I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. Something about the food, the cars… the men – it’s enough to get any woman excited. And as far as Italian cities go, Milan would have been as good as any to start off with. But when Michael and I embarked on a 13 hour trip to Milan, we ended up driving to the Village of Milan in Illinois, instead.
Close enough!
With the year coming to a close, this trip represented a solid reminder of my 2015 goal to volunteer, write, and explore. It also allowed me to reap the rewards of how far I had come by taking some well-needed time off. So far we’ve had a blast!
We had dinner at an Irish pub:
We went exploring nearby in Iowa and saw the cutest sheep!
And then we went hiking in the pouring rain (and this time I spent more time in front of the camera, for a change):
Tomorrow, we leave Milan for Peoria, but it’s been great while it lasted. I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. One day I’ll make it to Italy, France, Spain and all the other countries I want to visit. In the meantime, I hope my blog continues to inspire people to take risks and chase their dreams.
Just a few months ago, I was a payroll tax analyst at a dead-end job more depressed by my ambition than inspired by it. I had big dreams and wanted great things, but every day I spent at Xerox set me farther and farther behind.
Today, I look forward to waking up every Monday morning to write. And I enjoy every second of every day spend alone, and with the people I love.
The lesson? Never be too afraid to chase your dreams and do the things you love. More often than not, the main obstacle between “getting by” and living the life you want isn’t a degree, or capital, or slaving away for a promotion. It’s the willingness to take risks.
I can’t promise you success if you do…
…but I can promise you won’t ever have the life you really want, if you don’t.
