It was a gorgeous day yesterday as my siblings and I gathered at a beachside park in Carpinteria. While we gather regularly now that we all live in Southern California, Sunday's picnic was also a send off for our sister Nancy who is heading back to Europe for two months.

She'll begin her trip with work on a research project in the Netherlands. After that she heads to her old hometowns of Athens and Rome to catch-up with the many friends she made during her forty years living abroad. This trip also includes her first Airbnb stay in Athens.

We also spent time talking about another family trip later this year. We've adopted a tradition of making special trips to celebrate milestone birthdays. So far, those trips have found us meeting up in Sinalunga, Lucca and Venice in Italy, the Cotwolds in England, Catalina Island and Las Vegas in the US, and last year's adventure in France. This year's destination is still under discussion.

After we had chosen last year's destination, I decided I'd create a funding project to pay for it. After estimating the cost, I challenged myself to find totally new ways to generate the income. Before I knew it, the money was in the bank.

While that's a fun bonus of self-employment, I am also aware that folks whose grandest goal is becoming employee of the year would not realize how many options there are for funding things that matter to us.

Recently digital nomad Mr. Scott Eddy posted a map of the world with this declaration: Traveling is gasoline for entrepreneurs. When I shared it on Facebook, I knew there would be comments from frustrated non-entrepreneurs about not being able to afford such things. 

There was a time when I felt the same sadness. That all ended, happily, when I exchanged my employee mindset for an entrepreneurial one. It's not something I accomplished on my own, however.

It began with listening and learning from the trailblazers, the folks who had done what I dreamed of doing. I read books, attended seminars, interrogated entrepreneurs. Had I sat on my sofa merely wishing I could travel or be more prosperous or have control of my time, I'd still be the owner of an empty passport.

What I discovered, and what you can, too, if you haven't already, is that an entrepreneurial mindset is as useful as a passport. Don't wait any longer to gather some tools, connect with the joyfully jobless, find the confidence to launch your projects, make it an adventure.

You'll not only end up with a passport filled with stamps (if that's your desire) you'll be on your way to ending up with a lifetime of dreams fulfilled because you designed the itinerary yourself.