Last week I told you about the ten years it took me to first get to Italy — and the four years after that before I came back (the present day today)

This time the delay was financial fear.

I no longer have a corporate salary and PTO to lean on. I run my own business — which means if I'm not working, I'm not making money. And for the first few years, I'm making substantially less than I did before.

So the story running on repeat in my head was: I'm being financially irresponsible to take a long trip just for fun. Which is wild considering the massive amount of money I've invested in healing and personal growth--but for FUN, no way!

That story runs deep in me. Finance background. Always responsible. And so I'd get close to booking — and then delay again.

Until one day in March, I was coaching other leaders on living their vision. One of the principles we teach is that we need to be the change we want to see. And it hit me: if I'm coaching others on courage and urgency — I need to live it too.

So I did the scary thing. I booked a month-long flight to Europe. I even paid a few hundred extra to make it refundable, just in case the buyer's remorse hit. But I knew that if I just booked something and paid for it, I'd stay committed.

That decision changed something.

Since committing to this trip, life has felt genuinely magical. An aligned roommate appeared without searching. Financial abundance started flowing from unexpected sources. A new awareness of what I want in my relationship opened up.

And since April, life has felt like surrender, ease, and peace. Which is a huge shift for someone who spent years overachieving, overplanning, and never feeling like enough.

The Spring and Summer were teaching me something that I knew I needed to learn but was really hard to integrate: that it's okay to trust. To let the universe bring what's needed without me doing all the heavy lifting.

I'm not fully where I want to be yet. But I'm actually pretty close from when I left my corporate job 4 year. And the more I allow myself to receive — the more magical this life becomes.

Thanks for reading. I hope this finds you at a moment where you need to hear that better things are ahead. Stories like this from coaches inspired me 7 years ago to pursue a personal growth path and I am so grateful I listened now.

Reply back with anything that inspired you. And stay tuned here for more Tues updates from Europe.

— Ryan

P.S. I'll be in Italy for one more week so stay tuned to my IG stories if you want to see the live pictures. Maybe even a live stream? — @RyanSpenceCoaching​