My life is pretty awesome–I do freelance writing and can work from anywhere I can get an internet connection. For the last three years, I have been living my dream of traveling long-term and funding it with ”mobile” sources of income.
I have been to Costa Rica, Peru, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia during this time. I am penning this post from my hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, where I will hop on a plane and then a ferry to spend a month on the beautiful island of Koh Lanta. Then it is off to Phuket for a month. Then, four months in Fiji on a housesitting job. After that, it’s anybody’s guess.
I am not telling you all of this just to be boastful and make people jealous. I am telling you this in hopes that it will inspire you to consciously create the reality you desire, no matter what that entails.
My life wasn’t always like this; I was not given any special advantages; there is no trust fund or rich parents. I did not have a random benefactor walk up to me on the street one day, and say ‘Hey, I would like to pay for you to travel the world.’ Getting to this point was rife with challenges, but I stuck it out because I knew I could not give up on what I wanted most.
My life was not horrible by any means, it was pretty run-of-the-mill. Went to college, got a job, went out with friends on the weekends…you get the drill. But, at some point, I began feeling restless. I was not happy with how my life was. It was not what I wanted, but at the time, I didn’t know what exactly it was I did. All those years ago, I never would have dreamed I would have the type of life of which others would be jealous or find so interesting, not for a second.
This restlessness led to a rather rash decision to move to Japan and teach English, and that really activated a dormant passion for travel that I kind of pushed down because I didn’t think it was possible.
Within a few years after that experience, a bunch of crappy stuff happened. My father was diagnosed with lung cancer and died. My finances were a nightmare, and I was drowning in debt. Anxiety and depression were constant companions.Tried a couple of online ventures that did not really work out for me, and I quit. But, all these challenges really forced me into a space of rapid growth.
I had always been interested in personal development to some degree, but my efforts at really changing myself were half-hearted at best. Those challenging situations really sucked at the time, but I have a strong feeling I wouldn’t be where I am today had they not happened.
When I find myself in conversations with people who find my life so interesting, and want to know how I got where I was, one of the first thing I always like to tell them is ”I’m not special.” Anyone can do what I can do, if they are up for the challenge. While there are so many things that contributed to this current life, there are a few core elements that will form the foundation for the type of change you are seeking.
Exposed Myself to New Ways of Thinking
There is very little that is completely objective in this reality of ours; that how we think makes a huge impact on how our lives unfold is an understatement if there ever was one. If you are not liking your life now, there is no doubt your thinking and belief system are in need of a major overhaul; because what you think and what you believe to be true form the core of your decisions, and the situations you attract into your experience.
I really started evaluating what was going on inside my head, and how that was contributing to my current state of affairs. I was not particularly pessimistic about life, but like many people, I kind of had this idea that it was not supposed to be anything special, and I didn’t expect much.
But, I didn’t want to think this way, and I realized I didn’t have to. I could choose to believe in more empowering thoughts and adopt a belief system that was more optimistic. Change your thoughts and you will truly change your world. I began studying the law of attraction more closely, in particular, and it changed my life.
You need to do an inventory of what is currently going on upstairs, and see what beliefs are no longer serving you, that are holding you back from living the life you want to live, and being the person you want to be. Then you must feed yourself information that will help replace this junk, and move you towards reaching your goals.
You must be diligent with this step…we have a lot of crap rooted very deeply into our minds, and it can take awhile to really shake it loose and let the better ”stuff” take a stronger hold.
Got Clear on What I Really Wanted and What I Valued Most
Most of us are very clear on what we don’t like, and what we don’t want in our lives; it takes very little effort to focus on the negative. We all just want to be happy, yet, we expend very little effort in actually making this happen. Sure, we may know that we would like more money, or a loving relationship, a job we like–but, these are vague musings, and vague doesn’t cut it.
When I first made this realization, it was profound. Happiness is not just something that happens, it is something you have to choose and consciously work to create. I realized that I was just coasting through life pretty much on auto-pilot; there was very little deliberate thought about what was happening in my life currently, and what I wanted to be happening.
For the first time in my life, I really thought about what I wanted my life to be like; I uncovered my core values. I wanted a life with maximum flexibility and freedom. I wanted to travel, a lot. I wanted to devote my life to improving myself, deepening my spirituality, and living my own truth. I loved writing, and I decided I wanted to make a living doing it.
There is great power in clarity and setting intentions. I wrote out all the things I wanted without censoring, or modifying based on what I thought was possible based on my current circumstances. You will never get what you want until you clearly define what it is.
