Did you ever think of seeing more of the world?

When did my wanderlust (or love for travel and adventures) begin?

Looking back, I think it started in the four corners of our grade-one classroom when I received my books for the first time.

I came home and excitedly browsed those books.

I remember cramming 7+ books inside a backpack that I dragged to school day in and day out.

Those books introduced me to the world.

It was in the 90s and at home, we didn’t watch television most of the time.

Growing up, it became my main hobby to read.

Our school only had a small library, and I quickly outgrew the books inside.

Soon, I was reading books for other levels.

When the SRA Reading Lab came to our class, I went gaga reading those colorful tablet-sized stories.

After my school books, I switched to horror pocketbooks in our local language.

Then, I discovered American pocketbooks like Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, Sweet Valley Twins, and the John Grisham novels (thanks to my high school teacher).

I mostly got my books from small book vendors on the second floor of our city’s public market. These vendors sell or pawn used books at a cost of roughly 1/5th a dollar per book during that time.

I save a bit of my allowance, sometimes skipping snacks/lunches; so that I can pawn the books I’ve already read for a new one.

From all the reading, my head filled with adventures and imagined scenes from faraway places.

Soon, a dream formed.

I’ll travel to these places someday.

But here are some reasons why travel almost became an impossible dream:

• I come from a country with a weak passport. I'll always need a visa to enter the major cities in the world.

• Traveling through work used to be a remote possibility. Relatives and strangers used to caution people about living and working abroad. You’ll change, you’ll forget, you’ll fail. Work opportunities for us are not equal and similar to other nationalities. Most families opposed sending their children to foreign countries because of this prevailing thought.

Fast forward, years later, I proved these reasons wrong.

My experience working in a foreign country is significantly different than the workers before me. But perhaps, it’s because I have my profession to back me up.

With a high-skill profession like accounting or auditing, I've realized that I can work almost anywhere. And that if I can work almost anywhere, traveling to places is easier. With enough funds and stable work to support my travel, I can breeze through every immigration counter with ease.

This realization empowered me.

I got inspired to discover the world more.

So far, I’ve seen only a small part of it.

***

To see the world, to travel more…

It’s not enough to dream.

You'll also need practical means to sustain a lifetime of adventure.

So I work hard, and I travel harder.

I stack up on skills and portfolio experiences. I aim to increase my worth so that opportunities will come looking for me, and I'm not the one looking for opportunities.

Don’t you want the same?

Or maybe not. Maybe you want other good things in your life.

Tangible things like a new car, a house and lot, more titles, or more education...

What if you can get that and more?

Sometimes, all it takes is a few minutes, some honest conversation with yourself (or with someone you trust), to figure out one of the most commonly asked questions.

What are you really looking for?

While you think about that question for yourself, can I ask you something more specific? What practical skills would you like to learn in the next six months or so that will be most helpful to you outside of your profession?

• Communication

• Personal Finance

• Networking

• Entrepreneurship

• Digital literacy/tech savviness

• Others (please provide details)

Reply to this and let me know.

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