“I wish I could do what you’re doing, you’re so lucky!”

Lucky?  Me?  Maybe, but not in the way I think this phrase (that I’ve been hearing quite frequently as of late) is meant.

luck

/lək/

noun

1.

success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions.

Allow me to be bluntly honest- I’m not doing what I’m doing at the moment because of pure chance or luck- I made it happen.  This took research, planning, commitment, and a great deal of sacrifice.  The last year or so of my life has been focused on this trip.  I chose this path, am certainly not complaining about it, and wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Already I’ve gotten to meet great people, visit new places, and have some pretty epic adventures, but keep in mind:

You have a paycheck, I have a rapidly dwindling savings account.

You have health insurance, I have band-aids and ibuprofen.

You have movie nights with friends or family, I have Wal-Mart parking lots with a book.

You have bubble baths, I have Planet Fitness showers (if I’m lucky).

I could keep going, but you get the point, right?  Now, I am lucky in other ways.  Lucky to have amazing friends and family that have encouraged me, and helped make this van plan happen (shoutout to my dad, without his help I’d most likely be sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor… again).  Lucky to be inspired: to have come across people and ideas that open new doors, and offer me fresh perspectives.  Lucky that somehow, I gathered the focus and courage and whatever other traits needed that allowed me to quit my job, minimize my possessions, and embark on a journey around the country by myself.

You wish you could do this?  Newsflash- you can.  I get it, some of you have families (side note, I think it’s super awesome how many traveling families I have come across), or careers that keep you grounded.  That’s understandable.  But really, it just boils down to the simple concept of, how bad do you want it?  If you really, truly want to pursue something (not necessarily traveling, but generally speaking, anything in life)… are you willing to put it before anything and everything else to make it a reality?  What are you willing to sacrifice, to miss out on?

Call me fortunate, adventurous, reckless, intrepid, crazy, or any other number of adjectives… anything but ‘lucky’.