Focused on the ‘What’ and Let Go of the ‘How’
Logic plays a large role in our lives, and it certainly has its place in many situations. But, it has no place in creating your life made to order; in fact, logic is one of the top ‘dream-killers.’ When I first got clear on the type of life I wanted, there was absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing, that would suggest any of what I wanted was remotely possible, when viewed through the lens of ‘logical thinking.’
But, with my new way of thinking getting more deeply entrenched by the day, I knew that outside appearances were to be firmly ignored; everything comes from within, and I knew if I focused positive energy on what I wanted, without trying to figure out ‘how,’ it would work out. Our puny little minds cannot possibly figure out the infinite ways the things we want can come into our reality. Trying to figure it out will slow you down; it will create an energy that blocks what you want.
Things will start to come together in the most magical of ways; you will start experiencing a lot more ‘coincidences,’ though they are really anything but.
Got Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
As I got deeper into my efforts to change my life, it was very clear that a lot of the ‘old’ me was still hanging around. My new beliefs always seemed to be in battle with my old, pessimistic, limiting ones.My outside experience was not changing as much as I would have liked, and it was really hard to ignore it sometimes, or not let it influence me.
I made decisions that many people would consider ‘irresponsible’, and the idea of others criticizing and judging me made me very uneasy. My family was not exactly enthusiastic and supportive about the direction I was looking to take my life; I think they thought I lived in some sort of fantasy world, and avoiding ‘real’ life. Except for the most spiritually advanced among us, most of us see lack of familial support as a major downer that can really mess with your head and your energy.
Like any other human, I experienced fear about what I was doing, and I had my doubts about whether I was making the right choices, or if I would ever actually get what I wanted. I wondered if I needed to be more ‘realistic’ in setting my goals–I really hate that word by the way.
All of this made for a lot of uncomfortable moments, but I knew I was doing the right thing, and I powered on. I got comfortable with being uncomfortable, and if you really want to make significant changes, you need to develop this skill as well, or else you will give up.
Again, I’m not special; I just made a firm decision that I wanted things to be different. I changed my way of thinking; I learned to trust more and develop greater faith; I gave up trying to understand how something like LOA worked, and just went with it.
I took personal responsibility for my life, and owned the role I played in creating the existence I had up until that point. Getting clear on what I wanted, and what I wanted to be , gave me the confidence and motivation to pursue my dreams because I knew what I was doing was right, and what needed to be done.
Being happy is not something reserved for a special few; life can be great, despite the challenges we inevitably will face so long as we are breathing. You don’t have to settle for less than you want; you can forge your own path–it doesn’t matter what other people think, how they are living their life, or their beliefs about what we ‘should’ be doing. I know you can do it because I did.
Epic, epic epic post KC!
Love you….because I’ve been there for this wonderful journey, I know what we went through to get here, sitting next to each other in Bangkok now, writing, enjoying 40 Baht shakes, and just soaking up our dreams.
You created your life along with the Universe by making freeing yet tremendously uncomfortable decisions again and again. As we know, it was worth it.
Thanks for inspiring us!
Thanks so much. It has been an amazing journey, and it is one that is possible for anyone who simply makes the decision to do so. You’re right..not easy but totally worth it! We need to make friends with that discomfort or else it will defeat us every time.
Awesome way to put it, making friends 😉
We must make friends with the crappy stuff, or it can really put a damper on things.
Thanks a lot, Kelli, for sharing your story and your experience creating the life you actually wanted.
I enjoyed the sincerity and warmth inherent in your writing. It kind of leads one on to read it all. It’s always amazing when one can get into how another person really is, just from reading what they write. I think I got that with this piece.
Indeed, you are not special. After all you also have experienced very depressing moments in your life re losing your dad to lung cancer, suffering financial crisis, etc, 🙁 , but you decided to make a change in your life – and you took action. That’s where most people have a problem. They just remain where they are and blame everyone and everything else, without realizing they can actually make a change!
While others fear change, you embraced it and you are the better for that. Just like the great motivational speaker Jim Rohn (of blessed memory) once said, “If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree.” You took that advise, even though I doubt if you have read that, 🙂
But yes, others should also change, like Jim Rohn advised. It’s only trees that have no choice but to remain where they are! You moved and now have not only enjoyed amazing experiences in Costa Rica, Peru, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia, but also earn money while doing that, 🙂
Once again, thanks, Kelli, for taking the time to write this. And thanks to Ryan, for sharing this on Kingged.com. I found it helpful and moved it to the “Making Money Online” section as this should convince anyone that making money online can be done anywhere, anytime, as you and Ryan are currently doing, 🙂
Hi Kingsley
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such an insightful response. You are very right about the failure to take action. I am actually very familiar with the works of Jim Rohn..a very wise man! There is always the choice to change, but like you said, it is feared, feared so much people prefer to stay in lives that make them unhappy. Us humans are very strange creatures are we not? I am glad you liked the post!
