Lifestyle

How To Stay Confident After Quitting Your Job To Travel Doesn't Work Out

by Shane Rocco
Isaiah & Taylor Photography

That moment when you step off the airplane back onto your home ground, oh man, what a moment. One with mixed emotions consisting of despair, accomplishment and anxiety. You would think that the world would reward you with being bold and noble for venturing out into the world, but all you seem to get is an empty bank account and booted back to square one.

You soon start to feel the societal pressure to get your life back in order, as you now can't escape the constant social media overload. You begin to compare yourself to other peoples' lives, with their new accomplishments, all while you're stuck on your couch at home with a dozen passport stamps.

Your parents are now urging you to get back in the job market, and reality begins to hit overwhelmingly. Yup, welcome home.

It's quite f*cked, but this is the risk you took when deciding to go against the norm and buy that one-way ticket. So the million dollar question is this: What the f*ck do you do now?

You may feel hopeless, and you may feel lost, as everyone else seems to have their life in order. But there is one thing that you have a lot of, and that's very scarce these days: time.

This is the time in your life where you can use time to your advantage and do some soul-searching, some planning and most importantly, simply embrace your freedom.

Chances are that you quit your job to travel because you weren't satisfied or happy with the life you were living. So now, even though you ended up back home, you shouldn't feel discouraged, but rather feel confident for the future to come by focusing on these four things.

1. Realize that this is temporary.

This is just a passing period in your life, and although it may seem confusing and difficult, you are subtly experiencing adversity and undergoing change for the better. Life brought you to this moment to grow and develop as a person. So keep things in perspective, and don't get too high or too low in this period.

2. Understand the regret factor.

Sure, you depleted your bank account on your travel ventures, but now you will never have to wonder from your office cubicle what that trip would've been like. A clear conscience is much more valuable than the extra cash you would've earned during that time.

3. Express gratitude towards life.

Now that you're back at square one, it's a great time to express gratitude towards the simple things in your life and realize how privileged you truly are. Express gratitude for the food on your plate every day, for your friends and family, for that daily access to Wi-Fi and, most importantly, your health.

4. Focus on what you want.

You're starting life with a clean slate now. Eliminate anything unnecessary in life, and focus your attention on what you want out of it.

You shouldn't jump back into the job field right way, but rather use this sacred time to explore your life options. Go on a spiritual journey into nature, spark your creativity and invest in your mind, gather up new knowledge and truly think about what kind of life you want, what is it that placates you and what will bring out your potential.

Explore your passions, reinvent yourself, and change the direction of your life for the better. Because once you get back into the job field, you won't have time for all of this. So get to know yourself and your intentions for life while you can, develop a plan for your new life aspirations and cultivate the confidence to get back into the world again as a better version of yourself, with a fresh perspective and a new mentality.

Because soon enough you will be on your feet again, stronger than ever and ready for the next chapter.