A New Beginning in 2016

| April 23, 2016 |

Greetings, Fellow Dreamer! No matter how you navigated to my site, I’m happy you’re here.

I started blogging about my passions in August 2015 on a page owned by Weebly. However, I eventually realized the limitations of the site, and dreamed of creating a custom site to capture my essence. There began the slow, soul-searching process of creating this site! Through infinite video tutorials, meditations, and dreams, the vision of my custom blog was born. Voila!

On this site, I’ll be discussing the following topics:

Travel / Adventure

Travel tips (accommodations, airlines, packing lists), travel itineraries, bucket list items, local finds, journeys afar, outdoor activities (i.e. camping, hiking, climbing, etc.), travel/adventure products, and sources of inspiration.

Mindfulness / Spirituality

Mind-body connection, meditation, yoga, following your heart, fearless living, and ways to enjoy life’s journey.

Lifestyle / Wellness

Integrating habits, living with love and gratitude, healthy eating, and conscious living.

My overall mission? To inspire people to follow their hearts and live the life they’ve always imagined. In an individualistic society where independence is overvalued, I challenge our culture to create a shift: to connect and co-create. Through our connection, we can reach new levels of inspiration and personal satisfaction.

While manifesting this site, my dreams have also been coming to fruition, and I’m bursting with thoughts and ideas to share with you.

But wait… there’s more!

Oh! You want to hear more?

I’ve been infected by the travel bug for many years now, thanks to bi-annual travels with my family. Since I was six months old, I’ve been on an airplane at least once per year, and it seems to be growing in frequency/duration as I reach the peak of my 20’s. My Nonno raised my mother on travel, and they both passed on the travel gene to me! Hence–KConn Wanderlust is born!

KConn is a nickname I’ve been assigned without instruction by various people in my life. From high school to college to graduate school (I’m Kristen, PT, DPT), all my family and friends have always called me “KConn.” It’s what makes me… me!

Wanderlust will forever be my favorite word, yet it is thrown around a ton these days. Everyone has the “travel bug,” but are we connecting to ourselves during travel, or using it to “fit in” with the crowd? To me, travel is a way to:

Discover the unknown

Push myself outside my comfort zone

Connect to myself: my desires + passions

Connect with each other via culture + experience

Learn + grow infinitely

My strong desire for travel and impulse for wandering is true, despite my roots in South Florida and 40-hour work week. After all, “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.” One year ago, I left my home in Long Island, New York, to move to another state. This was the first time in my 25 years of life I’d live outside my comfort bubble, surrounded by family and friends. I took the leap of faith and independently transported my life from the Empire State to the Sunshine State. My heart told me it was time to live outside my comfort zone and live my dream worry-free by the sea. It’s been an incredible, salty journey filled with periods of inspiration, confusion, adventure, and longing. Through this transition, I’ve discovered and enhanced my love for:

• Scuba diving {PADI Open Water Certified since June 2015}
• Meditation and yoga groups {specifically AcroYoga communities}
• Camping {beach style in Florida}
• Mountains {due to the lack there of in Florida, and my longing their beauty}
• Cafés {nothing beats a good cup of coffee and inspiring atmosphere}
• Reading {tons of inspirational books fill my bookshelf}
• People {infinite new friends and connections}
• Green living and eating {farmer markets, green smoothies, and eco-friendly habits}

It’s almost April 24 — exactly one year after moving to South Florida — and I’ve manifested the most incredible life. Through my enhancement of self and discovery of my deepest desires, I am exploding into the person I’ve never truly dared to be. I suppose a part of me was overcome by fear and the inability to trust my intuition. My chronically over-thinking mind was suppressing the voice of my heart, and I lacked the courage to be vulnerable. When necessary, I masked my personality and enthusiasm to others in order to “protect” myself. Now, I live guided by my heart, and let myself be seen by others in my truest self.

This year, I strive to connect with the world through travel, adventure, philanthropy, and work in the most beautiful way. Although I don’t entirely know how my journey will unfold, [bctt tweet=”I trust the universe and am faithful my desires will be met.” username=”kconnwanderlust”]

Let’s enjoy the journey together, Fellow Dreamer!

With love and gratitude,

KConn