Last Updated: 10/2/20 | 2 أكتوبر 2020
Remember new Year’s? When you were going to lose weight, drink less, read more, save more, cook more, and maybe ride a unicorn (hey, anything is possible!)?
But deep down you — and I — knew you probably wouldn’t.
Time would pass, your excitement would fade, and you’d come up with a plethora of excuses for why you couldn’t stick to your goal:
“It’s too cold to walk to the gym.”
“It’s John’s birthday so I have to drink.”
“I had to binge-watch Netflix so I didn’t have time to read.”
“I can’t save extra this month because I have to buy (insert some commercial object you just need).”
“It’s too hard to cook.”
“Unicorns don’t exist so I can’t ride them.”
Inaction is the easiest action. Doing nothing takes less work than doing something. Then, when we start to feel guilty, we tell ourselves a story that justifies our inaction.
أفعل ذلك طوال الوقت. I mean I pay for a gym membership and I’ve only been once this year. There are so many other things I want to do too, but when I don’t do them, I can always find an excuse as to why.
No one likes to wake up and look themselves in the mirror and go, “Well, I failed again.”
So we create our own myths as to why we couldn’t live up to our own expectations — and why it wasn’t our fault. we all have elaborate tales we tell ourselves to make us feel better and not like a disappointment.
I know mine. “I didn’t do X because I had to go to an event and there was good wine.” Or “I didn’t do Y because I got carried away with work.”
I know all the other stories people tell themselves about travel:
“I don’t have enough money.”
“I don’t have anyone to travel with.”
“My currency is too weak.”
“I can’t save enough.”
“I don’t earn enough.”
“Flights are too expensive.”
“My credit isn’t good enough to get a points card.”
I’ve heard every excuse there is. It’s not to say these aren’t valid excuses. هم انهم. we all have barriers to success. we all have problems. we all have things that get in the way. Not everyone is going to be able to travel.
But what if instead of letting those limits define you, you were the hero that defeats the dragon and saves Princess Travel? What if you became the person who travels and has outstanding adventures?
As T.S. Eliot said, “It’s never too late to become the person you might have been.”
It’s time to say to yourself, “OK, I want to travel, and maybe it is expensive, but if all these people I see online are doing it, maybe it’s not so hard. اسمحوا لي أن ننظر في ذلك. let me Google some information.”
Admit that you don’t know what you don’t know.
Admit to yourself maybe – just maybe – there is a way to travel but you just don’t know what it is and your preconceived notions are demons holding you back!
Turn your excuses upside down – and into action plans:
“I don’t have enough money…so I will look to cut my expenses as best I can and change my spending habits.”
“I can’t save enough…so I will create a savings plan and take proactive steps to make it happen.”
“I don’t earn enough…so I will look for a second job or something in the gig economy. maybe I’ll become an Uber driver.”
“Flights are too expensive…so I will go someplace cheaper or start collecting points for a free flight.”
“My credit isn’t good enough to get a points card…so I’ll start with an easier card to build my credit up.”
“My currency is too bad…so I’ll go somewhere cheaper.”
“I don’t have anyone to travel with…so I’ll go on a tour or alone.”
Yes, travel can be expensive. Yes, it costs money. and yes, not everyone can travel.
But when you start with a negative internal mindset, you’ve already lost the game.
I’m not saying that magical thinking is the solution. No, magical thinking doesn’t work. The secret is BS. wishing for something won’t make it happen.
Actions make something happen.
Americans trade time for money, and although we all complain about it, it’s an arrangement we’ve kept in place for decades.
Taking extended time off is not in our culture. Although we say we envy Europeans and their long vacations, in the US, we still, on the whole, follow the “work, retire, travel” model. It’s a system that isn’t going to change soon.
I was a victim of this arrangement until I met some backpackers in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
As we discussed travel, time off, and doing what you loved, I kept thinking about how unhappy I was with the American bargain. I had never really thought about it before.
The more the backpackers I met told me about their lifestyle — meeting people around the world, living in bungalows on the beach, eating delicious and low-cost food, taking local transportation, and just having fun — the more envious I became.
I went home and changed my mindset.
I created spreadsheets, bought guidebooks, researched online, and cut my expenses as much as I could. I was merciless.
I know people are going to read this post, roll their eyes, talk about my priHOW TO stop MAKING excuses WHEN IT comes to travel (###) Last Updated: 10/2/20 | 2 أكتوبر 2020
Remember new Year’s? When you were going to lose weight, drink less, read more, save more, cook more, and maybe ride a unicorn (hey, anything is possible!)?
