Part 1 – Break Free – 3 Months in Europe!

Break Free…

I have been career driven for years. I’ve climbed ladders, kicked goals, over achieved, thrived on promotions, workplace praise and awards for a ‘job well done’ .  I needed to break free from my everyday pantomime.

Mergers, mindlessness and patch wars had arrived at my government department and turmoil reigned from the top of the ladder to the bottom.  Voluntary redundancies were on offer (no one is ever sacked in government).  Positions were cut as people left, budgets were cut. Projects were dropped.  Offices were closed and cultures clashed.  Those that chose to remain became pawns in a chess board that had too many pieces.  Jockeying was rampart, favours were called and corporate chaos ruled.

I was offered a position with a royal sounding title that was clearly going to suck.  I was owed a significant amount of long service leave which sounded eminently more interesting than my new position.

After some navel gazing, I asked for 9 months leave.  It was approved.  It was official.  I was going on leave from January until the end of September.  No-where else could I go on a long holiday during turmoil and know that I would come back to a job – only in Government

Now…what to do with it.

Two things drove my decision to spend three months travelling in Europe on my own.

I resolved that during this extraordinary time I needed to get to do something significant for myself. Two things drove my decision to spend three months travelling in Europe on my own.

1. I missed my right-of-passage

Firstly, Australians have a right-of-passage that says ‘thou shalt backpack through Europe before you settle into normal life’.  This right-of-passage usually occurred just prior to or just after university.  I missed out and I’ve been miffed my whole life.  My family has had to endure my endless whining about never having made it to Europe for one reason or another.   When this opportunity came up they almost physically kicked me out the door to stop me from complaining.

2. Living day to day sucked the life out of me

Secondly, on a more serious note, living day to day sucked the life out of me.  It has done for years.  That’s what it’s like when you live constantly with a sleep disorder and anxiety. No confidence or self belief.  Nothing interested me.  I had no idea what I had to offer the world.   I knew that I was a mother, a wife, a daughter and and employee.  But who was I really!

I dreamed of nurturing my creative steak, sucking in the culture of each country I visited.  I dreamed of travelling slowly with purpose.  My dinner conversation was about to improved ten-fold as I immersed myself in places that I’d only heard of in books at school and didn’t really care about at the time!

My journey was not going to be a ‘tick a box’ travel affair.  It needed to be more meaningful.  I went on the hunt to find a book out there that would show me how the embark on a purposeful journey.

 

Part 1. Break Free – 3 months in Europe

Part 2. A mindful journey to confidence

Part 3. My Travel Mantra

Part 4. Planning your Itinerary in a Mindful Way

I started my trip planning off with these four books.

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