Take the first step.

Since my early twenties it has been my dream to travel the world. And now at the tender age of 43 that dream has become realized as I’m presently exploring Ireland. But before venturing off across the Atlantic Ocean, another quest was unfolding in my life that would not only test my wits, but also have a profound impact on my psyche and character. I’m referring to my decision to finally leave the life I had always known in order to fully embrace the one that was waiting to be mine.

Early on in life I had always followed what society seemed to regard as a proper existence; get a degree, settle down, buy a house, and have 1.5 kids, whatever that means. However, the urge to travel the world was always at the forefront of my thoughts. But who has time to do only what we want when the world has other plans for us?

So after hopping from one career choice to another with a slew of failures trailing close behind, the conditions were ideal for causing me to flip out of this false existence, and begin to live the adventure of truly being alive.

But it would come at a price, and in a sense become the death of me. After all, in order for something new to come forth, something old has to die. And if there’s one thing life has taught me over the years it’s that we don’t attract what we want, but only what we are. So to begin this new journey I had to take the first step, and begin distancing myself from people, places, and circumstances that were limiting my options in life.

The funny thing about finally attaining freedom is we’re left asking, “Now what do I do with it?”

At the time, I was living near the San Francisco Bay Area which meant that rent wasn’t cheap. And just as an aircraft needs 110% of it’s engine power to lift off the ground, my new quest would require every available financial resource if it were ever to take flight. Thus began the process of purging everything that wouldn’t fit in my car. Before too long most of my possessions were either sold or donated, and my car served as a primary residence whenever a friend’s couch was unavailable for a night or three.

Consequently, having very limited resources taught me exactly what I could live without, making the vision for what I was sincerely devoted to even clearer.

And along with my new found scope came the maturation of old, undisciplined aspects of my personality that no longer served me like spending money on frivolous fancies that added no real value to my life. I also developed the courage to bid a fond adieu to that former life that once marred my daily existence, and allowed the possibility of a new beginning to take shape.

I always had a knack for writing which hardly ever got paid attention to. And even though I had recently independently published a book, the funds never seemed available for promoting it. Only now I was living out of my car, surviving on dried fruits, nuts, and an occasional hot meal from a friend. But had my focus been on what I lacked, the mind couldn’t have utilized its new found freedom to see the potential that already existed in establishing a social media presence.

When I initially set up my website to promote my book, it was barren, lacking any real content because of what little time there was to produce it. Working full-time jobs my heart just wasn’t committed to robbed me of countless hours of creative possibilities. But it’s amazing what an empty stomach, and homelessness can do for reigniting that regenerative spark within us that always finds a way. Now, all of a sudden, my phone became the most valuable asset I still lay claim to because it literally puts the world in the palm of my hand.

As for my creativity, it began firing on all cylinders and before long I was utilizing my phone to make connections throughout the world in order to become well versed with traveling abroad on a budget. I also began generating content that actually gave people value based on the overwhelming response from my blog posts on Facebook.
And just as excited energy constantly seeks higher and higher levels of itself, these cumulative actions rekindled my old but very familiar desire to travel the world.

Lord knows I’ve had an abundance of challenges behind me, but when coupled with the right opportunities I now find myself at the forefront of my dreams in Ireland. Essentially that’s all life is, an opportunity to cast away the past so we can continually live in the present, and realize the vision of our hearts. Utilizing the frustrations of life to develop purpose, inner drive, and a strong commitment to the things that matter most is what each of us is invited to participate in daily. The life that’s waiting to be ours only requires us to take the first step.

Love & Aloha,

Alexander Demetrius

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