Success sometimes doesn't mean what we think it means.

Every time you achieve something you set out to achieve, you're a success.  If you tell yourself you're going to go jogging for an hour and you do it, then you have succeeded.

Too often we associate success with money and careers.  You can be successful at anything.  Parenting, painting, cooking, dieting.  It doesn't really matter what it is as long as it is what you want.

When we started this adventure we wanted to do 2 things successfully.

1) Create the opportunity for our family to travel the world together as a lifestyle.

2) Create a blog that worked and could potentially open doors and create opportunity in the future.

Well, I'm happy to say we have succeeded.  Are our successes big successes?  Sure, why not?  All successes are big.  I'm not going to compare or downplay what we have done, and you shouldn't either.  If we all took pride in our small, daily success stories, then the world would be a better place!  So go ahead, and embrace your success.

So here we are.

Today we woke up, we got dressed, we ate.

Maybe today we went off to some job we've been working at for the past 5 years.  Or maybe we worked on putting some value back into that dream house of ours.

Maybe we kissed loved ones goodbye.

Maybe we sat on our butts and watched TV all day.

Whatever you did, good or bad, I'd like for you to answer one question.

How did you get to where you are today? 

I'm far from a Facebook addict.  Actually, until about 10 months ago I had never even laid eyes on Facebook.  But now, with the blog and travel and all, the FB has become pretty much a necessity for me.  Actually, I'm not sure there is a blogger out there who isn't on Facebook or some other major social media stream.   It's how we get - and stay - connected.  It's a must for us.  But I have to say, it can sure suck the hell out of your day if you're not careful.

Am I changing the world?

C'mon.  I've got a tiny blog and I've saved some money to travel - big deal.   But I'm doing more than I was before.  I'm on the right track.  And because I'm finally doing something I love, I'm starting to believe I might be able to make some real change in the future.

I'm not really sure how or why I started going crazy on planes.  I flew as a kid sometimes and that never seemed to bother me.  Something just happened along the way, and some time after I got married I started developing a fear of flying.  And when I say fear, I mean like real, hardcore, I can't breath kind of stuff.  Fear that would pretty much drive me to spend the bulk of a flight curled up on the plane's bathroom floor with a tube of prescription meds and some overpriced drinks from the beverage cart.

Greatness is something we take for granted.  I'm not sure I have ever done anything great before.  We use the term too loosely.

This was a great day! 

Wasn't that a great game? 

That was the greatest thing I have ever tasted in my life!

I don't know, I think to be great you have to do something particularly spectacular and unique.  Something that takes time and effort and skill.  Something that requires passion and dedication.  Something that touches the boundaries of magic.

So this is it.  2012.  Our big year.

Of course, when I say "our", I am referring to you, me, and everyone else.  We are in this together, right?  I mean, it helps to know others are struggling, succeeding and dreaming.  Life can be tough on our own.

Throughout 2011 you guys reminded me of this over and over.  Everyday there was a message coming in from some corner of globe saying how reassuring it was to see someone going for it.  How motivating it was to see someone pushing through and making it happen. Well, might as well keep pushing because I have a lot to work on in 2012.  It was really easy for me to come up with 50 things I can do better in 2012, and my guess is that you could probably work on these as well.  And I kinda like knowing that I'm not the only super-indulgent, ultra-lazy dreamer out there.

Safety in numbers people.  Happy 2012!

Here in our little world of dreams and travel we often have a lot to say about excuses.

Don't make excuses keep you from living your dream.

There is no such thing as a good excuse.  

Excuses are like . . . 

Here we often make life and dreams and travel sound easy.  We say Just Do It, make it happen, never give up, but sometimes it's just not that easy. Change is hard.  Achieving your dreams is hard.  And we don't all get to start our journey at the same point.

Sure excuses are just a bunch of fear-based nonsense, but some people have more than excuses.

Some people have reasons.

Could you survive on 5 dollars a year?

I'm sure people have.  In fact, just yesterday I was watching an episode of GlobeTrekker in which a man claimed he lived for a whole year in the rainforest of Costa Rica on leaves and berries, and he only spent $5 on stamps to send letters home.

And then a few days ago I was reading this short post by Leo Babauta at mnmlist suggesting we all go non-corporate, a la the Occupy Wall Street crowd, and take back our right to live without being guided by products and agendas.

These stories got me thinking about what I really need in life.  What I need to be happy and fulfilled.

Could I live on 5 dollars a year?

Yeah.

I could do it.

I'll just pack up all my stuff and go find that guy in the jungle!

Every great story has a great antagonist.  A great enemy with whom the would-be hero is forced to contend.

Jesus and the Devil

Captain Ahab And Moby Dick

Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort

Without great antagonists, we would have no heroes.  Without antagonists, we would never have a chance to do something great.