I keep trying to write this post where I explain all of the great things that 2018 has taught me but I always find myself in this awkward situation, deleting and rewriting the same thing over and over, unable to come up with the right words and unsure about hitting “publish”. What makes 2018 special and different than all the others? Easy. I’ve done 2018 solo. 

We’ve all been there – looking at our bank account after a break-up and wondering where all of our money went, regretting all of those date nights that were your treat, sexy new outfits, gifts, and money spent on our significant other that always went unappreciated and overlooked. I realized all of the places I could have gone instead so I decided to spend 2018 on me, just doing me and what I wanted. And not one bit of me regrets it. Here’s why. 

 Freedom from Negativity

During my first trip of 2018, I found myself in Las Vegas with friends – having the time of my life. I have memories laughing and doing things that made me happy with people who made me genuinely happy. I treated myself like I deserved to be treated and I had so much fun that I woke up with confetti in my socks. We were reminded that there are still good people out there EVERYWHERE, it’s just up to me to go out and find them.

It’s up to you to ditch the people who drag you down and do not support you. 

Empowerment

Learning how to ditch the not-so-great-for-me people in my life only led to the empowerment of taking on the world, landing me on a girls cruise to Cuba & weekend in Miami – another amazing time of my life spent sipping Cuban Rum by the pool everyday. I didn’t know it at the time, but I only found myself learning how to love myself again while regaining a sense of self identity and purpose. I realized how passionate I was about travel and the amazing things that it does for the soul. The friends I made on this trip also taught me that strangers I meet shouldn’t respect me more than people I’ve known for years. 

If you want others to respect you, you have to respect yourself. You have to know your boundaries and know when to say “no”. 

Self Identity and Purpose

During my trip to Iceland, I did a lot of self reflection trying to find my identity which I had previously folded up and stuffed on a shelf in the back of a closet somewhere in order to please those around me. It wasn’t something I did intentionally, or even realized. It just happened. I put my significant other first instead of myself. In Iceland, I wanted a challenge. I wanted to do things I had never done and see things I had never seen and regained an overwhelming sense of appreciation for my life, the people in it, and the opportunities that the world presents to me. It is up to me to be the person that I want to be in life.

Life begins once you step out of your comfort zone. I’m just getting started.

Independence

Facing challenge in Iceland led me to wanting to face the challenge of traveling alone. When you travel alone, you discover just how capable you actually are. You don’t rely on someone else and learn to quickly rise to the occasion (especially when you can’t read Greek but have to figure out the train in less than a minute in order to not miss your flight). You walk away stronger, and as a result, more confident in your ability to take on the world – alone. I spent my time in Greece, thinking about what I want for my future and setting goals, both in my personal and professional life. Traveling alone also meant that I was able to finally be me again, without the nay say of others. 

“There is nothing as unstoppable as a freight train full of f*%$ yeah.” 
― Jen Sincero

Friends &…

I met a lot of really amazing people during my trip to Greece. One of which unknowingly made me reconsider my purpose and why I’ve kept people around long after their part in my story was over, even though they weren’t good for my soul, even though they brought me down and sucked life from me. I don’t like to mention names without their permission so we’ll call him “Jack”. Jack shared with me what I would consider a sort of emotional and maybe difficult time of his life – me, a complete stranger. He put his guard down and let a stranger in. Was it because he sensed that I am a caring person? Maybe he needed someone to talk to. Maybe he wanted a friend. Was he drawn to my willingness to listen?

Jack has made me realize that my travel experiences are perhaps teaching emotional maturity somewhere along the way. I stopped judging others, acquired a more open-mind, learned to focus on solutions instead of problems, and draw strength from within. 

It’s weird how meaningful conversation with someone you just met can go such a long way. 

“Life is an illusion created by your perception, and it can be changed the moment you choose to change it.”                                                                  – Jen Sincero