Hi Kelli,
Your journey has been inspiring. You did a great job by sharing it here. Hopefully, it’ll ignite the minds and souls of other folks, who want to go on and achieve similar feats in life.
I guess, to achieve what one wants in life, all that is needed is belief, clear goals, burning desire to achieve it and a will to work hard! Things might go wrong at first, but one who persists will flourish! I observed the same thing here, after reading your article!
I found the link to this post on Kingged.
Arun
Hi Arun
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the post and leave a comment. I am glad you liked the post, and I do hope as well it will inspire people to make positive changes in their life. Like you said, things may not go as smoothly in the beginning, but if we tough it out, eventually things will take a turn.
Hi Kelli,
That was quite inspiring! It reminds one of the need to think positive all the time. I agree with you :”Change your thoughts and you will truly change your world”
There is nothing truer than this when it comes to achieving the dream we so much desire.
One other key takeaway for me is that change don’t happen at random, it is consciously applied by the individual who desire it.
This comment was shared in kingged.com – the social bookmarking and content syndication website for Internet marketers where this post was shared.
Sunday – kingged.com contributor
http://kingged.com/im-special-managed-create-life-wanted/
Hi Sunday
Thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog. I am so glad you found the post inspiring..that was my primary motivation for writing it. And you are so right, that change will not just magically happen, we must take deliberate action.
Your story is such an inspiration, Kelli. 🙂
I have taken your thoughts and I will going to make them as an inspiration. It’s all valuable and I must say that it moved me.
I do agree with what you have said in your narration, that how we think makes a huge impact on how our lives unfold. You’re right that if we change our thoughts, our world will also change.
I have realized a lot of matter, and it would be a long list if I evaluate each of them.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful content, Ryan!
Best,
Ann07
By the way, I found this post shared on kingged.com
Hi Ann
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on my blog. I am so glad you liked the post and found it inspiring. I wanted to write this because I hoped it would help people see that anything is possible for them, no matter what their life may be like now. We have so much power to change. Good luck on your own journey, and keep finding the information that inspires you–it is vital for the process.
Hey Kelli,
A very very epic post. It was really warm reading your article. The article runs from run-of-the-mill life, father death (sorry about that), depression and then boom you’re doing what you love.
I love you brought open the fact that you felt insecure when took the biggest risk of your life. Traveling around the world is not easy. It does take a lot of courage to go to a completely new destination and stay there for months.
I’ve read articles like this (nowhere impacting as this), where people brag about their life and journey. I think you’re very grounded to where to you are.
Even adding images, adds a refreshing feel to this article. I really liked the two pictures. One where you sit next to a tiger. And another in Costa RIca feeding the Monkey. I love animals very much. That’s why I guess I liked those pictures very much.
This article made my day. Reading this article and Ryan’s article about your life keeps a flame alive in me to travel the whole world one day.
Have a nice day Kelli.
Hi Abishek
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment, and I am so glad you liked the post. I think it was important to share the not-so-good stuff, like the insecurity because I think a lot of people take those negative feelings as some sort of sign that what they are thinking about doing is not a ”good idea.” But, it usually doesn’t work that way..few of us are that confident in our decisions. I love those pictures too! I am an animal lover, and those moments were definitely some of the highlights of my traveling. I am glad that reading this keeps that flame alive–feeding our minds things that inspire us and make us feel good is so important to the whole change and creation process.
What an inspirational story Kelli! I’ve been taking baby steps towards living the life I really want in the last few months, and every time I come across a story like yours I’m reminded of what’s possible. It’s hard to get past the fear of change, but I know it’s possible. You really are living the life so many of us dream about. Thank you for sharing your story.
Hi Allan
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I am so glad you liked the post, and I am happy to hear you are in the midst of your own journey of positive change. For the most part, it really does happen a bit at a time–a decision here, a decision there, and before you know it you are knee deep in the life you wanted, and it is quite the pleasant surprise. Good luck with your journey and hold onto your desires tightly.
This is what i love being a freelancer, traveling the world while at work with a handy phone and laptop.. I am a freelancer on my own and i want to have plans travelling while working 😉 Thank you for sharing this!
Hi Richard
If that is something you want and are already freelancing, it is definitely possible. Just need to start getting specific and making plans, then everything will fall into place. Hope this post can help light that fire!
Hi Kelli,
I’ve known Ryan for quite some time, but it’s refreshing to hear your side of the story and it’s been amazing following the both of you. What you have shared today is nothing more than “If you want it bad enough, it’s yours”. I believe that everyone can have happiness, but not everyone is willing to go out and get it! Keep doing what you’re doing and looking forward to reading more posts!
