It's My Trip And I'll Do What I What To

"People too weak to follow their own dreams will always find a way to discourage yours."

-Unknown

I saw this quote a few weeks before I left on this trip and it was funny to see these words come to life in the actions of people in and around my life. The people that I consider friends and family - just because you're blood doesn't mean you're family FYI - majority, if not all, poured overwhelming amounts of support on me and what I was doing. I like to think it's because most of them have seen how hard I have worked for the past six years in school and work and life in general. But, hey, it also could be because they were secretly excited to get rid of this gypsy for a little while. Either way, as you've read in earlier posts, the support has and continues to be tremendous.

Every now and again when I am leaving one place and heading to another I get the urge to just turn around and go home because the unknown is scary - not knowing where I am going to sleep, or eat, or drive. Not knowing how much money it's going to cost me to park, or to fill up my gas tank, or do and see various places - it's scary. But whenever I am feeling doubt I get messages from friends like "head up! You can do anything!" or "this is YOUR trip, no one else's. Do what YOU want to do!" And somehow they seem to know when to send them. Like this one I recently received out of the blue "I'm so proud of you...I'm happy that you're doing something that you love! You look so happy in the pics." It's words and spontaneous messages and friends like this that keep me rolling forward to the next destination.

The people in the background of my life - the acquaintances or ones that maybe don't know me so well have shown that the quote above is true. Whether out of resentment, or ill feelings towards me, or just how they are feeling about their own lives feel the need to put me down or rain on my parade, so to say. Luckily, and almost shockingly, this second group has been smaller than I expected. But that just goes to prove that if you surround yourself with the type of people that you yourself want to be, the positivity and support for one another only grows and feeds off that same energy and positivity.

I think it's a safe conclusion to draw that there are many people in this world that live in fear. The unknown is scary! Whether real or imagined, there is a fear that controls us. Fear of doing something new in case we aren't good at it,  fear of walking down the street alone because of what might happen, and especially a fear of going somewhere new or different because it's unfamiliar or has a bad reputation.

Reputation. It's just that. I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The murder capital of Canada and the Slurpee capital of the world. If anyone based their opinion of Winnipeg on those two titles alone they would think we're a city full of diabetic serial killers. And they'd miss out on everything incredible Winnipeg has to offer: great hockey, great cultural diversity and acceptance, great food, great people. Why then would I base my decision on whether I am going to go somewhere in my adventure on reputation alone. I am a fond believer that everything in this world is what you make of it. If you surround yourself with people that shoot down your goals and aspirations, odds are you are going to fail and be miserable.

Make your own memories, your own experiences, your own choices. See how those Bad Reputations stack up. I'm not so naive to think that some are probably true but let me figure that out for myself. Unsolicited "advice" is no longer welcome.