courage dream life freedom mindset personal growth self-reflection values

#476: Book the Trip: Freedom, and the Courage to Live It

Ever found yourself talking yourself out of something you know, deep down, is important to you?

In this episode, I share something that's become clearer to me than ever before as I've been creating this next chapter of my dream life: freedom.

Not the kind of freedom that means doing nothing, but the kind that comes from doing meaningful work you love, on your own terms, with people who inspire and support you.

Recently I caught myself almost cancelling one of the things I value most: my annual trip home to Sweden.

I had plenty of sensible reasons not to go. Work. Timing. But when I stopped to reflect on what truly matters to me, I realised that those reasons weren't aligned with the life I'm intentionally trying to create.

So I booked the trip.

In this episode, I share why that decision reminded me of something truly important, and why I believe we all need regular moments to pause, reflect and realign.

If you've been dreaming about making a change, investing in yourself, booking the trip, starting something new or simply living more intentionally, I hope this conversation gives you the gentle encouragement you need.

Join us in Coaching - this month we explore Money and time, designed around the life you actually want - and a simple, courageous plan to start building it this month.

As always, I’d LOVE to hear what resonated most with you - so please share and let’s keep the conversation going in the Dream Life Podcast Facebook Group here.    

Have a wonderful week …and remember, it all starts with a dream 💛

Dream Life & kikki.K Founder

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TRANSCRIPT:

Kristina: The more I work on my own dream life, the more I keep coming back to one single word, freedom. and I don't mean the version most people picture when they hear that word.

[00:00:20] I mean something much richer than that. So today, that is exactly what I want to talk about. Hi there, and welcome back to Your Dream Life podcast. I'm so happy you're here with me today. Wherever you are right now, making a coffee, folding the washing, out on a morning walk, or on a commute, I would love for you to settle in, take a big, deep breath in, and just be here with me for the next 20 minutes or so because I wanna share something with you that I have been thinking about a lot lately, something [00:01:00] I've been working on through in my own life in real time, and I have a feeling I am not alone in this, and it might land for you, too, especially if you've been working on your dream life for a while now.

[00:01:14] the more time I spend building this next chapter, the clearer it becomes what I really, really want. What I really want more than anything is freedom, freedom to do whatever I want, and by that, I mean doing work I truly love, work that lights me up and feels meaningful to me. freedom to do it whenever I want, and by that, I mean flexibility, the freedom to choose my own hours, to choose how I spend my days, to have that flexibility to arrange my hours however I want.

[00:01:54] And then freedom to do it with whoever I want, and by that, I [00:02:00] mean surrounding myself with like-minded people who value that same sense of freedom, who really gets it, and who are building something of their own, too. When a lot of people hear the word freedom, they picture doing nothing, lying on the beach forever, endless empty days.

[00:02:19] But that is not what I mean at all. That is not freedom to me. freedom to me is about doing meaningful work. It's about making an impact. It's about being aligned with my passion, my purpose, my dreams, and my values. It's about designing a life where the work- I do and the way I live, are pointing in the same direction So if you've been chasing your own version of freedom, I want you to really hear this.

[00:02:53] Freedom isn't the absence of work. it's the presence of the right work on your own terms with the [00:03:00] right people around you, and that is a very different thing. here is what I've noticed though. For a lot of us, me included, who have been working on our dream life for a while, who have been chasing our own version of freedom for some time now, it becomes fairly easy to say what the dream life actually is.

[00:03:22] We can describe it, we can picture it, we know the words. But saying it and living it are two very different things. And let me tell you, living it is so much harder, and that is exactly why it's so important to take some time frequently to stop and reflect. To reflect on your dreams, your goals, your passions, your values, and your purpose.

[00:03:51] And there are two reasons for that. The first one is that these things change. Who you are today is not who you were five [00:04:00] years ago, and the freedom you want now might look quite differently to the freedom you wanted back then. That is exactly what happened to me. It's day and night. So you have to keep checking in with yourself.

[00:04:13] And the second reason is this: sometimes without even realizing it, we stop aligning our actions with the freedom and the dream life we say we want. We drift, life get busy, the day-to-day quietly takes over, and before we know it, we are making choices that don't actually points us towards the life we are trying so hard to build.

[00:04:39] Let me give a real example. This happened to me recently. Every year, I go home to Sweden. It's something I've done for as long as I've lived in Australia. But this year, I found myself quietly talking myself out of it, and I had what felt like three very good reasons. The first was [00:05:00] money. as you may or may not know, I'm rebuilding my dream life after losing my first business, and right now our finances aren't quite where we want them to be to be able to do all the things we love to do.

[00:05:13] so the trip felt like something I could gently put aside. The second reason was work. I have so much on at the moment, and so much of the work that I genuinely love, and it was easy to use that as an excuse to tell myself I was simply too busy to go.

