
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.