The writer and creative consultant in her home away from home—a Retrofitted Dodge Sprinter van. Photo courtesy of Johnie Gall
If you’re anything like me, New Year’s resolutions, goal setting, and the like cause you great anxiety. It’s not because you’re not ambitious—if anything you’re too ambitious. Yet despite your best intentions this annual attempt at creating a new “you” (somehow) continues to elude you. It’s confounding! I concur. So, in an effort to unravel the mystery of “me,” I tapped a trusted source for some steadfast advice.
Enter Johnie Gall, 27, a free spirited and successful writer and creative consultant (think Teva, Stance, Billabong, etc.) who, after quitting her 9-to-5 job on a whim, lives half the year in a revamped Dodge Sprinter van, traveling the country. GrindTV readers will already be cheerfully familiar with the/this Dirtbag Darling, whose unique brand of stoke was recently tapped by Marie Claire for their “2015 Change Your Life Guide” (January issue).
So, how does one accomplish making her dream a reality? Here’s a guide, in Ms. Gall’s own words. You can thank me later.
Johnie was getting lost in the WILD long before Reece. Photo courtesy of Johnie Gall
Be specific
The big mistake I used to make when thinking about how I wanted my life to go was to think about in it broad terms with no definitive beginning, middle, and end. To combat vague goals, try to nail down exactly what you want to accomplish, and then set a goal date. So instead of saying that you want to travel more, pick a destination and a realistic date you want to go there. If it’s New Zealand by December, you’ll be forced to act more quickly to realize that goal since there’s an expiration date.
Make a battle plan
Let’s run with the New Zealand trip idea. Start by making a list of smaller, tangible goals you need to achieve in order to make your big dream happen. Look up flight prices, start recruiting travel buddies, come up with a list of places you want to visit while you’re there, and decide what time of year you need to go to avoid the holiday rush. Maybe it will cost you $1,000 dollars in airfare—good, now you can break that cost up by month and determine how much you need to save.
Remind yourself daily
It’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day life and forget to examine your progress on a daily basis. Make sure you have a visual trigger that will force you to keep tabs on your goals. I cut out a picture of what I want to achieve and tape it to the refrigerator, and set reminders on my phone’s calendar so I’m forced to think about whether or not I’ve achieved that month’s goal.
Get a support system
Making real change in life is hard, but it’s much harder when you do it alone. Share your goals and progress with a small support system. Tell your girlfriend you want to buy a van and live in it for a year launching your photographer career, or recruit a friend to help you start searching Craigslist for the perfect camping rig or tripod. Not only will being vocal about your dreams force you to be accountable, but you may even find help achieving them in unlikely places.
Just do it!! Photo courtesy of Johnie Gall
Just do it
If you want to quit your job and work for yourself, don’t fall into the trap of convincing yourself that there’s a perfect time to do it. If you want to pick up mountain biking, don’t let anyone tell you that you have to save up for a bike first. There are always means to accomplishing what you want to do if you’re resourceful enough. You could always have more money, more time, and a better plan, but if you put off what you really want to do now, chances are, you’ll never do it.
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