When I was in elementary school my mom planned a trip for us to go to Hawaii we had never been and I was extremely excited to go. I remember visualizing what it would smell like, what the sun would feel like on my skin, and how clear the water was. I had hyped myself up for weeks preparing for this adventure. To say the least I’ve always viewed Hawaii as a very magical and special place. So you could only understand my extreme disappointment when our trip was cancelled due to a huge storm that was coming and the trip couldn’t be rebooked. We ended up hanging with family in LA (which is always a good time but damn bro, little me was bummed) Fast forward I am a grown up now! I have a friend who lives there from college. And ever since I found out since he moved there I’ve threatened to come visit. Finally the opportunity presented itself and I’d managed to plan a trip with another really good friend from college to crash for the week.

The minute I got to SFO I knew this trip was special but of course the universe had to give me a little scare. My flight was delayed and the gate was packed with other people trying to get on other flights. I automatically thought back to the missed trip of my childhood, however  customer service was able to get me on a better direct flight with a window seat, which left a little later and gave me time to wine taste and talk to strangers about their cottages in Ireland and the best places to buy flowers in The Bay (win win win win.)

To preface I am extremely critical of myself, I overthink a lot. I am always actively trying to find ways to be more kind and see the whole picture of who I am. Sometimes the view of myself is not always what other people may see and I wanted to change that.  When I planned this trip  I wanted to go with the mindset that everything I did or tried would be met with a “yes” and be present. I would do things that made me feel adventurous and challenged. I would embrace everything from the perspective of an explorer. So every day was a new adventure no legit plan, just pick a destination on go! I was in bushes that lead to random beaches, I went on hikes that almost made me pass out, I went off road and found amazing graffiti art. I talked to many strangers. It was so empowering to allow myself to connect with my experience and really immerse myself in this gift. Although I’d like to think of myself as someone who is naturally approaches like in this way every day I know that’s not always the case and I wanted to change that view of myself.

Upon coming back from this trip and having some time to reflect. I realized that I can be all of those things every single day; I can be an explorer, I am adventurous, I like nature and have a special connection to it. I learned that I can manifest the things that I want and nothing is out of the question. I also learned that it’s OK to honor and Reward yourself for your hard work you don’t have to wait for someone else to give you a high-five or a pat on the back in order to enjoy and celebrate your wins. It was truly magic!

One of my favorite moments was meditating on a random swing with waves hitting my feet and huge beautiful green Hawaiian Mountains in the background. I’ll never forget that feeling of pure alignment and love for myself. I felt so connected and proud of all the growth I’ve had to endure leading up to that moment that I’ll always hold that with me. I’m forever grateful for my friends who had this experience with me. To have that same sense of connection and fulfillment a year later as if I had just hopped off of the  plane keeps me on the pursuit of more experiences to grow. The great part is that in the I don’t have to wait until the next vacation to continue to use all the amazing tools that I learned about myself, I can do it in my own backyard. And if you got to the end of this story… You can do the same 🙂