#AskAQuestion: How did you „convince” your parents and other close people about your decision of travelling around the world?
As it often happens, we had very different approaches to inform our dear ones about the decision of going around the world. Andrea chose the small steps strategy. By that time we were living in Poland and every time he visited Italy he shared one piece of information. Firstly he said that next year we would leave Poland. The second time he added that we would actually leave Europe. During the third meeting he would mention we don't really plan to move to one particular country, but rather travel around, without a stable job, house, etc. But even in this moment he wouldn't call it „travel around the world”. He would just say: we go to Asia for some time. Anna is much more straightforward. She just told immediately: we go and travel around the world. We quitted our jobs and don't plan to find new ones. We will stay with local people, we will volunteer and we will see how it goes. Ah, and we are not sure when we come back. It has to be said, though, that Anna's family was a bit more used to these kind of ideas. Her life was never that conventional and from time to time she would come back home saying: "Mum, I'm going to Mongolia". "Mum, we are going to Kilimanjaro next month". Or "Mum, I'm going to my boyfriend's high school ball" (although Anna was 14 that time). Her mother would simply ask if she needs a dress. Or if next time she plans to go to the moon. Knowing that somebody trusts you so much brings a lot of responsibility. And freedom to fly.
Every person, being members of our family or friends, had their own way to digest the information. Of course they worried. But they never tried to stop us. We were very lucky to be raised by relatives who allow us to be whoever we wish to be, to develop our full potential, to have courage to follow our dreams and passions. They accept our decisions even if they don't understand them. They express their worries from time to time in form of questions or suggestions, but they never impose anything. And we truly admire them for that. We do believe that staying is more difficult than going. Waiting requires at least as much courage as jumping into a new adventure. Yet, can there be a bigger success for parents, than sons and daughters who are happy and fulfilled? And we do feel we are among the happiest people in the world – following our true call, free to Create our Story and Change the world. And sure there is a place in the world to come back if one day we need to. That's also priceless.
We believe everybody has their own story to create. Rejecting it may work for a while, but with time will bring frustration, anger, dissatisfaction. We may not understand the source of those feelings, but they will influence our life. And the life of those we love. Sometimes going is the only right decision we can make.
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