“Following your heart is something you must do ~ for happiness and fulfilment ~ but understanding HOW to do that is often not a straightforward process.”
Patty Aubery recently asked me about my Journey ~ of selling the house and becoming nomadic ~ and what my biggest “AHA” was.
My response: “Following your heart is something you must do ~ for happiness and fulfilment ~ but understanding HOW to do that is often not a straightforward process. Keeping the Vision clearly in mind and paying attention to when it wavers or seems less clear offers the insights of when to pivot. Align everything you do, with your Vision.”
I kind of blew my own mind with that response.
When I thought back to the Journey that took me from being an at home mum, dabbling in craft projects, raising three kids, and desperately wanting to be able to explore the World and find my Past Life Selves, to finding my new identity of ‘Virtual Oracle Card Consultant/Intuitive Coach’ who lives in airbnbs anywhere that calls to me, traveling with one mid-sized suitcase and a backpack, I realised that I had literally achieved the Vision I birthed when I was in my early twenties.
My Younger Self always yearned to be living this life of travel …
My Current Self, after nearly 40 years of ‘distractions’, has not only honoured that desire but has also been living this way for two years!
Happy Lifestyle Change Anniversary, to Me (to Us)!
One of the things that I have been challenged by, in this new lifestyle, is how NOT to be a tourist. To me, a tourist is someone who goes on vacation, has a lot of fabulous (planned) experiences, then returns home. It’s a lifestyle that is outside the ordinary and often involves spending money that wouldn’t be spent in ‘regular’ life.
For big chunks of the first 18 months of being nomadic, I felt like I was a tourist, especially once we began living overseas. All the experiences we were having were very similar to the vacations we’d had in our previous life and I felt like I was always “on”, always under (self-imposed) pressure to do all the things one was supposed to do when on visiting a new place.
How to switch my view from Tourist to something that felt more aligned with my current experience, my Alternative Lifestyle?
All I could think of was being a gypsy or a pilgrim.
I dug into how I saw being a gypsy or pilgrim versus being the owner of a home. I imagined a gypsy caravan or a person walking along the road with a small knapsack and a walking staff. What was it about these two images that called to me?
They had the FREEDOM to explore, to move to a new place whenever they so desired.
They only took what they really needed on the journey.
They did things their way, rather than ‘following the rules’ or expectations of society.
Ahh.
My greatest longing, for my entire life, has been the need for Freedom: freedom to do whatever I want to do, in whatever way makes most sense to me.
With that in mind, I realised that I have become a Traveller, one who no longer has a permanent home base. Instead, I changed the ‘rules’ so that I could have many home bases ~ usually 4 weeks in length ~ in any part of the world that appealed to me. As a Traveller, in my new lifestyle, I can be both a tourist and a new version of the previous me, the one who had routines and schedules and did chores. I think that makes my journey, now, a much more deliberate and active one.
Traveller + Tourist = Life Lived Deliberately (for Me).
At 59, I am (finally) living the life that I have dreamed about since I was 18 years old - not that I knew that this was what I wanted back then …
How did I get here? I’ll let you know, next time.
Wishing you a day filled with possibilities,
Michelle x
PS. One of the things I really love about this time of year is the opportunity to Change Things Up or Start Fresh in the New Year. I have got So Much Gorgeousness planned! Can’t wait to share it with you!
You are glowing in body and soul. It suits you very well. I am loving watching your vision unfold and your hard work pay off.
You are very inspiring xo