My friend Ashley recently packed up her belongings and bought a one-way ticket to Canada. In today’s guest post, she talks about how she altered her mindset on the move to make this huge transition easier and less intimidating. Rather than seeing it as a big scary uprooting, she views it as just another awesome adventure. I love and share this outlook on life because it makes for much more fun and interesting experiences. Without further ado, here is Ashley!
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When I decided to move from Texas to Canada, I told myself it was going to be a super awesome, life changing adventure. I did this partly because I knew it was true, but also because, if I looked at this huge transition as an adventure rather than “uprooting my life and moving to a new country,” it somehow seemed less intimidating and like something I could actually follow through with.
An adventure means there will be windy trails, new paths, and there will be times when you get lost and have no idea where you are. There will be highs and lows, and you might even cry, but it’s an adventure, so you pick up your head and keep going. You have faith that it will get better, and the outcome will be filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and pride for what you just experienced.
An adventure means new memories, monumental growth, and exploring new lands. It means meeting new people, discovering new foods, and learning more about yourself every day. It means being open, trying new things, holding back judgment, and putting yourself out there.
Reframing my move to Canada in this new light has allowed me to be more accepting when things don’t always go the way I imagined. It has allowed me to be kinder to myself and take a step back when I’m feeling frustrated or anxious about what the next step will be. It has taught me to be more trusting and more adventurous. It has pushed me further outside of my comfort zone while also minimizing my feelings of fear and insecurity.

When you think about life as an adventure rather than a win-lose game or a list of boxes to check off before you turn 35, there is less fear because the possibility of failure disappears. Your meticulous plans and society-induced ideas about how things “should go” don’t hold as much weight. You are free to branch out on your own, go a different direction, and experiment with what makes you truly happy.
The previous anxiety-filled possibility of it all going off the tracks seems like just another exciting step along the adventure trail. There are no right or wrong answers and no mistakes because each lesson you learn leads you further along the path and deeper into the adventure. Self-doubt disappears because the pressure to have it all figured out with a perfect execution plan is gone. You are able to lean into the unknown, release your expectations, and be present. You are able to take big leaps, do the unexpected, and finally go after what you want.
If my decision to move to Canada has taught me anything, it’s that life is a beautifully crazy adventure. We can’t predict what will happen or how things will turn, but we can learn to trust ourselves to let go, lean in to the adventure, and enjoy the ride.
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More about Ashley:
Ashley Wilhite is a Life Coach who helps courageous women figure out what the heck they want to do with their lives + find the confidence and courage to actually go through with it. Whether you want to move across the country, backpack through Thailand, become a yoga instructor, write a book, or quit your soul-sucking job, Ashley will help you change your life, one daring adventure at a time! You can find Ashley at Your Super Awesome Life.