eyes to discover - I want, need and have to Start Wandering

So there are two things that hit me hard this week: 

1) Stop running from the things that scare you, most of the time it's what you love and want most
2) Adventure may hurt you, but monotomy will kill you

The best thing I read this week
So as I power through on preparing for the beginning of our next journey, I want you to share your experience if you have done something you were once afraid of. Or if you are currently afraid let's help each other conquer our fears to reach our dreams. 

If it's the world you seek, there is no better time to Start Wandering

Monday 16 June 2014

Wandering about Blogging

Dear Wanderers,

So I will welcome you along with myself to Start Wandering and enter into the blogging atmosphere. I had been flirting with the idea of creating a blog all about my self-confessed wanderlust, and give me the opportunity to put my feelings out there for the rest of the world to see.
As I enter the world wide web of blogging about my travels, I want to share this with all wanderers; to inspire, motivate and inform of the forever changing ins-and-outs of all that is travelling to find yourself, and the never-ending search for a destination that will change all that you thought you found in yourself to start with.

I can't help but keep moving at a fast-pace, never slowing to settle. I am waiting for the next journey to commence before my feet have even landed back on the ground. I think this is the testament to myself that I'm not ready yet, there is too much more for me to discover until I can slow down. Many people tell me to take a breath, but I am breathing, breathing and experiencing more than I was a year before. I read articles, fellow blogs, and inspirational quotes which prove what my greatest dreams are can come true. To pack up, leave your world behind and get amongst the world that speeds beneath us.

I aim to acheive great things this year, and I want to share that with you. I guarantee myself this year I will make a change, a leap of faith, to make my dreams come true. I will share my thoughts and plans along the way, as I wander into this journey, knowing it is already starting.

I hope these words, and the words I post in the future will inspire you too.

Take a leap of faith, start wandering...





https://www.facebook.com/startwandering