So lately I have been getting this question more and more! It seems every day my family or some random stranger that has heard about my upcoming adventure (from my family) is asking me “so are you nervous?” And I never have been.
Until one day…
I realize it’s March. Hold the phone! Say that again? Yeah, it’s March. And I checked my countdown and realized I have less than 20 days until I leave for Japan! My, time does fly!
Short answer: Yes. Of course I’m nervous. I think it would be unnatural not to be. There have been moments (mostly nights in my own comfy bed) that I didn’t want to go. It all became such an overwhelming thing and just seemed like too much for me. But these bad moments don’t last long. I don’t let them.
Because this is the chance of a lifetime. This is the first dream I’ve come up with on my own and I’m chasing it. Graduating high school with honors, graduating college. These are really big and important goals but they weren’t my own. They were both expected of me, and while I wanted them, they weren’t something that I had thought to do for myself. But when college ended, and I realized nothing had been planned for me from this point on it was overwhelming. And I came upon this dream, and I took a chance on it, and now I’m well on my way to making it happen.
I’ve always wanted to travel. And by my 3rd year of college I knew I wanted to travel long-term. And by the end of my senior year I had this idea that maybe I could incorporate my love of teaching with my ever-growing wanderlust. It’s all about finding those things you are passionate about, figuring out a way you can incorporate them into your life, and going for it.
So whether I’m nervous or not, there’s absolutely no chance I’m going to let that get in the way of my dream. Even though when I get really nervous I tend to feel physically sick to my stomach I figure they provide you with free barf bags on the plane. And if I pause and take just a few deep breaths, I can remind myself what it took to get to this point in my life and where I want it to go from here.
Remember how far you have come and remember how far you have yet to go. Breathe. And jump. It’ll all be worth it in the end, however it turns out.
Besides, excitement trumps nerves every time.
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