You are exactly where you are supposed to be

 

The countdown is on to begin my Remote Year adventure – spending one month in 12 cities around the world.

 

How do you get ready to travel for a year (start a big project, pursue a dream, change directions)? It feels overwhelming at the beginning, standing here and looking at the finish line so far away.

 

In fact, if you stand still for too long, the overwhelming feeling turns into fear and soon you’re frozen, unable to make any decisions.

 

You start to doubt if you have what it takes.

 

You look around and see other people who are more successful, more confident, more (fill in the blank) – and your doubt grows.

 

We forget that everyone was a beginner at one point. The successful, confident, (fill in the blank) people didn’t wake up where they are today – they started at the beginning, they failed and started over, they tried, they practiced, they surrounded themselves with people who had done what they wanted to do, and they didn’t give up.

 

The key is simply to begin.

 

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – Lao Tzu

 

And so, I sat down and made one big “to do” list – everything I thought I needed to do in the next 90 days before my departure. (It was a BIG list!)

 

Then I took that list and broke it down into 30 day chunks – what had to happen in December, and then January and finally February.

 

I’ll admit it was still a daunting list so I took even smaller steps. Each morning before I headed to work, I looked at my “to do” list for the month and chose one thing.

 

I told myself: “You don’t have to complete the whole list today, all you need to do is one thing!”

 

Whew, what a relief – I could do this!

 

I let go of the pressure to “get it done”, took a deep breath and relaxed. Suddenly it didn’t feel so overwhelming and my confidence grew as I completed one task per day.

 

And when people ask about my research for a city I’m visiting 10 months from now, I smile and say “I have no idea!”

 

I’m focusing on what I need to do today, one baby step at a time.

 

If I look too far into the future, I get overwhelmed again. I don’t need to know about currency in Serbia, or transit options in Portugal, or safety concerns in Colombia. I’ll figure that out when I need to know.

 

Today, all I need to know is how am I going to pack everything I need for a year in one suitcase?!

 

Here’s my itinerary:

March – Split, Croatia

April – Prague, Czech Republic

May – Lisbon, Portugal

 

June – Sofia, Bulgaria

July – Belgrade, Serbia

August – Valencia, Spain

 

September – Buenos Aires, Argentina

October – Córdoba, Argentina

November – Lima, Peru

 

December – Medellin, Colombia

Jan 2018 – Bogotá, Colombia

Feb 2018 – Mexico City, Mexico

 

Have you spent time in these cities? I’d love to hear your tips and suggestions – and will file them away to review when I’m closer to arriving in that city! 🙂