But deep down you — and I — knew you probably wouldn’t.
Time would pass, your excitement would fade, and you’d come up with a plethora of excuses for why you couldn’t stick to your goal:
“It’s too cold to walk to the gym.”
“It’s John’s birthday so I have to drink.”
“I had to binge-watch Netflix so I didn’t have time to read.”
“I can’t save extra this month because I have to buy (insert some commercial object you just need).”
“It’s too hard to cook.”
“Unicorns don’t exist so I can’t ride them.”
Inaction is the easiest action. Doing nothing takes less work than doing something. Then, when we start to feel guilty, we tell ourselves a story that justifies our inaction.
أفعل ذلك طوال الوقت. I mean I pay for a gym membership and I’ve only been once this year. There are so many other things I want to do too, but when I don’t do them, I can always find an excuse as to why.
No one likes to wake up and look themselves in the mirror and go, “Well, I failed again.”
So we create our own myths as to why we couldn’t live up to our own expectations — and why it wasn’t our fault. we all have elaborate tales we tell ourselves to make us feel better and not like a disappointment.
I know mine. “I didn’t do X because I had to go to an event and there was good wine.” Or “I didn’t do Y because I got carried away with work.”
I know all the other stories people tell themselves about travel:
“I don’t have enough money.”
“I don’t have anyone to travel with.”
“My currency is too weak.”
“I can’t save enough.”
“I don’t earn enough.”
“Flights are too expensive.”
“My credit isn’t good enough to get a points card.”
I’ve heard every excuse there is. It’s not to say these aren’t valid excuses. هم انهم. we all have barriers to success. we all have problems. we all have things that get in the way. Not everyone is going to be able to travel.
But what if instead of letting those limits define you, you were the hero that defeats the dragon and saves Princess Travel? What if you became the person who travels and has outstanding adventures?
As T.S. Eliot said, “It’s never too late to become the person you might have been.”
It’s time to say to yourself, “OK, I want to travel, and maybe it is expensive, but if all these people I see online are doing it, maybe it’s not so hard. اسمحوا لي أن ننظر في ذلك. let me Google some information.”
Admit that you don’t know what you don’t know.
Admit to yourself maybe – just maybe – there is a way to travel but you just don’t know what it is and your preconceived notions are demons holding you back!
Turn your excuses upside down – and into action plans:
“I don’t have enough money…so I will look to cut my expenses as best I can and change my spending habits.”
“I can’t save enough…so I will create a savings plan and take proactive steps to make it happen.”
“I don’t earn enough…so I will look for a second job or something in the gig economy. maybe I’ll become an Uber driver.”
“Flights are too expensive…so I will go someplace cheaper or start collecting points for a free flight.”
“My credit isn’t good enough to get a points card…so I’ll start with an easier card to build my credit up.”
“My currency is too bad…so I’ll go somewhere cheaper.”
“I don’t have anyone to travel with…so I’ll go on a tour or alone.”
Yes, travel can be expensive. Yes, it costs money. and yes, not everyone can travel.
But when you start with a negative internal mindset, you’ve already lost the game.
I’m not saying that magical thinking is the solution. No, magical thinking doesn’t work. The secret is BS. wishing for something won’t make it happen.
Actions make something happen.
Americans trade time for money, and although we all complain about it, it’s an arrangement we’ve kept in place for decades.
Taking extended time off is not in our culture. Although we say we envy Europeans and their long vacations, in the US, we still, on the whole, follow the “work, retire, travel” model. It’s a system that isn’t going to change soon.
I was a victim of this arrangement until I met some backpackers in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
As we discussed travel, time off, and doing what you loved, I kept thinking about how unhappy I was with the American bargain. I had never really thought about it before.
The more the backpackers I met told me about their lifestyle — meeting people around the world, living in bungalows on the beach, eating delicious and low-cost food, taking local transportation, and just having fun — the more envious I became.
I went home and changed my mindset.
I created spreadsheets, bought guidebooks, researched online, and cut my expenses as much as I could. I was merciless.
I know people are going to read this post, roll their eyes, talk about my priT صفحة الموارد الخاصة بي لأفضل الشركات لاستخدامها عند السفر. أدرج كل ما أستخدمه عندما أسافر. إنها الأفضل في الفصل ولا يمكنك أن تخطئ في استخدامها في رحلتك.