“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” ~ Tony Robbins

On July 19, 2021, my family and I went to Alaska.

This was our very first vacation together, and I am so grateful for each and every moment we spent there together. I will never forget these memories, and I think sharing them with others would bring me joy because I learned so much.

Whenever I travel, my point of view shifts. I start to become more open-minded and realize that this world is filled with so many people to meet, so many places to see, and so many opportunities to reach. It reminds me of what we all deserve and how far I came on my own but also with my family. The beauty of the world inspires me to live each and every moment and to not take everything that I have for granted.

This is why I absolutely love traveling!

So here are a few life lessons that I learned from my journey to Alaska:

1. Enjoying your life should be a lifetime goal.

Whether it’s through traveling or trying new things, don’t think that you are abandoning your work life. For example, for me, traveling counts as a life goal, especially the fun activities that I want to do when I enter a brand new place, such as going on train rides, tram rides, museums, and boat rides when in Alaska.

For everyone else, whether it’s going to the beach, park, ice skating, movies, traveling, painting, dancing, singing, and more, these are all considered a goal. Don’t think that doing things for your enjoyment is limiting and keeping yourself from your other goals, such as school, relationships, work life, and more.

Whatever you enjoy is something that is truly memorable and important in order for you to move forward and help you succeed in whatever you want to do.

I was taking a summer class while on my vacation with my family, so yes, it’s absolutely possible. I stayed up every night before bedtime and studied and woke up early in the morning before we went out to study. Although it is totally understandable if you have to put your work or school over traveling, I just want you to know that nothing is stopping you from reaching your dreams, especially if you have a strong mindset.

Sometimes, we all need a little bit of human interaction and enjoyment to boost our mental health performance. Taking some time to rejuvenate and love yourself is just as important as anything else, especially for your loved ones. As it is widely said, “You have to nourish to flourish!” Therefore, we will accomplish everything if we put our mental health as a priority.

When we went on a train ride, it was such a stunning view. As a family, we were amazed by the peaceful scenery of the mountains and the river. Looking at this view, especially the mountains, reminded me that anything is possible. If a mountain can be that high, then what can we not do? We are capable of moving mountains, my friend. I hope that we always feel small when we stand in front of the mountains because, one day, I know we will reach the top.

Knowing that one day I could get to the top of the mountain is what motivated me to work even harder today. My family and I eventually went on a tram ride high above the mountains, and it led us to the top. From there, we could see the clouds so close to our heads along with the top of the other mountains next to us. From this, I learned that in order to reach our personal goals, we need to sometimes slow down and seek some inspiration from the world. For one thing, we don’t only deserve to succeed but to live our lives to the fullest.

In order to be the best version of ourselves, we have to always be better than yesterday. We have to touch people’s lives. We have to connect and not forget what love really is.

2. Learn to let go.

This journey taught me that I don’t have to hold on to anything in my life that is toxic. I learned to do this by letting go of my past and by moving forward. By my past I mean all my gushy mushy heartaches, toxic friendships, mistakes, and everything else that is included here. I am glad all of these things happened because then I wouldn’t be who I am right now.

You don’t have to be who you are in an apologetic way. Your mistakes don’t define who you are, especially people. If you think you are smart, you are smart. Think of yourself as a good human being, and you will believe it. It’s all trial and error. We won’t be right the first time. However, we learn from our mistakes and, because of that, we get back up.

Be yourself, and the right people will be drawn to you automatically.

When I went to Alaska, I saw that there’s a whole world out there. There are so many people, especially good people out there who will change your life and inspire you. So never be afraid to let some people go because the right ones will show up.

3. Be awed by the beauty of life.

As we see things, especially wonderful things, we are in awe. Life is so much better when we have moments of awe. But it’s not just what we see, it’s how we feel when we see it. Our feelings are even more beautiful than anything.

When I saw the view of the mountains and actually went on top of the mountains, I felt so happy. For a moment, my mind felt so good. I felt free from my past self and finally to my present self. I know we all went through a lot in life, but all my struggles, worries, and fears were gone. I was at the top of the mountain. What I faced didn’t matter anymore because, at that moment, I was facing something bigger. I was at the top of the mountains with the people who matter in my life—my family.

While in Alaska, my family also took me to this marvelous garden that had all types of flowers. It was so colorful and vibrant that I felt peaceful. We were all amazed by the beauty. It was lovely. This showed me that there are colors everywhere, and we are a part of it.

Another moment of awe was when we all went to an ice bar together. In this ice bar, it was as cold as it is inside a deep fridge, and everything is made of ice. Here, you’d be surprised by all the things made of ice, such as a horse, an igloo, a Christmas tree, and a bed. This was inspirational because people can make things out of ice! How awesome can that be? This itself is art, and thinking about it encouraged me to be creative all the time and explore art.

We also went on a boat ride, which was refreshing because I could feel the breeze of the wind rushing to my face. Although it was sad to see the glacier melting and tell it goodbye, it was nice to hear it fall. This reminds me how important our environment is.

Global warming is a huge issue in this world, and if we all take the chance to better the environment, maybe it will eventually heal. Which means if you get the chance to see the world, appreciate and see it before it all crashes down.

I had another awe moment while I was on the boat and saw sea lions chilling, otters lying down on the water, and puffins sitting down nonchalantly.

They reminded me to relax once in a while.

Therefore, let’s be like sea lions and otters every now and then. Let’s grow our gratitude for all that we have even while the glacier melts right next to us.

There’s no need to push ourselves too hard. We might get there last, but at least we’d have tried our best.

Take it slow like sea lions. We got this…one step at a time.

~

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