Shooting From the Hip

You have to believe.

Finding my way has been a struggle. I am one of those people with a few intangible gifts and many interests, which can be both a blessing and a curse.  When you feel like you could do a variety of things, most of which are unrelated, it can be impossible to choose a path, leaving you paralyzed. This results in a life and a career that doesn’t speak to you. If you constantly feel like you are meant to be doing something else, then you probably are meant to be doing something else.

This has been me for most of my adult life. I have lived with an unrelenting earworm, constantly telling me that what I was doing in terms of work and life was the wrong fit, no matter how much I convinced myself otherwise. I have always envied people who knew exactly what they were good at, zeroed in on it, and taken advantage of the pathways that this choice afforded them. I simply lacked the ability to commit to one direction, fearful that in doing so, I was giving up everything else. Just ask my past boyfriends. Or, maybe don’t.

“If you constantly feel like you are meant to be doing something else, than you probably are meant to be doing something else.”

People always told me to just do what I loved, to do what I was good at, to create my own way, that I already knew what I wanted, I just hadn’t realized it yet. They told me to believe. While always delivered with the best of intentions, if you are anything like me, nothing can be more frustrating than to hear this kind of sideline pep talk when you are completely drowning in ambivalence. I just wanted someone to tell me what to do. Then I could blame them when it didn’t work out.

In the beginning, FLY was simply a radio show I created about travel. It was a hobby that I did outside of my less than fulfilling 9-to-5. I met interesting people, inherited great new ideas for my own adventures, and had a front row seat to the world. And then it became something more. FLY became precious. It was this thing that I had built and nurtured, and that I was suddenly very protective of. FLY became a part of me. It started to get legs. It started to have moving parts. That familiar saying, “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” used to really irritate me. Like really irritate me. I was ‘working’. Every. Single. Day. And suddenly I wasn’t. At least not outside of my 9-to-5. The hours put into FLY are just as long… but this ‘work’ has never been synonymous with clock watching.

“When you believe, you commit. That’s when the magic happens.”

As a self-diagnosed late bloomer, I believe I have matured. Debatable for some, but this is not their website. FLY has taught me that we don’t have to pick one thing to the abandonment of all else. There is a space in which we can marinate all of our talents, feeding all of these amazing parts of who we are and what makes us tick. It may not seem obvious right away, but it is out there. The pep talkers were right. By creating my own platform, I am interviewing. I am writing. I am researching. I am flexing my business skills. I am exploring the infinite art of communication. I am pushing myself creatively. I am weaving opportunities that speak to my personal fabric and growth. I am surrounded by the world of travel and adventure, which I absolutely love. Most importantly, I am meeting the most interesting and kind people, and through them, I am building a community of like-minded others. Nothing fills my boots more than helping everyday people tell their stories. These are life changing stories. They have certainly changed mine.

You have to believe.

Chasing this idea to believe can be very elusive. It can be frustrating. For the longest time, I simply did not get it. I get it now. There is a difference between going through the motions versus actually knowing what you want and believing in what you are capable of. When you believe, you commit. That’s when the magic happens. There is no better feeling than that… except maybe drinking a beer in a village in Mexico.

Join me on this FLY journey. I guarantee it will be worth it. Start paying attention to your own journey too, so that when important things present themselves, you have your eyes open and you can recognize them. Sometimes they are in disguise, but if you are ready to believe, you will spot them. Remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint. 

Discover. Experience. Repeat.
Melissa

Testimonial

“As a travel lover, I have been a listener of FLY Travel Radio for years and on two occasions I have been a guest. FLY is wide ranging, interesting and insightful, providing valuable information on worldwide destinations. From the guest perspective, Melissa is a self-assured interviewer, well prepared and always asks the unexpected question. I would recommend FLY Travel Radio to anyone who travels, plans on traveling or dreams about travel.”

Garry Wallace, Intrepid Traveller, Co-Owner of SERENITY BOUTIQUE HOTEL, Costa Rica