A Life-Changing Trip: Lessons Learned

A year ago, my boyfriend won a trip for two to a music festival in Quebec City, and he chose me to come with him. I’ve been there before, on a grade nine class trip. It was nostalgic to walk the streets of the charming, old city.

Sometimes the best way to gain perspective on your life is to get out of your ordinary life for a few days. And boy, did I learn a lot about myself and life in general.

This trip came at the perfect time. I was growing weary with my day job in retail. I was in my mid-forties, approaching middle age. Some would call it a mid-life crisis, but it was more like I came ot a realization. For the last couple of years, I was facing the dark night of my soul. I always thought it was something that happened over a few days, but truth is, dark times can last much longer.

It’s all about how you deal with it.

If you ignore it, then it will get worst, or at least not get better. You can’t wait your way out of the bad times.

In my life, I had left a toxic relationship, lived in a women’s shelter, and worked hard at getting back on my feet after 12 years of being a sheltered homemaker. I got into a new relationship and settled into a practical life.

Fast forward a year and a half and we’re embarking on a plane ride two provinces over. Far below, the world looks different. The problems I was dealing with seemed small and insignificant.

So I did some reflecting and writing on the plane ride from YHZ to YUL, as well as during our 7-hour delay in the Montreal airport. I wrote down everything I came to realize, and here are the lessons I learned:

Working hard wasn’t getting me anywhere. I have to learn how to work smart.
Anything is available to anyone. It doesn’t matter the circumstances, anyone can rise above.
It’s all in your attitude. Believe in yourself and you will get there.
Don’t lose sight of your dreams. Life is too short to let them slip away. You have the dreams for a reason.
We are only limited by the limitations we put on ourselves.
Things will go wrong, but you can pivot and it will eventually go right in the end.
Love yourself, and you can love others fully, and others can love you. If you don’t love yourself, they may still love you and you them, but it’s not fully and completely.
Live in the moment. Don’t worry about the past or the future. It’s OK to remember the past and learn from it. It’s OK to plan for the future. But live in the present. Enjoy yourself.
Go with the flow.
My focus had been in the wrong place. My focus was always on getting ahead in my day job – promotions and pay raises. However, it wasn’t what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It was time to focus on my actual dreams – writing and helping people. It’s time for you to focus more on your own dreams, and not what you think you should focus on, or what other people tell you to focus on.
Don’t live a life purely based on the practical. Life isn’t about grocery store deals, only ever buying what you need, and not being frivolous. We should all be smart with our money, but there’s more to life than that. Traveling isn’t practical, and can be expensive, but I don’t want to miss out because of the price tag. I will make it work.
There’s no magic greater than the magic in believing in yourself.
Wealth is available to everyone. We can all become wealthy if we focus on the right thing, shoot for our dreams, and work hard AND smart. I’m not there yet, but I believe I will get there.

Our trip to Quebec was a line. Before the line, I was an ordinary woman with dreams but only half-assing my way towards them, therefore not making any real progress. After the line, I’m still a rather ordinary woman. I’m still working towards my dreams.

But something is different.

Something changed.

Me. I changed.

Life will never be perfect, but I feel like I’m a different person. I’ve been working harder (and smarter). I’m not there yet, and no one sees the struggles in the background. But I’m doing better than ever.

Slowly I am changing myself on the inside.

Someday it will be apparent.

Until then, I will work towards living my best life, and I will write about my journey along the way, hoping to inspire others to live their best life.

I will do it, and I know you can do it too.

Be awesome and may your life be passionate!