I’m currently in Cancun, thinking about how crazy it is that I just spent the last week of my life on an island.
It feels so surreal now looking back, but this truly is the beauty of freedom.
As many of you know, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for me.
I had a brief stint of homelessness when a hostel cancelled my reservation. And as a traveler on a budget, this was a huge obstacle.
It helps to do travel with intention, so when the going gets tough, you can find your center despite the challenges.
I learned this in Colombia the first time 'round, when I was stumbling around lost, not sure where I fit in or what exactly I was doing there.
Here - what led me was a feeling.
Isla de mujeres
Island of the women
Intention = Connect with my feminine side, find flow, enjoy the process
And when my world felt like I was absolutely f*cking screwed, I fell into the arms of the island and she led me to a quaint, simple beach hotel that isn’t even advertised on google, and is mostly occupied by retirees.
Just like that, things that were hard and scary turned out to be in my best interest. All I had to do was trust myself.
The Vibe of Isla
Isla Mujeres is VERY touristy - You may be wondering, why on earth were you in a vacation spot?
I met more midwesterners than locals. Yeah…now, normally this wouldn’t be my vibe.
I prefer to travel and connect with locals, learn about the culture, and museum hop.
But after Colombia, and navigating life with an extra dose of constant awareness for my own safety, it was kind of nice to just take a break from being so anxious.
This island felt very safe. There’s only one way in and one way out. The most common way to get “robbed” is literally by just being sold things at a higher price than they should go for.
For instance, one night at a convenience store, I bought a bottle of water and a candle bar, later finding that I was charged for three candy bars. I mean, no big deal, but it’s things like that that most people don’t catch.
If you're on vacation, you don't need to catch it. If you're a traveler building a business and LIVING in different countries, financial longevity is a thing.
I figured, since I was planning on seeing more of Mexico in the future, let's start by easing into the culture - since this was my first time in Mexico.
It made me uncomfortable at first to see so many GRINGOS and not a lot of local culture on the island. However, I WAS staying int he “downtown” area of the island - for walkability reasons (so this is expected), but also, I felt the vibe of the land come through so strongly, that the tourists didn’t bother me.
I found a lot of solace actually in watching people just be happy and enjoy their lives with their loved ones.
I was just doing my cute little solo thing, enjoying many walks and swims on the beach, connecting with the land and with the fish.
I chatted with business owners and practiced my Spanish.
I wasn’t lonely. I was really in a space of quiet and internal work. I needed a break from connecting and meeting new people.
I needed and wanted ease.
My best friends became Jil, who owned a cafe down the street, and my neighbors Lisa and Greg.
I ate really simply, I did my own laundry using my trash basket as a bucket (it was clean don’t worry).
I had the time. I didn’t need to spend the money.
This island provided damn near everything I needed.
That’s the thing…island time really does slow you down. And it felt so good after spending a week in Florida, stressing HARD about adult things, to just be with myself in essentially, paradise.
I was supposed to have a new project start up with a client during my week on the island - so I was expecting it to be just me, my computer, and paradise after 5 PM, but instead, everything got pushed back.
I had worked my ass off the week before and had a relatively light schedule for my own business, so I took time to just be with myself.
And what came back were multiple other opportunities for new creative projects, new clients, and all I had to do was receive it all.
This reminded me that life actually doesn't have to be as hard as we make it.
When we're in flow, everything seems to fall into place.
Thank you, Isla Mujeres, for holding me so beautifully.
Now, I’m heading to Mexico City for one week, refreshed and ready to let this energy electrify me as I get back to work.
I have a feeling things will get very busy over the next few weeks.
There’s always a delicate balance between freedom and stability, no matter what lifestyle we choose.
Where we flow too hard, we might need to ground.
Where we obsess over sticking to our structures, we sometimes need some time off to rest.
As I recalibrate certain things in my business, I’m not pushing myself to release the next BIG offering.
I'm actually just chilling. I'm collaborating on new projects, onboarding new clients, but I'm not doing so with the pushy-controlling energy that New York taught me to lead with.
This is what the island helped show me. So although I wasn't hustling, my success during this week came from doing the inner work, enjoying my life, and just witnessing all of the blessings come through.
Sometimes, it just be like this.
The Work works. And the reward is so potent when we follow our intuition, choosing to take on obstacles with grace.
We're always in search of balance. Isla Mujeres showed me in such a gentle and powerful way how our intentions really contribute to us finding a really productive flow, and sometimes that flow looks like rest, time in stillness, and just tending to our bodies needs.
Everything always works out.
Feeling grateful for this land, her teachings, and this journey of travel and exploration of Self.
Sending love,
Kelsey