Day 3: F L O R E N C E

Lesson- Take Yourself Out! You Just Might Learn Something.

 In the past, I described myself as a “doer not a planner” and I never saw anything wrong with this. (Pretty ironic for someone who is launching a planner next year, right?)

 What I meant was “I’m too insecure to form an opinion about what I actually want to do, so I’m going to let (make) you decide instead. I have no preferences.”

 I liked to be invited to things, but I never initiated plans. I liked to be told where to be and at what time, and I liked to complain when no one asked me to hang out. “I’m down for whatever” was another tagline I liked to frequently employ.

 It semi served me, and I got to participate in awesome experiences, but none of this brought me any closer to understanding myself. I was a people pleaser, but I never understood what truly made me happy.

 Enter solo travel.

 Solo travel truly helped me develop and identify my preferences. I learned more about what I liked without the pressure of trying to simultaneously entertain whomever I was with. For me, it was a really cool experience to learn about myself this way, and it soon translated into other areas of my life where I was able to be more honest about what I wanted. It improved my relationships.

 Sometimes it can feel intimidating to go to a restaurant on your own, or to do things alone that you would usually want to do with other people, but once you try it, you realize it’s not actually weird at all, and you start to really enjoy your own company. Plus, it totally beats sitting at home watching TV because you don’t have any other plans.

 For me, solo travel, and doing things alone in general has become a total game changer, and I love taking myself out to do new things. It makes any challenge seem less daunting because you learn to always have your own back 

 So go to the museum alone. Take yourself to the concert. Go on a day trip to the beach. You’ll be surprised how many cool new experiences have been waiting for you all along.