With a little grit and a lot of grace, I kicked my fears of "never being good enough" and "what if I fail" to the curb as I set off on a brave adventure to transform my life. My adventure found me quitting my cushy corporate job and selling every possession to travel solo around the world. You can and will thrive, too, if that’s what you choose!

This time last year, I was stepping on a plane, bound for LA before catching my connection to Barcelona. Can you believe it’s already been one year? Me either! Little did I know all that was in store for me on my journey. Below, I share with you the three biggest lessons I learned from my time abroad that you can implement into your life starting now.

When I was in first grade, I got into an argument with my neighbor Lauren. She told me I had brown eyes. I swore I had blue and told her I’d show her my birth certificate to prove it. My young, first-grader heart was crushed to learn eye color is not listed on a birth certificate. And so I began to believe that I had plain, ugly, brown eyes. 

That’s the proverbial question that seems to be on everybody’s mind when they see me. As I mentioned in this Instagram post, I didn’t have all the answers when I first returned. In fact, I still don’t. However, I have a very clear direction of what I want and how to get there. I’d love for you to come along on the journey as I write my next chapter. What’s in store? Glad you asked. 

At the beginning of summer, my sister bought a packet of wildflower seeds. She didn’t know what the end garden would look like but knew that with a little love and a lot of watering, the flowers would be beautiful.

“This pose is the hardest one you’ll face all evening,” I told them. “As gravity takes hold of your hips, the stretch will intensify. Notice your thoughts in this very moment,” I encouraged. Those thoughts in this intense moment say more about you than you even realize. 

It’s good to be home. Home. Oklahoma. Man, it’s great to be here. To say that. However, for the longest time, I wanted to escape Oklahoma. Run away as far and fast as possible. Has anyone else ever felt this way?

What happens when two Americans, a Greek, an Austrian and a French person gather around the dinner table?

You may have noticed I’ve been MIA lately. There’s a reason. I didn’t mean to fall in love. Honestly, I didn’t. While many thought it would happen, I knew that wasn’t what this journey was about for me. But you know what they say about making plans…

When I little, I used to love connect-the-dot pages. Taking my crayon or marker and drawing the line from one number to the next was both challenging and exciting. I was always attempting to guess what the outcome would be – the image that was created at the completion of the activity. Most of the time my guess was wrong.

The other day, a creative spark flew through my mind so quickly I almost didn’t catch it. Then, later that morning, it came back again. And then again, until I finally decided this spark was worth investigating.

I’ve always cared what people think of me. I’m guessing I’m not alone in that regard. In her book “Daring Greatly,” Brene Brown challenged me to consider who these “people” are who often influence my decisions.

In January 2017, I climbed Mount Batur, a volcano in Bali. That climb was a pivotal moment on my journey as I learned that sometimes you struggle in life, but the reward is great for those willing to put in the work. Almost a year later, I chose to end my 2017 the same way it started – climbing Mt. Batur.

7 a.m., my driver suggested. 7 a.m. Doesn’t he know I’m still asleep! 8 a.m., I wrote back. After much back and forth, we agreed I can be second in line and leave at 8 a.m. He brought me an offering. Why hadn’t I thought of that? You put the money in the offering and hand it to the healer Ngurah, my driver, told me.

I’d just leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes when it happened. The sheer terror of it all lasted a mere 30 seconds or so (maybe longer…?). However, time passed so slowly it felt like minutes.

Last Saturday, I sat at the breakfast table telling Nat, the owner of my guest house, that I planned to go ice sating. The look on his face as I said this confused me. Without saying a word he got up from the table, ran to a closet, pulled out some old hockey skates and brought them into the dining room. Little did I know he used to skate and loved it! When the skating rink in Chiang Mai closed down, he’d often travel to Bangkok to visit his aunt and skate. Then she moved. Eventually, he stopped skating altogether.

It’s always fascinating to me how the lessons I’ve learned along my travels continue to show up for me when I need them most. I guess that’s how life tends to work though, you simply have to be open and willing to receive the message. 

The other day, I went with some friends for an hour-and-a-half Thai massage. It was one of many I’ve received since arriving in Thailand. And to be completely honest, I was a little upset because I got an older woman who didn’t put much pressure into her motions. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought my niece was giving the massage. The gentler she was with me the more frustrated I became.

Can you believe I’ve already been gone 60 days? Some days it feels as though I just left and other days it feels like I’ve been gone a lifetime. I know I haven’t updated as much as I’d planned. I’m out exploring rather than writing. So below is the quick and dirty version of my travels and plus a fun list of 60 lessons/thoughts/rants/observations from my first 60 days. Enjoy!

“If you close your eyes and ears, sit quietly, allow the mind to be completely silent and then listen within, you will hear God humming. God talks to us always, but we talk so loud we fail to hear.” Sri Swami Satchindananda, The Yoga Sutras of Ptanjali