Imagine Yourself Living a Dream Lifestyle
Travelling and nature is good medicine for the soul – which I can say is true for me. It saved my soul more than once! It can take you to magical places where you can discover some amazing new things about the world and yourself. That is one thing I know for sure about myself! I LOVE to travel and the ability to just get lost in it! As a woman from a small town (Lavigne, ON – try finding that on a map!), finding myself was (and still is) sometimes very confusing in this material, opinionated and judging world.
As I started my young adulthood working 9-5 jobs, it seemed as if I was making it through ok, living in a safe small community, starting with a great career in banking at a young age, growing to a fabulous teaching career. Having changed career paths often, I always wondered if there was something for me out there that would stick, which would ignite my passion. You see, this world is full of judgments, but it is our mind that is the worst judge of all. It captures the fear of the “what ifs” and can be very convincing at making us stay status quo in the comfort of our day to day routine. As society’s “rules” and fears of the unknown were anchored in my subconscious mind from childhood, working the typical 9-5 job seemed like the right thing to do. As far as I knew, life was meant to work, eat, sleep, have a few hours of fun, a few weeks’ vacation a year AND THEN you can have fun travelling & living your “dream life” when you retire at an older age… Humm? Wait a minute! Life’s not meant to be a prison until the age of retirement (well…. unless you decide it to be…) Life’s meant to make you happy and being happy doing what you love. Isn’t it? Well for me, travelling to warm tropical places (it can get quit chilly here in Northern Ontario during winter months), as well as being surrounded by nature, is what makes me happy, so I intend to do it more than 1 or 2 weeks per year!
As I started my own home/virtual travel agency Rachel’s Travel a few years back, I let my “programmed” subconscious get in the way. Fear of failure was my worst enemy – all of society’s “rules” anchored deep down. I let what I LOVE doing take a backseat to my life –sharing my love of travelling the Caribbean and being outdoors when the warm months come along. My mind was in constant fear. Your actions usually follow what your mind tells you, so it did. As I let it be, it always bothered me that I wasn’t doing more of what I love, still lingering as my dream, my passion. It was the one thing in my life that when I was doing it, it felt like a hobby and it still does. Well that my dear IS doing what you love, following your passion! The rest will follow if you put your mind to it!
With this, came a blessing of acquiring our very own seasonal tourism endeavor – RB’s Riverside Properties & Marina. A perfect blend of summer fun and hard work with rewarding down time during winter months to explore the Caribbean. Having the opportunity to acquire this business in the last year has been an awakening for me. At first, everything seemed to have flown by without even seeing our first season. As we were rolling with the punches, I was trying to juggle a full-time teaching career and trying to manage a few businesses. So much was going on, that I barely had the time to really enjoy the whole process and somehow I got lost in all of it. After having some time to myself, I began re-discovering my real self, the purpose of my soul and my passions. You know those “ah-ha” moments, well they exist and I’ve had a few! (a good yoga teacher can help too – thanks Kim @the Healin’Hart). I can now say without a doubt that I am on my path to living the life I love, my dream lifestyle that is meant for me at this moment. Being able to enjoy nature, all things outdoorsy during the warmer months through our tourism business, I can also focus on my online business and have the freedom to travel to warm tropical places during the winter. I feel that when your path aligns with your soul’s purpose, you are able to adapt to different challenges & situations more calmly and deal with stress better and therefore living a healthier and happier lifestyle. No doubt, working any job or owning a business has its challenges, but how you are able to deal with them and enjoying what you do, determines your success and happiness. So as I pursue this journey of living a freedom lifestyle, I am discovering a digital world of opportunities that are allowing me to pursue my serious Caribbean traveling addiction. As I go through this adventure called life, I hope to inspire some travel and fun as you join me on this journey. Let’s get inspired to find your passions and follow your dreams, no matter how hard and fearful it may seem.
