I remember when I came home from Africa almost 2 years ago. I thought I would be back for 3-4 months, pay off my credit card, get enough money to get back to Africa, and finish my Cape Town to Cairo journey. What the F happened???
In the 2 years I have doubled my credit card debt. Ok, so last year was filled with traveling the US, becoming a NOLS instructor, and movie to 2 different cities. For a while I was working for free as an intern, and for a while I was working practically for free at a new restaurant. But the winds have changed again, and Mary f-ing Poppins is feeling that tug to take off. Credit cards be damned (Don’t worry, I’m not shirking my responsibility. I have a my payments covered, for a few months at least.)
I was trying to resist the urge for a while, making excuses like oh, I have 6 months left on my lease, I should save up money first, and I’ve created a good network here. Blah, blah, blah. Leases can be broken (and it has), not that much money is really needed to travel, and I create good networks wherever I go. That’s one of the benefits of being a positive, kind, outgoing person.
No, I was just being chicken shit. And I finally called myself out on it. Well, really my roommate Laura called me out, although for something entirely different. There was an art project I had in mind for about 6 months. One day I was sitting around the apartment with nothing to do, and I said that I wanted to go buy paints, but for this and that reason it wasn’t a good idea. She just looked at me and said, “Oh, so you’re making excuses for yourself.”
I just thought, damn, I am making excuses. All to keep myself from going to the hardware store a mile down the road. So I immediately got up, went to the store, found a bunch of paints on clearance, and spent the afternoon painting (which I haven’t done in a while). I started to think about all the other areas of my life that were suffering from procrastination, and why.
I can’t always immediately figure out WHY I’m procrastinating about something, but if I ask myself “Are you making excuses?”, I know the answer. And if the answer is yes, I’ve decided to force myself into action, and figure out the why later.
And so, in December I am beginning a journey through Latin and South America. I will be working/volunteering, couchsurfing, exploring, and any other activity that comes across my path. And of course I will be writing and creating videos. You will be able to join my journey on my website, WanderingWonderland. Also, please like the Facebook page, so that you can receive updates.
