From the BlogSubscribe Now

Love and Happiness in 500 Days

It was over dim sum and beer last night, celebrating the finish of our book, we realized another big milestone. Today marks 500 days since we left on this life-changing journey around the world. It reminds me of the 1001 stories Scheherazade told in One Thousand and One Nights – we’ve had 500 of our own stories so far. (Though I have to admit we are not collecting our stories to escape murder by the king, so Scheherazade’s one up on the badass scale from us.)

We recorded a video for you below to mark the occasion and share some of our lessons. I swear we did not hire those monks to casually walk through the frame, but I’m pretty thrilled they did. We want to remind you that living your dream is pretty freaking great, and the only way to get there is through the small steps you take today, tomorrow, and every day after.

It boils down to how you treat yourself, how you treat the people around you, and the focus and energy you put toward your dreams every single day.

What have we learned in 500 days?

Warren has become a much calmer person, less prone to stressful outbursts, and more adaptable as a whole. I’ve seen the years melt off his face on this journey as he lets go of the negative energy. By getting rid of it, he’s opened himself up to new hobbies and interests, like learning Spanish and Thai, cooking and writing.

I’ve learned to be more dependent on others and ask for help, which was hard for me to do before. I’m overcoming my good girl tendencies to never need anything or anyone and to only show my work when it is complete. I’m exposing more of my imperfections and in-progress self than ever before, and it is both scary and exhilarating. I have done more in the last 500 days by sharing my half-baked ideas and asking for help than I have done in the last 5 years by myself.

These are our lessons. There are lessons out there waiting to be learned by you. But you’ve gotta take the first step.

(click here if you don’t see the video below)

Do you know someone who is struggling with their goals right now? Send them a link to this article so they can see what it looks like on the other side of all the hard work. It is worth it!

Please share with your friends...Share on FacebookShare on Google+Pin on PinterestTweet about this on TwitterShare on StumbleUponShare on LinkedIn
About Betsy

Betsy Talbot can't live without a Moleskine notebook, her passport, and happy hour. She sold everything she owned to travel the world with her husband Warren in 2010, and she's been enjoying her midlife crisis ever since. Betsy writes about creating the life you want from the life you already have in her books and on the Married with Luggage website. Drop her an email at btalbot (at) marriedwithluggage (dot) com and check out her Google+ page.

Comments

  1. You two are adorable - looking all happy and healthy.

    Congrats on 500 days. Your overland journey to Finland will be a blast to follow.

  2. Congrats on 500 days of living in “nomad’s land.” ;)

  3. Slowing down seems to be a theme amongst people talking about “minimalist” lives, and I can definitely see the appeal. I’m doing too much these days and am more than a little pissed that the only way to meet my commitments is to cancel a trip I had planned to Guatemala. When I did so I swore to myself that I was going to organize my life so *that* sort of thing never happened again.

    Congrats on your 500 days. Perhaps we’ll meet in Finland in the summer, or … somewhere else :)

  4. Loved your video and thank you for sharing with us!

  5. Congrats guys! I’m so happy to hear this is all working out for you.

  6. Congratulations on the 500 day mark! This video makes me want to meet you guys in person even more!! Hopefully our paths will cross sometime in 2012.

  7. Congratulations! Happy travels to Finland! Look forward to reading about it.

  8. Karen Rosenzweig says:

    Fan-damn-tastic! What a terrific milestone and such great lessons learned! The only sad part - watching you both on video makes me miss you even more!
    Congratulations on an impressive milestone :)

  9. Congratulations guys! Having hung out with you two many times now (on multiple continents!) I can vouch that living your dream is certainly treating you well. I can’t imagine Warren being anything other than super chilled and positive :) Also I saw the photo of you guys on your honeymoon and amazingly you look better now than you did then! How many people can say that? Looking forward to following your next adventure and meeting up somewhere else in the world.

  10. Skott and Shawna - Get Up & Globe says:

    Hey you crazy kids!! What an inspiration you two are… loved the video!! Thank you for it. How much longer will you be in Thailand (you are still in Chang Mai, right?). We will likely be there sometimes in March (in Vietnam right now), so here is hoping that we will finally get an opportunity to meet. Keep Smiling!!

  11. you guys are total naturals. love it. your energy says it all. thanks for sharing!

  12. I loved reading about how you two have changed for the better. I also got a warm, fuzzy feeling watching you two in the vid. You two are so inspiring and I hope one day I’ll find a partner in crime to travel the world with.

  13. Wow, 500 days! That is a fantastic milestone. Have you two thought about what you were doing 500 days before you started your new life? I can only image the contrast between the two states of being.

    After talking about our dream for almost a decade now, we are less that 500 days from getting our sailboat and taking our family on the start of our adventure.

    We’ll look forward to following you guys as you make the next 500 days even better.

    Mike

    • Mike, the time will fly by. I can hardly believe we’ve been doing this for 500+ days now or that it is so different from what we were doing just 5 years ago. (For us, 500 days before we went on the trip were still consumed by planning/saving for the trip - we had a 25-month prep period.)

      We’re excited to hear about your adventures, Mike. We just read a story in The Guardian about a couple who sailed the world for 36 years before age and ailments slowed them down (though they still live on a boat permanently moored in England). Not a bad way to live out your life, eh?

  14. You guys are really cute and naturals on the camera.
    Congrats on 500 days. My family and i are on day 478 Since we started on our own journey. I’m so happy to have found the two of you online. I’ve been travelling my whole life and now that i have a family i find it hard to find others who do what we do. Lot’s of single people but not married couples and a lot less with kids. Looking forward to connecting and following your story.

  15. Tanja Pajevic says:

    Thanks for this awesome blog! I’ve been a happy reader ever since a friend recommended it, and just wanted to let you know that I mentioned this piece in my recent post (I see a trackback already appeared above).
    Thanks again!
    Tanja Pajevic

    • Hi Tanja,
      Thank you for joining the Live the Good Life Movement. We are delighted you found us and looking forward to learning more about your adventure. We will be following your reboot and looking forward to providing whatever inspiration we can as you continue on an exciting path.

      Thank you for mentioning us to your readers. We look forward to exchanging more over time.

  16. Tanja Pajevic says:

    Ack! I forgot to include this link in case you wanted to check out the mention: http://rebootthismarriage.com/2012/02/retrain-your-brain-in-just-3-minutes-a-day/
    Thanks again!
    Tanja Pajevic
    http://rebootthismarriage.com

Trackbacks

  1. Retrain Your Brain in Just 3 Minutes a Day | Reboot This Marriage says:

    [...] that fulfilling your life-long dreams is actually within your grasp, check out this recent post, Love and Happiness, by Betsy and Warren at Married With Luggage, a couple who’s living The Good Life while [...]

x

Romance Bucket ListGet Your Romance Bucket List!

52 Easy Ways to Re-ignite Your Relationship

Think your relationship is destined to become boring as the years pass? Not so! Find out how to add some zing into your long-term fling with the Romance Bucket List. You'll get the full scoop delivered asap to your inbox when you subscribe to our juicy Sunday emails below.