6 Life Lessons Learned, Attitudes Adjusted

The Sweetest Mother's Day Gift!

2. Experiences far outweigh material items.
A speaker I recently attended stated this perfectly: net worth does not equal self worth.

So many people spend their lives chasing the bigger house, fancier car, or new toy to hit the market. Having nice things is a-okay in my book but doing so at the cost of your happiness, staying in a job you hate, or by driving yourself into debt is not a definition of success.

At our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband asked me if I would like to finally build onto my engagement ring (being the frugal gal that I am, we never purchased a wedding band). My response: can we go to Machu Picchu instead? My sense is that next year he will ask me the same question for our 10th anniversary and my response will be similar. I value experiences and travel which enhance my life, my marriage, and my understanding of the world. A bigger diamond on my finger does none of this for me nor does it define the quality of my relationship with my spouse.

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Encouragement life lessons

Kristin Streff Barnett

Hi, I'm Kristin. I am a feisty and frugal 30-something with a love for travel and adventure. My younger self pursued a career as an attorney, hated the practice of law and found myself unemployed during the Great Recession. Just bloody awesome. So I decided to take control and follow my true passions: traveling, writing (aka I’m not a millionaire), and making the world just a little bit smaller by encouraging other non-millionaires to travel to their heart’s content. My website www.abroadawakening.com/ and books (available on amazon.com under “abroad awakening) are dedicated to this cause. In my spare time, wait….what spare time? Let me try that again….I spend all my time working my day job, enhancing and growing Abroad Awakening, traveling (obviously), and spending time with my husband and two four legged children: Scout and Mose (don’t ask). We live a simple life, explore the world, and always seek new experiences and challenges. I have been truly blessed.

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