Dreams only work, if you do

I bought a little sign with this saying on it when I first opened up the coworking space.?

It still hangs on the back of one of the bathroom doors, as an ever-present reminder that nothing comes to those who dream, and even the wildest dreams will come true if you take the steps to make them happen.

As a teenager, I dreamt of travelling the world with a backpack and a Lonely Planet guidebook. My holidays growing up consisted of fabulous trips to the beach or the bush with my parents, and often with my cousins. We would camp, swim, read and have loads of fun…though, they were all in Australia.

After high school, I took the standard route into the next chapter of my life… study, get a job, get married, buy a home, have kids…all the expected activities. The dream of travelling stayed a dream for many years.?

It never disappeared though. After a couple of life changes (getting a divorce and moving back to Toowoomba), I decided it was time to turn my dream into a reality. There was nothing to stop me, except fear and doubt.

Being a fairly stubborn woman, that doesn’t really like being told what I can or cannot do…I was blessed one day to mention to a colleague that I was thinking of taking my kids on a trip to Vanuatu. That colleague said to me “you cannot do that, you are a single mother”.

That was all the motivation I needed to call the travel agent and book the trip. “I’ll show you what I can do”.

That was almost 20 years ago now. Since then, I have had many journeys with my kids to various countries where we got to experience new environments, meet new people, and learn about different cultures, customs, and languages.

My kids are now confident, seasoned travellers who are happy to do the research, book the tickets, and jump on a plane to anywhere they want to go, either on their own or with me or a friend. The lessons they learned on those adventures have served them well and I am confident will continue to do so for the rest of their lives.

For myself, the trips we have taken together and those I have taken with David or on my own have given me the opportunity to learn to think differently. To see the possibilities. To assess risks and make decisions. To trust others. To be grateful.

Prior to the pandemic, my trips abroad had started to be a combination of holiday and ‘work’, in the sense that I had something I was going to do specifically in a location while I was there. Generally, it was facilitating an event or attending a conference, usually related to coworking or entrepreneurship.

In October 2019 I was fortunate to have a wonderful trip to Europe, attending a conference in Italy, facilitating a Startup Weekend for women in Vienna and another in Albania, then attending a travel blogger’s gathering in Bulgaria before finishing up with a few meetings in Germany.?

It was on this trip that I knew, I needed to start taking the steps to be able to travel for longer periods of time, so I could have the experience of ‘living’ in a place, rather than just visiting for a short holiday.?

Being forced to come home and stay home for a couple of months in early 2020, gave me the downtime I needed to pause and think about what options I had, what I really wanted to be doing, and what it would take to make that happen.?

A fortunate series of events then unfolded, that made the latter half of that year the fullest I have had. It made me work longer, harder, and more diligently than ever. I made commitments to myself and others that on reflection, seem impossible…but, luckily I am a stubborn ‘obliger’ and do my best to keep my promises.?

The result was that I ended 2020 as a graduate of She Codes Plus, which gave me the skills and confidence to pursue a career change that would allow me to work from anywhere, in a field that is growing in demand globally. I also had loads of new connections and had built the social capital required to leverage opportunities that were soon to come.

Of course, I learned more than just how to code during that time. I also learned that I cannot just keep saying ‘yes’ to opportunities. I found that I have a breaking point…and it came in the form of lots of little red spots and pain and fatigue. My body demanded that I take a break.

It took a couple of months to really allow the message to sink in, but once I did, and accepted that I can only do a few things at a time if I want to do them well and for a long time, I slowed down, disconnected from the noise and found a peace that allows me to accept my decision to say no to opportunities.

With the help of a group of like-minded folk, who are ‘intentionally intentional’ about living their best life, filled with adventures and designed to be enjoyed, I started to gain clarity about what I really wanted and made a plan to bring that to reality. We regularly catch up and gently remind each other to keep moving forward on the path to what we really want, even if it seems hard and requires some discomfort along the way.

For the past year, David and I have been taking steps to prepare for and practice this new ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle. We have engaged other people locally to help keep our on-the-ground commitments met, we have explored and found enjoyment in looking after other people’s homes and pets while they are away, and we have travelled a few times this year to see how we handle being away from what is familiar while maintaining a routine of play, work, eat and rest.?

Travel isn’t free. Even when you stay in someone’s home, you still have expenses such as getting there, experiencing local activities, and all the usual day-to-day requirements. We still have a mortgage on our home and bills to pay here as well. All of this requires particular attention to ensure nothing gets forgotten about. Not knowing about your actual financial situation can bring great distress.

Now, with 29 days until we depart, I am confident that we are well prepared mentally for the journey to begin, and logistically, we have a plan for the actions that are still required. I look forward to sharing more about the finer details of some of these steps over the coming weeks.?

The new blog website has been secured. I expect it will be up and running by the end of next week. I hope you enjoy reading along, and I look forward to hearing what you are interested in knowing more about.