I am Leaving My Job and Life to Travel the World

Yes, I quit my job to travel for the foreseeable future .. 

I do not know exactly when I fell in love with travel. I never had the lust for travel in college, not unless it centered around bonging beers on the beach for spring break. The thought to study abroad occurred to me, but I was too preoccupied cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes and day drinking with my friends. I told myself I would travel after college.

I did a euro tour for a month after graduating with my partner in crime Kathy. It was the first time I realized how much else was out there. How many people there were to meet. How many different stories there were to hear. I told myself.. Okay you get to do Europe.. then you go home to start your big girl job in finance and kickstart the rest of your life.

Pretty sure I always knew I was never meant to work at some big bank in some small grey walled cubicle. But it is what you do. Go to college, get the degree, get the job. So it is what I did. I had a fancy job that I locked down a year before I even graduated college.

I stayed at that job I hated for 3 years in Columbus Ohio, solely hanging on because of the amazing friends I had and the absolutely wonderful life I had made for myself outside of the 9-5. But I was breaking. I needed more, this cannot be it. What was missing?

"Im moving to Chicago"

Yes. That's it. I’ve always wanted to move to Chicago. Chicago is bigger, badder, brighter. Chicago gets me. I’ll get a job NOT in finance or accounting with a company I actually like, somewhere I actually fit in, somewhere I can be heard. I will find adventure there. This will be it, this is definitely going to work. So I flew out to Chicago one day, hung out with some friends, ended up signing a lease, flew back home to Ohio and was all like "Well I guess I have to quit my job and find a new one, because I am moving to Chicago." Most people thought I was crazy for picking up and moving with no job, but there is never a good time to do anything and I assured them it would all work out!

And it DID! Chicago was big and bold and boisterous. It rejuvenated me, this was more my pace, this will be enough for me. I was sort of still in accounting but I fell head over heels in love with my new company Workiva, my coworkers and my life here. I started doing trips all over the U.S. I was always somewhere new, none of my friends could keep track of me. My baby sister Kathleen moved to Chicago and together we were painting the town red.

After awhile the job started to get old, I was still in the accounting space and knew that was not me, but I did not want to leave a company I loved. I ended up finding a job outside of accounting, within my company, that allowed my creativity to shine through more and I was SO happy.

I had the money and the time to travel to places like Southeast Asia, Peru, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico. I had made a goal of all 7 continents by 30 and that was 100% attainable.

I’m in Chicago, I have my sister by my side, I have a million awesome friends, I love my company, I get to travel, I actually really like my job, a lot, and had NEVER been able to say that before.

SO WHAT GIVES?? Even though I love my job and my apartment there was still just something tugging on me saying

"you need more, you want more, go travel!"

I've thought about traveling the world everyday since my trip to Peru. I think part of me felt guilty. I had everything going for me, how could I just leave it all behind? Part of me felt like something was wrong with me, why wasn't my awesome life enough for me?

I came to realize I had to live my life for myself, not for anybody else. I can follow whatever path I choose. I do not have to live my life according to anyone else's rules but my own. I'll find my own set of rules, my own happiness. By taking my own risks and following my passions and my dreams. Nothing lasts forever, Life is too short to give a shit about what other people think is proper etiquette.

Nothing in this life is for certain

So right now, in this moment, following my own set of rules has led me to travel for who knows how long.

What is it about traveling ..

Im in love with cultures I have never experienced, countries I’ve never been to, people I’ve never met, things I have never done and stories I have yet to tell.

The world is vast. We take up such a minuscule amount of space within it. It fascinates me. I just want to know the world better. 

I want to gain an appreciation for the way other people live,  I want to submerge myself into other cultures, I want to learn whatever it is I don't know.

I cannot stop wanting. I want to make memories all over the world. I want to surprise myself. I want to lead an interesting and surprising life, unafraid of the unknown. Fearless. I want a life full of purpose and meaning. I want adventure. I want to be someone that will actually take risks, living a life that is deliberate and intentional.

I want a life that is going to bleed to the freaking edges.

Is that all going to happen in my life time?.. who knows. But for me, in this moment, traveling represents these possibilities.

and I'm ALL IN

I will 100% not be able to move forward in my career, life, relationships, or in cementing my life until I do this.

I have spent some time with this life I love and now I want to explore a new life of continuous exploration, adventure, obstacles, sunsets, airplanes, sun burns, bad days, good days, everything. I love my life here but I cannot possibly live my life here and satisfy my wanderlust at the same time.

4 weeks of vacation is not satisfying my relationship with wanderlust. it aintttt.

2 amazing weeks exploring South America then back to my life only to constantly dream about the next 2 weeks I get to explore New Zealand. No. Just No.

My relationship with wanderlust is all like..

Are we on a break? are we not on a break?

I can't Ross and Rachel it any longer..

It's not you America, it's me.

I am breaking up with you.

I want to see other people, I want to experience different things. I do not want to keep having a series of 2 week flings with the Andes Mountains, the Caribbean Sea or the Thai Islands. It is not enough for me. I want to have a full blown freaking love affair with the rest of the world. But unlike my girl T.Swift, "We are never ever getting back together, like ever", does not ring true here America. I think after sometime apart we can be friends, and I will visit. Then one day, we will find our way back to each other and fall madly deeply truly in love with no regrets.

I have always made excuses. My job, my life, my family, my friends, my apartment. Let me tell you, there is never a good time to do anything in life. Just do it. Stop making excuses. Take the martial arts class, move to your dream city, change to the career you want, break up with the person you know you are not really meant to be with, run the marathon, quit the cigarettes, trek the Appalachian trial, do grad school, learn how to play the guitar.. whatever it is that you want to do and have been making excuses.. DO IT, at least try. Excuses are dream killers. Excuses make you sound like you have good intentions when really you are too petrified to go after it.

Do not lose sight of what is important, fight for the life you have always wanted.

I have totally been victim to the dream killers. Not anymore.

My dream is the world, and its calling my name.

Sometimes you just know where you are meant to be.

I have no idea where I am going, but ill let you know when I get there, and to all my friends and family, just know I love you.

Feel free to send me a message in the below contact box! What was your favorite part of this post? I would love to hear from you!