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Monday, January 30, 2017

The Next Adventure...

For the last year, I've felt as if I was running in place. I was unsure of my next destination or in which direction I was even running. Let's call it "the treadmill point" of my life.

My spark was starting to dull and I found myself slipping further into the convenience of a standard routine. I no longer relied on my spontaneous behavior to keep things exciting. If you asked me about my goals, I would've kept them short-term and minuscule.

It was then I decided I needed to make a change. I needed to shake things up. I needed to focus on things that would bring back the fire to my drive and fuel my dreams.

I focused on the two things that have always been constant in my happiness.

Traveling and writing. 

If you're reading this post, you are a part of the latter. Hence, the blossoming blog. Behind the scenes, I've been focusing on writing a novel as this has always been one of my most sought after goals.

It was hard to squeeze in writing with my already packed schedule. I'm embarrassed to say that after writing seven chapters last summer and early fall, I haven't touched my novel since October. The deadlines I had set for myself continued to pass and the idea of having my novel to an editor by the end of 2017 seemed almost impossible at this point.

For the former of the two, I had my first real taste of traveling in the summer of 2013 where I studied abroad in London. I had never been to Europe before this trip and I was absolutely memorized. Ever since then, I fantasize about planning my next adventure, whenever that may be.

This began sparking my interest. What if I combined the two? What if I gave myself the opportunity to travel and write? Could traveling ignite my drive to continue writing?

I still don't have the answers but it's worth a shot... 

After serious consideration and quite a few "pros and cons" lists, I decided to do just that. Make a change. For the next two months, I will be traveling to Australia, New Zealand, and eastern Asia--uncharted territory for me.



1. Sydney Australia,
2. Melbourne, Australia
3. Auckland, New Zealand
4. Hamilton Island (Great Barrier Reef), Australia
5. Hong Kong, China
6. Bangkok, Thailand
7. Krabi, Thailand
8. Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

I am lucky enough to have a dear friend who lives in Sydney, Australia. She was more than excited to welcome me to her hometown as we haven't seen each other in three years. I even have two friends spontaneous enough to be joining me for a portion of this trip.

It's taken a lot of guts to get me to where I am today, exactly seven days out from my departure. Sometimes, you have to take a few risks and trust in your gut.

I hope that you will share in my journey as I plan to document my travels--the good, the bad, and (hopefully not) the ugly.

Where this will lead me next? Who is to truly know? I know that I do not.

I'm looking forward to exploring new places and focusing on the things that make me "me". I will dedicate my time to writing, learning about new cultures, and getting a tan (thank goodness, it is currently summer in Australia).

For those of you at the "treadmill point" in your life, don't let it get you down. We all come to that point, no matter when it is. It's up to you to make decisions for yourself. Where do you go from here? What do you want to accomplish? How will you get there?

At the end of the day, sometimes the only person you have is yourself. If you don't focus on your happiness, then who will?

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  1. Love this! If you have some time when you're in Melbourne, please drive along the Great Ocean Road! It's amazing and beautiful. In NZ, I highly recommend travelling as much as you can too. Beautiful country!

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  2. With no clear understanding of the next step, I've struggled to find my passion in life. I feel removed from those moments that used to affect me so deeply...like events hardly matter anymore and a deeper meaning doesn't exist. This made everything harder than it needed be. I'll admit, I also have used drugs and alcohol to cope with the pain.

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