Sometimes You Have to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life

For a long time, I was really good at living in my head.

Thinking things through.

Analyzing.

Planning.

Wondering what could go wrong.

Waiting until I knew the right answer, the right time, or the right next step.

And honestly?

Sometimes our minds are helpful.

They help us plan. They help us prepare. They help us make wise decisions.

But there comes a point when thinking becomes overthinking.

And that's when we can miss life.

This summer, I decided to do something different.

I left home and travelled through North America without having every detail mapped out.

I had places I wanted to see and a general direction I wanted to go, but I didn't have an exact plan for every day.

I chose to allow the journey to unfold.

And for me, that meant something bigger than travelling.

It meant learning to trust.

To listen.

To be willing to change direction.

To say yes to an opportunity that wasn't on the original plan.

And sometimes, to simply see what was around the next corner.

Getting out of my head

There were moments when my logical brain wanted to take over.

Should I really go there?

Is this the best route?

Am I spending too much time?

Shouldn't I just keep moving?

What if something goes wrong?

And yes, sometimes those questions are worth asking.

But not every decision needs to be analyzed to death.

Sometimes we need to gather the information we have, make the best decision we can, and then live.

Because there is a difference between being thoughtful and being afraid to move.

I discovered that when I stopped trying to control every outcome, I became much more present for what was actually happening.

I noticed the sunrise.

The wildlife.

The water.

The people.

The unexpected conversations.

The places I never would have seen if I had stayed on the most direct route.

I experienced things I had dreamed about for years.

Some were planned.

Some happened because I happened to be in the right place at the right time.

And some happened because I simply said,

“Why not?”

Not everything went perfectly

Of course, the journey wasn't perfect.

I locked my keys in my car.

I had car issues.

There were long driving days, unexpected expenses, changes of plans and moments when I wondered if I was making the right decision.

But something interesting happened.

Instead of immediately letting those moments become problems, I started looking for what was still good.

Locked my keys in the car?

At least I was stranded at a beautiful ocean beach with my dog while I waited for help.

Car trouble near the end of my journey?

I was close enough to home to know I could get help if I needed it—and I was able to problem-solve and keep going.

There were people who checked on my home while I was away.

A friend who talked me through getting my gas turned back on and restarting my hot water tank pilot light because of course my gas meter was changed while i was away.

People I met along the way who became part of my journey.

The ability to work while I travelled.

The freedom to change my plans.

And countless moments that reminded me that life doesn't have to be perfectly predictable to be good.

Faith doesn't always give us the map

One of the biggest things this journey taught me was about faith.

I didn't have an exact plan.

But I had a direction.

And I had faith that I would know what to do as I went.

That doesn't mean I ignored practical things.

I still had to think about fuel, weather, where I would sleep, how far I could drive, and when it was time to get home.

Faith and wisdom can exist together.

For me, faith meant being willing to take the next step without needing to see the entire road.

And sometimes that next step led somewhere I never expected.

What happens when we actually live?

I think many of us spend so much time preparing for life that we forget to live it.

We'll do it when the kids are older.

When the house is paid off.

When the finances are better.

When we're healthier.

When we're less busy.

When we're more confident.

When we finally know what we're doing.

But life doesn't wait until we're completely ready.

And neither did this journey.

I'm home now.

There are gardens to clean up.

Projects that waited all summer.

Winter preparations to make.

Routines to rebuild.

And yes, there are things that need my attention.

But I'm coming home with something I didn't leave with:

proof that I can trust myself to navigate the unknown.

I can make a decision.

I can change course.

I can solve problems.

I can ask for help.

I can experience something new.

I can get uncomfortable and still be okay.

And perhaps most importantly…

I can stop living so much in my head and start living more fully in my life.

Maybe you don't need the whole plan

Perhaps you're waiting for something right now.

A new beginning.

A trip.

A business idea.

A relationship.

A health change.

A dream you've carried for years.

Maybe you're waiting until you know exactly how it's going to work.

Maybe you're waiting until you're ready.

Maybe you're waiting until the timing is perfect.

I understand that.

But what if you didn't need the whole plan?

What if you just needed a direction?

One next step.

A little faith.

And the willingness to see what happens when you take it.

Because sometimes the life we're dreaming about isn't waiting for us at the end of a perfectly planned road.

Sometimes it's waiting for us to get out of our heads…

and into our lives.

🌿 Live wisely. Live intentionally. But don't forget to live.