The First Step to Achieving your Dreams

This time of year I find myself at parties and gatherings reconnecting with old friends and family. In these interactions people ask “what’s going on in your world. You are doing travel, right?”

I tell them about Travel with Kate, my work with my clients and my adventures. Their reply is inevitably, “wow, so you are living the dream!”

It is true. I am certainly living my dream. But there are many wonderful dreams to be had. Maybe you dream of a life like mine, often on the road, traveling to new destinations. Or perhaps, you dream of creating your own local business. Or you may hope to succeed as a screenwriter or as a doctor. The number of dreams is, of course, infinite.

Throughout my twenties, I wondered about what direction to take my life. And it wasn’t until I was able to listen to my intuition that my path began to illuminate.

Commit to the voice of intuition inside you and it won’t steer you wrong. As soon as you empower it, you align yourself with a life lived with no regrets.

Outside my own experiences, I don’t have to look very far for more proof of this statement. I find examples among my closest friends and family. And I have noticed a trend among us, one that defines our trajectories. The clearer the vision, the faster and more successfully it is achieved. Here are some examples.

During my freshman year of college I became friends with a girl who lived down the hall in my dorm. Only a few weeks into our first semester we were having a conversation, getting to know each other. In a matter of fact manner she explained to me that one day she would marry her high school sweetheart. And she said that they would eventually move back to their hometown and raise a big family. At this time, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was floored by her confidence in her vision – especially given the fact that this high school boyfriend was currently across the country in a serious relationship with somebody else. But this is what she knew she wanted and she was confident she’d get it.

Today, at 30, she is married to her high school sweetheart. They live together with their three children. And they make their living working together in a restaurant in their hometown her husband opened and named after her. It is the sweetest story I know. And she made it come true with her clarity of vision.

I’ll give another example in someone who is both one of my best friends and biggest role models. Having emigrated from the UK, she came to the US with the dream of being a reporter and social influencer for good. To be more precise, she wanted to create a career for herself that took inspiration from Christiane Amanpour and Oprah at the same time.

The first years were tough as she found her way. She started out as a receptionist in an entirely different industry. And then she moved up the ranks as a reporter at a local New York news station. Next she became a national correspondent for CNN. Now she anchors her own show that broadcasts throughout the world. And she called me just last week so we could rehearse a speech she would be delivering this weekend at Tedx about trusting your struggle.

She is well on her way to achieving her loftiest goals, and with a speed that is both humbling and intimidating to watch. She climbed from receptionist to international news anchor in 5 years.

Another very close individual in my life is my Aunt Marlo. As a kid, she new she wanted to be an actress. And after graduating college with a degree in education, she diligently pursued her craft until she got her own TV show at 29-years-old. That show became a hit and she went on to also be an activist, champion for the kids of St. Jude Children’s Research Hosptial and 6-time best selling author. As I watched last month as President Obama fastened the Presidential Medal of Freedom around her neck I couldn’t help but feel in awe of her accomplishments. This is a woman with dreams coming out of her ears, a woman who is a pro at creating clarity of vision.

All of these inspiring friends and family have one very particular trait in common. At night when they close their eyes, they can envision their desired futures with precision. They are lucky in this respect. Others of us have to work at defining what it is we really want. Or maybe we are multi-talented individuals who have trouble deciding between dreams.

My professional goals didn’t come to me right away like those of the women in the stories above. It was through travel that I started to hear that inner voice.

Sitting on a rock on a Spanish island, looking out over the Mediterranean was the first time I could begin to hear my inner voice directing me toward my future professional path. It urged, “you are meant to use your affinity for learning about other cultures for the greater good.”

As I honed my ability to listen, I felt a knowing that I need to be on camera and tell my stories to large audiences. Fundamental to my mission is to communicate about the importance of immersive, meaningful travel.

Travel is the tool that cracked open my ability to hear my own intuition that led to my capacity to be clear on my vision. And by now, you know what clarity of vision can do.

So if you are struggling with defining your goals in life, I suggest you take some time to change your surroundings – whether you get out of the country or journey domestically – it will lead you to new perspectives. And ultimately, it could lead you to getting clear on your vision.

Post by Kate Thomas