I Left My "Real" Job To Travel The World. Here's Why You Should, Too

The alarm clock went off, and my eyes slowly opened to a new day. Slowly, I realized I hadn't gotten the amount of sleep I had intended, and now I was off to sit at a desk for eight hours.

I stared at the clock, waiting, waiting, waiting for the moment I could flee my jail cell—er, office.

Minutes, days, and weeks passed in the same way. I was stuck in a routine, the life I was told to live. This was the job I was supposed to have after college. I got the degree; I got the steady job. Now I was supposed to be happy. No one ever told me that this might not be the happy ending. No one told me it might be the catalyst I needed to start searching for my dream life.

I found myself praying for the weekend. Every hour was calculated, documented for work. But I was sick of it. I didn't want to stare at the clock anymore. I didn't want to feel trapped.

And then, one day, I realized that I was allowed to change. We are all allowed to change.

I realized I was allowed to move. I was able to go in search of what truly lights my soul.

You don't have to force yourself to like a job. You just have to find what makes you happy. Your passions can change. You can change—and that is a good thing. The career you dreamed about for years might not be the one you are destined to have.

We lose touch with our deepest wants and desires, and we won't find them with our faces glued to our phones. We live through social media. We're so preoccupied with other people's lives, we forget to live our own.

To find the place our creativity and happiness flows, we have to disconnect from all that. Finding our purpose begins with finding where our curiosity thrives.

I've found that I am the happiest when I am traveling. I live the life of a nomad—traveling with just a suitcase and a passport.

What does that mean, the life of a nomad?

Well, a nomad is a chameleon—adapting to her surroundings—not disrupting the lives of the people she meets but becoming part of it instead. I view life through the eyes of my hosts, respecting and learning about their culture and traditions. I say yes to almost everything. Each adventure is a lesson. I grow from each experience.

I appreciate the kind people around me, the experiences I'm given, and how my heart dances wildly every time I arrive somewhere new. I don't try to control my circumstances anymore. I let things happen as they will, accept the experiences I'm meant to have.

I don't let fear stop me from exploring. Doubt has a tendency to creep up on me, but I'm grounded enough that it doesn't paralyze me.

Your trip is out there. Your purpose is out there. Your journey to find your passions is waiting for you.

Just listen to your heart—when it's singing and when it's dying—and know it's OK for your dreams to change. You just have to pursue them.