Hey Nate
You summed it up pretty well there..if I had to give my own summary, I would probably say something along those lines! I am glad you liked the post.
Hii Keelly,
Very good post. Really feeling happy for reading this article.
Thanks Kathula
So glad you liked the post!
Everyone is special, you’ve just found a way to tap into your own special personality and talents Kelli. It’s great to finally read more about you and your thoughts on abundance after reading so much from Ryan! Keep living the dream and don’t allow yourself to forget that you get what you truly want and need. You are an inspiration.
P.S. I’m pretty jealous over the Fiji house sitting gig!
Hey Steve
You are so right, everyone is special in their own way, and like you said, just needs to tap into whatever it is that drives them and makes them who they are. I am glad you are enjoying my ‘side of the story’ 🙂 The pull to start blogging seriously was strong and I’m glad I listened. Hopefully one day soon, we can meet up in the Land of Smiles!
Great post Kelli! I started following my dream of setting up my own company a year ago after I was made redundant from my job. It was really, really difficult to have faith in the beginning. Like you, I knew that the people around me would think I was irresponsible – people suggested I get a job and do my business on the side until it kicked off, but I was adamant about living my dream NOW, and putting all my energy into it. For that reason, I only actually told the people I knew would be 100% supportive – to the others, I said (lied) that I was looking for a job at the same time, just to get them off my back (well-meaning though they were).
And here I am a year later, living my dream. It’s been difficult, but most of the difficulty was changing my thoughts and facing my fears. For someone looking at me from the outside, I guess things appeared to go very smoothly, I was “lucky”. And yes, I was lucky to have the resources to teach me how my thoughts create my reality.
It was definitely worth it, and when I was still struggling in the beginning, I’d find and read people with stories like yours to keep me going. So I hope your post inspires other people follow their dreams too!
Hi Karin
Thank you so much for sharing your story…you made some really bold moves, and without a doubt, that was probably extremely uncomfortable. Only telling people who would support you was a very smart move indeed, and that is one piece of advice I highly recommend to people who make these sort of bold changes in their life. Most of us are not strong enough to block out the negative stuff,and it can totally destroy our efforts. I love the part about people thinking you are ”lucky” and how it must be so easy…I get that a lot too, and I’m like..if you only knew! So glad to hear everything worked so well for you!
I especially like your heading about being comfortable with uncomfortable things. Oh boy do I resonate with that. I’ve come to realize that the longer I’m uncomfortable, the better the results. It is something I’ve been trying to impress upon my children also.
I’ve learned an awful lot about myself and life in my thirties. It’s been a beautiful compromise for losing my “youth.” LOL
Hi Meredith
Thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog, and I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Yeah, that is one crucial part of the process and probably the most challenging because no one likes feeling badly. Your children are very lucky to have a parent who is instilling such information–most of us didn’t and that is one of the hurdles we must overcome. As someone also in my thirties, I can relate to that. My life is much better now, and the thought of being in my 20’s again really does not hold much appeal!
This post has helped me to realize that I am on the right path and I will get to where I want to go if I keep going and don’t give up. Thank you so much for this post Kelli. 🙂
Hi Summer
Thanks for taking the time to comment on my post, and I am so glad you found it helpful. I have found in my own journey the importance of filling our minds with the good stuff because it reinvigorates our efforts and helps us move away from the more destructive thoughts that have made a nice home in our minds over the years. Having checked out your blog before, I can definitely tell you are on the right track. We are all works in progress.
Hello Kelly! I love your story! You and Ryan are certainly an inspiration to all of us. You are so right we do not have to settle for less than we want, this is our life so Live IT!! Limiting beliefs will keep us stuck indeed.
Thank You so much for sharing this wonderful journey with us.. Chery :))
P.S.
I did land on your blog Via Kingged where I also commented and kingged this post..
Hi Cheryl
So glad you liked the post, and thank you for taking the time to comment. I am so glad people are finding the story so inspiring..that was my motivation in writing it. We are only on this merry-go-round once, in this particular body, at least, so we must make the most of it.
Great for you for chasing after your dreams! It’s not always easy, but you’re right–sometimes doing an inventory of what’s going on upstairs is VERY important. And yeah, I know all about people not being sure about the direction you’re heading, but it’s your direction so it’s important to stay true to yourself. All the best! -Dana
Hi Dana
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. It really is true we need to do that–what we are thinking and our belief system forms the core of our experience. You are right, staying true to ourselves is important. It can be challenging but well worth it!