2 Years with my Backpack — Here’s What I Learned

I still can’t believe it’s been two years since I packed my backpack and visited Zanzibar for the first time. My original intention was to stay for a month — but after 2 days I knew that I would not be leaving this place anytime soon.

Why? I can’t really give you one reason. But there was something about this place, this island, that somehow made so much sense to me. I knew from the first moment that I had to be there, and that I would do ANYTHING to stay longer than I had planned.

And I think that was exactly the change of mindset that had happened without me realizing its significance for my further path.

Even before I left Zanzibar, I thought, “What if I don’t come back?”. Even before Zanzibar, I had a clear vision of how I wanted to live my life, and my reality at that time did not match those desires at all. It made me feel stuck. But once I started moving in alignment, following my intuition, my deep inner knowing of what I wanted, I ended up exactly where I needed to be. Again, I did not really realize what was happening. But what followed in the months that I was there were many of those soul-aligning moments, moments of deep gratitude, extremely challenging moments, moments where I just wanted to give up, and moments where I knew it was worth fighting for.

I want to outline some of my key learnings from the past two years, because to be honest: I had no idea what to expect.

Going after your dreams is not always pleasant. And it’s so funny because all of a sudden you’re living your dreams, and you’re like, “Why is it so fucking hard?”. But I think that’s part of it. The question isn’t whether it’s hard or easy, it’s whether you believe in it enough to keep going against the storm.

So maybe, you are reading this, and you’re going through a change right now. And it doesn’t have to be leaving to Zanzibar, it can be any change. I know that you can relate. And I know that it’s important to read the following: Please be sure that you’re not alone with what you feel. Maybe some of my learnings will resonate, and eventually help you. I will write another blog post about this, but let’s start with these 10 today:

1. You are your own best brand: Whoever you want to be or whatever you want to do, it’s possible. In fact, you are already it. But opportunities don’t just come to you — you create them by creating yourself. The better you get at reinventing yourself, adjusting your path, and crafting your skills and identity, the more likely you are to be who you admire. Whatever makes you happy is your choice. This is dynamic and fluid. And sometimes you just don’t know. So, dare to change, and re-introduce yourself to this world.
2. You deserve to live your dreams: This is probably something I struggled with the longest, and sometimes still do. Realizing that yes, I am allowed to live my dreams, and it’s not selfish to do so. The most important thing is to start with myself and live in alignment with who I want to be, only then can I be a good daughter, sister, friend or partner. You deserve to live your dreams, and you are not crazy to demand the highest.
3. Choose love, not fear: Please acknowledge that fear is normal and nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, fear is your body’s natural response to protect you from danger, so there’s nothing wrong with feeling fear. And I can tell you right now: you will feel fear, and discomfort most of the time. It comes with personal growth. You should respect the things you are afraid of, but the real question is: are you acknowledging the presence of fear, or are you being led by it? Only you know the answer.
4. Wherever your attention goes, your energy flows: This is really true. And it is also related to the above: If you put all your attention on your fears and the worst case scenario, that is where your energy will go. But imagine all the possibilities that would open up if you focused on optimism, self-confidence, and love instead? On the best case scenario?
5. Don’t take everyone’s advice: A friend of mine once said something that I will always remember: “I only ask for advice from people who are doing something I want to accomplish.” And it makes perfect sense — we’re all different, and it’s not that people have bad intentions for you, it’s just that they might be living their lives differently, so their advice will always come from what they think is best. But that doesn’t have to be the best for you. It is EXTREMELY important that you seek advice from those who inspire you and who are already living the transformation you want to go through.
6. You will be judged anyway: Whatever it is you want to do or share, this is my encouragement for you to DO IT. Life is too short to keep your talents locked away because you think they’re not good enough. Afraid of what others might think? Let me tell you right now: you will be judged anyway. And your harshest judges are probably your biggest secret admirers.
7. Acknowledge your accomplishments: It can be easy to be hard on ourselves, especially when we set high standards to live up to. But look around: you are probably already living one of the dreams you had some time ago. It is really important to acknowledge your accomplishments with a deep sense of gratitude. Micro steps beat big achievements. Chasing goal after goal without acknowledging your milestones will only make you dissatisfied and frustrated.
8. The right time doesn’t exist: It’s not about the right time, it’s about whether you believe in yourself or not — we all have the same amount of time. You’ll never be “ready”. What matters is that you believe in your own potential to do it anyway. And that you take the necessary steps in divine timing.
9. Listen when someone tells you their story: Whoever you meet on your path, you meet them for a reason. That’s how it works. For me, travelling is all about people and the opportunity to learn more about their story. So whenever someone opens up to you, make sure you give them a chance by listening. You never know why you were meant to meet them. It might open up a whole new world.
10. What you do with your time matters most: For a long time, I thought work wasn’t that important to me right now. I had other priorities and saw it more as a tool to help me achieve them. What I didn’t realize was that (and this goes back to allowing yourself to live your dreams) meaningful work is extremely important to me. And that one doesn’t have to be at the expense of the other. You can be in the most beautiful place, but if you’re not creating something of meaning, it won’t matter.

Cheers to change, and stay tuned for more!