The Moment I Chose to Trust Myself to Follow My Passion for Travel

Ashley Elliott
Jan 6
3 min read

Following My Passions

For the longest time, I had a desire to travel to Europe. When I was a teenager, I remember watching YouTube videos of people travelling across Europe, and I wanted to do the same.

As I got older and entered my early twenties, when I started working full time and saving money, I finally came across the opportunity to actualize this desire. I wanted to travel to Italy with my partner. My inner world felt lit up by this possibility, and I felt like a strong yes to this desire.

Though, there were definitely some challenges I encountered along the way of pursuing this desire.

Facing Resistance from Others

Not everyone was on board with my decision making and choices. Not everyone around me agreed with or approved of me travelling to Europe. I had family who thought it was not safe to travel to Italy. They also thought that I should wait further along in my relationship before planning to travel.

It felt like my inner voice was telling me one thing and the voices in my external world, such as my family, were saying something completely different. It was, and to some extent still is today, a challenge that I encounter.

So I took a big, bold step to pursue my desire. It was a step that required a certain level of self-awareness, which I learned from feminine embodiment. I decided to listen to my inner voice over the external voice that showed up in the form of my family.

Looking back, I am still so glad that I made that decision. I can still remember myself running to the gate (even though I was late) for the flight to Rome, Italy. I felt like every inch of me was running toward that gate. In that moment I could feel every part of my being saying yes to that desire and pursuing that dream of travelling to Europe.

Lessons from the Experience

This experience was a powerful moment for me because:

I experienced the highs of landing in Europe for the first time.
I experienced the lows of listening to voices that disagreed with my decision making and choices.
I realized how my culture, intuition, and family all played a role in shaping my decisions.

The reason why it felt challenging and like a big, bold step to trust myself instead of any external authority was because of my own inner people pleaser. For many women in Western culture, people pleasing conditions us to associate approval and belonging with safety.

Understanding People Pleasing

People pleasing is about:

Managing emotions that can arise when we face the disapproval of others.
Seeking their approval, avoiding conflict, and preventing rejection.
Putting the needs of others above our own.

People pleasing can condition us to:

Feel responsible for making someone else feel better.
Feel guilty for causing another person distress or discomfort.

The Good Girl Conditioning

Another form of conditioning that also played a role in my experience is the good girl conditioning. Many of us in Western culture:

Are taught to listen to authority and avoid creating discomfort for others
Value agreeableness, compliance, and obedience over our intuition
Are taught to maintain harmony in relationships and avoid conflict

We are taught by Western society that judgment is placed on women who:

Take risks
Make decisions without family buy-in
Prioritize freedom over security
Follow desire over caution

The fear of being perceived by family as careless or 'not thinking it through' directly challenged my intuitive knowing. Despite all of this social conditioning, my intuition still rose up. My desire was still very much alive within me.

Trusting Myself

Some of the greatest lessons I learned from this experience was trusting myself. Other lessons this experience taught me include:

I can follow my big desires and trust my intuition to keep me safe even when external forms of authority, such as the voices of my family, disagreed with or did not understand my decision making.
I did not need everyone to be on board with or support my choices.
Trusting myself deposits a huge amount of trust in the bank of self-trust and intuition.

If this story resonated with you, I invite you to share this post with others who may benefit from reading it.