A couple of years ago I started my journey to Portugal, alone. A spontaneous decision, I bought the tickets and half a week later I sat in the plane. Not far away, not for a long time, but one of the most important journeys of my life. In this article I will tell you about my experiences and why I advise it to everyone.
Why?
After a rough period, I wanted to proof myself I was OK. That I can trust myself and that I’m responsible for my own happiness. How could I do that better than by travelling all my myself? It was a scary decision, but I did not hesitate for a second. I am not extravert and did not have a lot of experience travelling, however it did not hold me back. Just do it.
The experience
I arrived at the destination and thought to myself ‘F*ck, what did I do? Why am I here and where should I go?’ This feeling disappeared when I sat in the taxi on my way to the hostel. I had a nice conversation with the taxi driver, even though his English was poor. Also in the hostel I never felt alone, everybody was super friendly. Only at dinner I started to feel lonely: enough people talked with me but I had to eat my dinner alone. However, later I met a lot of new people and this feeling automatically disappeared. There was always someone there for me, the 60-years old businessman from Manhattan or the German psychology student. Even today I’m still friends with all these people. All in all this journey was a great success.
What did I learn?
The most important thing this experience taught me is to believe in myself. I don’t need anyone else, just myself. Daring to believe in yourself is a valuable quality which can bring you further in life on different levels. Also it gave me the opportunity to close the rough period I had and it made me move on from it. Did you experience a rough time or could you use more self confidence? Than I would surely advise you to travel on your own. No need to go far, it doesn’t have to be long, as long as it works for you.
Goal: Do you need more self confidence? Activate the ‘Do Goal’ together with your coach or caregiver and get out of your comfort zone. No need to travel, discovering a new city, a cup of coffee in a bar or going to the gym alone will also work. Describe in the ‘Feel Goal’ how it felt.
