Stop Settling for Mediocrity

Today is my three month anniversary of arriving in Melbourne and of course I'm shocked at how quickly the time has flown by! Looking back it seems like so much has happened in a very short period and yet somehow it feels like I've been here for ages, all in the same breath.

When I made the decision to move it was very impulsive. A friend of mine knew that I always wanted to go to Australia and half-heartedly suggested I look into traveling for a year. Three days later I was typing my MasterCard into the Australian government website to purchase my visa. Two hours after that I received an email stating my visa was active and I had to leave America within 60 days. An hour later my mother was having a small coronary, trying to comprehend how her daughter went from planning on moving 500 miles home, to packing her life up and going 8,000 miles around the globe.

Well, in my defense, she really should have seen it coming!

I have never been one for baby steps, I've always been more of a jump head first in the deep-end kind of girl; so when the idea of taking a year off to travel presented itself, there was no turning back. I had been happy in Chicago and was OK with how my life was going, but was never ecstatic or thrilled with how I was living. (Granted, I was finishing college and that only allows for so much personal freedom, but just hear me out.)

45 days later I arrived at baggage claim in Melbourne's Tullamarine airport.

I don't think I realized what I was doing until about a week after arriving in Australia, when the jet lag started to wear off and the reality of what was going on around me began to set in. I was no longer in the comfort of my own home where I could pick up and call Danny at the drop of dime, or walk out my front door and be perfectly confident that I knew where I was going. It was a bit scary at first, but strangely liberating to finally feel 100% independent. I felt for the first time in my life I was finally following one of my dreams all the way through to the end. And now, I am getting to enjoy the consequences of something that I made happen - entirely on my own.

I am continually meeting new people from all walks of life, in various social and professional settings; and am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to be able to have this opportunity; to follow my heart and live out one of my dreams. People are repeatedly telling me they wish they could get up and do something like that, they wish they had the courage to travel to the places they've always dreamed about, or start that non-profit they've talked about for years, or even just have the courage to walk into a bar alone and introduce themselves to someone new.

At first I would always say something along the lines of 'Ya, you're right I am really lucky - it's really amazing that I was given this opportunity.....blah blah blah'

But why? Why would I say that? I haven't won the lottery or been given some sort of special gift that only a certain number of people can enjoy. What I'm doing is not out of bounds for anyone. Everyone has the ability to take a step back and look at what is truly important in their lives and figure out a way to make that their reality. For me, right now, in my life it's important to get a better look at the what's out there and travel. To live in different countries and understand the world from a different perspective, with a different set of scenery to guide the way.

There are so many reminders in the news headlines, in our communities and even in our families, that life is short - and in many cases, much shorter than we would have ever liked or imagined. And the day that I stepped into to MSP airport, with four pieces of luggage and a one-way ticket, I made a conscious decision that I was not going to settle for an average or mediocre lifestyle. Something that everyone is perfectly capable of doing.

It's easy to caught up in a routine, the hustle and bustle of what is supposed to happen, and the million reasons why you're too busy for anything other than work; but at what point do you stop and say am I truly happy? Is what I'm doing right now really what I want out of life? If you knew you only had another few years to live - would you be happy with your reality?

All I'm trying to say is that we all have the power to follow through and make the slightest change in our lives to turn our dreams into memories. Figure out what it is your passionate about, rearrange a few things to get the vision a little more in focus and follow that dream through to the end.I've tried it for myself and let me tell you it has been an unforgettable experience that, in so many ways, has been life-changing.

I can't tell you how welcoming and supportive everyone I've come into contact with the past three months have been. I am truly grateful to each one of them for making me feel like I have a home here in Melbourne and that choosing to do something out of the norm or off the beaten path is OK.