Becoming Unstuck To Travel The World

It is my impression that people who are successful in their pursuits, who actualize their dreams, who meet their goals tend to have one thing in common: they had the guts, the confidence, or sheer downright self-delusion to start out for a destination without having any clue how they were going to get there. There are few endeavors in life that can be fully planned, there are few big projects that can be taken any more than one step at a time, there are few dreams that can be had without going after them with full on reckless abandon.

All too often I talk with people who say that they want to travel and live the PT lifestyle but, for some reason, think they need to satisfy of a myriad of prerequisites before the time will be right. They tend to put off traveling for another day when everything seems taken care of, appears perfect, and the road ahead is clear cut and wide open. To these people I speak bluntly: the day you’re waiting for is never going to come.

When I say this I’m often told I’m wrong. “It will come.” They seem to have faith that the universe just works out the way they want it too without any leg work on their behalf. They say things like, “I will travel when I sell my house,” or “I have to wait until I have X amount of money in the bank,” or “I have to pay off my student loans off first,” or the always eminent “I’ll go when I tie up all of these loose ends.”

Some people seem to think that they need to have everything planned out in advance, that they need a complete start to finish itinerary of when, where, and how they are going to hit the road. Maybe some people do? I don’t know. But what I do know is that waiting for that magical day when the stars are perfectly aligned and everything is all set rarely ever happens.

I have to stress here that few things in travel are ever clear, that plans are so often broken that they become useless to even make to begin with, that few big prizes in life are ever won without the potential of losing big.

People who’ve become successful in their pursuits often give the impression that they had it all figured out from the start. This is more often than not the furthest thing from the truth. So many of the people who have accomplished great things knew where they wanted to be but had no idea how they were going to get there. But this did not stop them from walking blind, running into dead ends, going back two spaces, learning, adjusting, and continuing on until they’ve arrived at their destination.

There is one phrase that many business gurus, performers, and yes, perpetual travelers tend to say to those who wish to follow in their footsteps:

Just go do it.

These four simple words mean everything. Life is learned as you go, not before hand.

Success in a pursuit is like climbing a ladder with a blindfold on: you can’t see the rungs up above you but you just have to believe that they’re there. You reach up, feel around, and close your fingers around the next rung, on and on up to the top. If you miss and fall, that’s just a part of the game. Learn better and try again. Only one thing is for certain here:

If you’re waiting for the day where you can remove your blindfold and see where you’re climbing all the way to the top, you’re living in a fantasy world.  You will never see the way to the top from where you’re standing at the bottom. The clouds will never clear, the time will never seem right. If you want to travel, live abroad, accomplish a big dream, become successful in a pursuit, stop pondering the bottom rung and start climbing, conquer obstacles as they come,  tackle problems when you get to them, have no fear of falling, and then you just may stand a chance of getting to the top.

This is the same for everyone who endeavors to walk their own path. Even though it may seem that you’re the only one who is lost and without direction, keep in mind that nobody really knows where they are going, we’re all climbing blindfolded out here right along with you.

Just. Go. Do. It.