Whenever I’ve done something interesting in my life—like moved across the U.S. or to another country, quit my job to travel, started my own business—people have said, “Oh, wow, I wish I could do that.”

I used to just stop and look at them a little perplexed, wondering why they thought they couldn’t; they seemed perfectly able to me. Over the years I’ve started to question people when this happens. I push back a little bit on that statement, trying to understand why they think they can’t.

The responses are usually a litany of excuses: I could never leave my family and friends, I don’t have enough money, I’m just not a free spirit like you. (For the record, I don’t consider myself a free spirit either!)

And then I start to wonder, do they really wish they could do [insert awesome thing here]? Or do they not really want to do it, and wish they wanted to? Because they could, if they wanted to. (Is that convoluted or what? Stop and read it again; I promise it makes sense.)

If you embrace your dream, and focus on doing whatever you can to make it happen, I believe virtually anything is possible.

Whatever excuse you have for not doing what you dream of, I have met people online and off who can prove you wrong. People who have gotten out of debt so they could live a better life, who have faced their deepest fears, who have traveled with five kids from Alaska to Argentina—even a guy with a fatal illness, with no mobility below the neck, who moved to Mexico. If these people can do it, so can you.

So my first question is, do you really want it? And WHAT do you want? Do you really wish you could do what so-and-so is doing? Or does it just remind you of your own (different) dreams that you’re not following through on?

Identify what you really want, not what society or your parents or your friends or the cool kids on the Internet say you should want. Decide what really matters to you, and go for it.

What are you waiting for?

Here at Nomadtopia, I find there are two major things that usually stop people:

1. They don’t know what their nomadic life might look like
2. They are overwhelmed by the logistics of getting from here to there

First, let me clarify something: you don’t have to be a nomad if you don’t want to be. There are lots of different ways to live, and none of them is “right” or better than any other—as long as you’re living the one that’s truly best for you. You don’t have to follow in my footsteps, or anyone else’s, if you don’t want to.

But if you have a nomadic soul that needs to be fed, you CAN find a lifestyle that works for you. There are many factors that can affect what lifestyle you should choose—so I decided to write a book to help you figure it all out! It’s called Destination: Nomadtopia and it’s now available for sale. Woohoo!

The second thing that stops people from moving forward is overwhelm and logistical stuff, which I understand all too well. It would be a lot easier if you could just hop on a plane and take off, that won’t work for many of us. There is a lot of stuff to figure out, but it is so worth it. On this blog I write about a lot of the pieces involved, so you can see that it’s possible and you have the information you need, and the Nomadtopia Collective offers support, resources, and community to help you make it happen.

What else is stopping you from living your ideal life? Nomadtopia is all about helping to remove those obstacles and getting you on your way!