[00:05:33] And the third reason was home. We recently moved into a new place in Sydney, and we absolutely love it. So I didn't feel that usual pull at this time of the year to get away, to have that change of scenery. Everything I needed felt like it was right there.

[00:05:53] Three reasons, all of them true, and all of them completely reasonable. But [00:06:00] then I took some time to stop and to realign what actually matters to me. And when I did that, I remembered something important. Going to Sweden once a year is not a nice-to-have for me. It's one of the most important things I do all year.

[00:06:19] It's how I see my family and my friends in Sweden. It's how I stay connected to the part of my life that I absolutely love. And when you move to the other side of the world, keeping your roots alive really matters, And no sensible-sounding excuse was worth letting that quietly slip away.

[00:06:41] So I booked it, and I am here in Sweden right now. And the moment I made that decision, I felt it in my whole body. that quiet yes, knowing it was the right decision. That sense of coming back into alignment with what is [00:07:00] important and true for me.

[00:07:03] I'm sharing this with you because your situation is going to look completely different to mine. Your Sweden might be something else entirely to you. It might be a trip, or a course, Or finally starting the thing you've been dreaming about for years. But maybe, just like me, you find it hard to take the actions you know you need to take because they're not always easy, they are not always comfortable, and there is almost always a very sensible-sounding reason to wait. So maybe you just need a gentle reminder today- a reminder to pause and reflect on what is genuinely important to you, and then to check with a little courage whether the way you are spending your days is actually pointing you towards it.

[00:07:53] There is one more thing that helps me make those uncomfortable actions, and [00:08:00] it's a very simple reminder, life is short. I say that not to frighten you, but to free you. Because when I really let that truth in, I stop waiting. And so many of us are waiting, aren't we?

[00:08:16] Waiting for the perfect moment, waiting until the finances are exactly right, waiting until we have all our ducks in a row, waiting for some future version of ourselves who finally feels ready. But that perfect moment rarely arrives, and in the meantime, life is quietly moving along. So I have made a decision to do as much as I can while I can.

[00:08:45] And here is what I have noticed when I look back over all my decisions so far, I have never once regretted a trip. Traveling is one of my highest values. I have never [00:09:00] regretted taking action that was aligned with my passion, my purpose, my values, and my dreams, not once.

[00:09:08] And sitting here today recording this for you, I can tell you with complete certainty, I do not regret deciding to go to Sweden this summer, not for a second. Because here's the truth about trips and growth and experiences, you get to keep them.

[00:09:28] You will never regret the trips you take, the growth you invest in, or the experiences you say yes to, because those things become part of you. They become your memories, your stories. They become who you are. And here's the best part, no one can ever take them away from you. A little more money in the bank is lovely, of course it is.

[00:09:52] But a life full of meaningful experiences and time with the people you love, that is the kind of wealth that actually [00:10:00] lasts. So before I go, I would love to leave you with something to sit with. I want you to ask yourself one question what is the thing you have been talking yourself out of?

[00:10:12] Maybe it's a trip, maybe it's an investment, the dream, the change, the thing you know deep down is aligned with the life you truly want to live. And then ask yourself, what is the real reason you are waiting? Write it down today before the day gets busy again. Getting it out of your head and onto paper has a way of making that next step so much clearer.

[00:10:36] And then whatever that thing is for you, book the trip, invest in yourself, say yes to your own growth or the experience you keep putting off. Take the one action that brings you back into alignment with the freedom and the dream life you are building.

[00:10:55] I promise you this, you will never regret it. And if [00:11:00] creating your own freedom and your own dream life is something you feel ready for, and you would love to do it alongside other like-minded people who value that freedom, I would love for you to join us in July. That is the exact theme we'll be focusing on together, creating our own freedom, including financial freedom, so that we ultimately have the choice to spend our days doing the work we love And living by what we value most. If something in you say a quiet yes to this, I would love to see you on Monday. I will link to it in the show notes or just head over to dreamlifestartshere.com. another really exciting thing is that it's July, which means we've got another six month to create our dream life in twenty twenty six, and if you join us, we will do that for a whole year.

[00:11:55] So by the time July comes back in twenty twenty-seven, [00:12:00] you will be miles ahead thank you so much for spending this time with me today. It truly means the world that you are here. if this episode landed for you, I would love for you to share it with someone who might need to hear that too.

[00:12:16] As always, I'll be back on Monday with another Monday Motivation episode, and I know for sure I'll see some of you on Monday to start working on our freedom. And remember, freedom is to do whatever you want, whenever you want, with whoever you want. It's all about choices. I can't wait to do that with you. Have the most beautiful weekend, and I'll see you on Monday.

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