Feeling stuck or need something new in life? It’s never too late to start living a passionate life. Get past your fear and start living right now!
At the beginning of the year, I would have laughed if you told me that I’d be writing a travel blog. Yet here I am, laughing louder than I ever have as I write my very first post. What in the world have I gotten myself into? Let me tell you how I decided to start living a passionate life.
I had always thought of myself as a generally happy person. I think we all more or less feel that way. But if asked, “Are you living a passionate life?” I probably would have answered that question with another question, “Hmm… What is my passion?”
For me, there’s a big difference between being happy and living with passion. Now, this may not be the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition, but I feel that happiness is a state of joy, well-being, and a feeling of content. Passion, on the other hand, is powerful, and it ignites the fire and intensity of our emotions with something meaningful to us.
If I were to ask you the same question, “Are you living a passionate life?” would you answer yes? Would you know what your passion is?
I’m a traveler, for the most part, a solo traveler. Up until a few years ago, I didn’t know that the traveler in me even existed. I mean, I always enjoyed going on a vacation (who doesn’t??), but I didn’t recognize the desire I had for it deep within.
Just over four years ago, I wanted to do something COMPLETELY different. I was feeling stuck and living in a bit of a routine world that felt stifling at times. I kept feeling like I needed to make a significant change or do something entirely out of the ordinary. And shaving off my hair wasn’t an option!!
It all started with a Google search.
I started a random Google search. I don’t even remember what I was searching for, and then it hit me. I should travel somewhere by myself. My next Google search was for safe places for solo female travelers. Aha, found one… Bali, Indonesia! But then fear crept in with its way of asking, “Are you crazy?” and its self-sabotaging thoughts of, “I can’t do this by myself!”
I wrestled with these thoughts, as well as the feeling of being “stuck” until something came over me. “Screw it,” I said. Within a matter of weeks, with barely enough time to get a visa, I was on a plane to Bali, looking out the window saying, “OMG. What in the world am I doing?”
The answer: following my passion. I just didn’t know it yet.
Fast forward to this earlier this year. I had traveled to many beautiful places around the world and came to realize that my passion for travel had been inside me all along. So now what? Passion started to show up in another way. In hindsight, I feel like I was getting tested. Would I quickly recognize another call to my passion when it presented itself again this time?
Every time I’d travel somewhere, I’d use Instagram as a way to bring my followers along with me. I like to think of my followers as travel companions! Although I have to admit, I also used my posts and stories as a way to keep in touch with my family and friends back home, to let them know that I was safe and having a good time.
The universe has a way of whacking you over the head.
So as I mentioned earlier, up until the beginning of this year, I had absolutely no intention or even thoughts of writing a blog. I’m a full-time realtor and a part-time actress. But it felt like the universe was whacking me over the head with what seemed like “a sign.” All of a sudden, I had family, friends, and many Instagram followers urging me to start a travel blog. Traveling is a passion of mine, but blogging about it? Could I really do something like this?
Afraid at first? Yes! (And wait a second… I still am!) But my passion presented itself, so I was forced to ask myself some serious questions.
- Should I really do this?
- Do I have the time?
- Will I have to give up my job?
- Can I even make money from this?
- Will people like me?
- What if it’s not a successful blog?
- What do I know about writing a blog?
- Are readers going to be on my case about improper grammar?
- OMG, am I going to end up with only 10 followers comprised of just family members?
Do these type of questions sound familiar to you? We always doubt ourselves, and we do it way too much! We need to work on that…
So this time, with my passion slapping me in my face, daring me to accept the challenge, I gave into it. I had no choice. I had to jump and take that leap of faith. The more I thought about it, and explored the idea of it, the more it felt like the right thing to do. I knew I had to follow my passion of traveling and now share my experiences beyond Instagram.
So here I am!
Welcome to my world of passion, travel and everything in between!
THANK YOU to all of you who have encouraged me to do this, and if you’re new and checking me out for the first time…
HELLO! I’m happy to have you here!
I’m not here to pretend that I’m an awesome blogger, or that I know exactly how to do this. But as Gary Vaynerchuk said,
“Skills are cheap. Passion is priceless.”
My goal here is to live with passion, come what may. The beauty of it all is that I now realize that the more I travel and share my stories, the more I am living with passion in other aspects of my life.
So please follow along and travel with me. Share in my experiences, get inspired, have fun, and laugh with or at me! At the very least, I hope I stir something up within you that encourages you to book that trip you’ve always wanted to go on, to write out your bucket list, or act on something that you’ve found yourself passionate about. Life is too short. Get on it and let’s do this together.
I want to hear from you! Send me a message and let me know what you think of my blog. Is there something specific that you wish to read about with my travels?
Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog below and my Youtube channel to stay in the loop!
Looking forward to this passionate road ahead. Travel with me…
Cherisse
