Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Erickson.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
My story began as a child; for most of my life, I had this immense feeling that I didn’t fit in. From my youngest years, it was obvious that I saw the world differently than others. I had difficulty understanding why life was displayed before us, as if it were this prewritten story, just waiting for us to go through the motions and check all the boxes. I dreamed of finding my happy place in life for years. I would toggle between wanting to do something big that I knew would bring me joy and falling in line with the majority of society by doing something predictable, something that was expected of me. I remember even as a small child, having an entrepreneurial spirit, I would make little trinkets and sell them to friends and family. As I grew older, that desire to do something big with my life only intensified, but again life took its hold on me, and I fell into line with everyone else. Over the years, I attempted at least 20 different business endeavors, all of which failed with little or no success, but I kept going and trying because I truly believed that I was meant for more. I used the failed businesses as stepping stones and didn’t see them as failures. I saw them as opportunities to learn. Several years ago, I was not the person standing here today, I was not confident, and I didn’t know where I did get tired through all of the trying, and like most people, I put those dreams on the back burner.
I went to college, got my Bachelor’s Degree, and graduated in the top 5 of my class at university. Shortly after graduating college, I went to work in Corporate America and stayed grounded there for many years. Working a job was a means to an end; it was a way to provide for my family, but it did not bring me joy. I would sit daydreaming about this life that, at this time, felt so far out of reach. I would work and save money to take my family on as many vacations as possible, but obviously, I wasn’t free to do whatever I wanted and go wherever I desired. A series of tragic events hit my family; we lost my brother-in-law to suicide, and one month later, my 3-month-old niece to a congenital heart defect. This was my “rock bottom” I looked around, and nothing in my life was familiar. I felt defeated, I felt little joy in my life, and I felt more lost than I ever had before. At this moment, I realized that the saying “life is short” is more true than I ever believed. At this moment, I decided in my mind that I was hitting the reset button on life there’s no rulebook, I was in control, and I needed to create the life I dreamed of for myself and my family. I sat down with my husband and asked him to trust me. I opened the calendar on my desk, grabbed an ink pen, and circled the date June 12, 2020, on the calendar. At that moment, I decided to move my family from Michigan down to Florida. I decided on Florida, not because it’s the vacation destination of the world. Still, because it was the place where I felt the most happiness, it was the place of sunshine and opportunity, and it was the place I could see myself living and carrying out my dreams.
Looking back, I now understand that this was when I decided to start living my life and stop existing. I understood that life was much more than living in a loop of work, eating, sleeping, and repeating. I understood that I was in control of my success and happiness; I wasn’t in competition with anyone but myself, and this is where the world before me unfolded. I began giving up the things that did not bring me purpose or joy. I made sacrifices that would allow me to grow and started seeing the world through a completely different lens. All those feelings of being a child and feeling like I was here for a reason, to live this big, bold life, were finally coming to fruition. The thing is, it didn’t feel like work at all. I was doing the things I love and sharing them with the world. Living my life and sharing it with my followers, I realized that I’m not alone in how I feel or think.
Most people have this sense of higher living, adventure, and the desire to live a different life. I’ve made it a mission to do as much as I can in my life and share it with the world, so I can inspire people to break free from the status quo and start living the life they see themselves living. I’m just a human being like everyone else, there’s nothing about me that makes me better than anyone else, and that’s what I want my followers to see, that ordinary people can live extraordinary lives. The thing about life is that we get one chance to live it; we can’t turn back time and change the things that we’ve done or not done, but we can decide to change the trajectory of our life, not just to save our dream life for our dreams, but to bring those dreams into reality. We are all equipped with strength and potential, and there’s greatness in us all.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has been anything but a smooth road, but I understand that’s pretty common. The road to success and happiness is not paved; it’s often a bumpy road filled with many obstacles. These hard times and obstacles are placed in our path to teach us and make us stronger. We have the decision to let those hard times defeat us or give us fuel to keep going. My life has been a series of hard times; between illness, death, and financial struggle; my story isn’t much different than others. Unfortunately, life is not perfect, and if we sit around waiting for the conditions and our circumstances to be perfect, we will spend a lifetime waiting, and our life will pass us by. We live in a very vocal world of outspokenness. Social media is great because it connects us, it gives us a voice, but sometimes all we see is perfect people living perfect lives, and the result is that for those of us living unperfect lives, it makes us feel like we’re failing and we’re not. I aim always to be real and transparent, to share my highlight reel, and to be raw and vulnerable.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a digital creator and travel and lifestyle blogger. I specialize in creating and sharing content from my life, travels, and everything in between. I feel like I wear a lot of different hats, and I believe that we should focus on a handful of things that we do well, but I also believe that the sky is the limit, so if there is something out there you want to try, then I recommend you do it. The worst that can happen is that you fail, but we understand that failures aren’t failures at all. Imagine spending the rest of your life wondering if you would have succeeded or if it would have made you happy; even if you failed, you dared to try, and you learned something invaluable, so you didn’t fail at all. I’m proudest that I didn’t push that feeling of living a better life down so deep that it couldn’t be recovered. I dared to step out of a life that did not bring me joy into a life full of joy. What sets me apart from others is that I have a unique ability to see life as it is, see the beauty in everything, show gratitude, believe in myself, and go after things in life, even if they terrify me.
Are books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
The common feature of most successful people is their insatiable hunger for knowledge, and I fit into that mold. I’ve always loved to learn; if there’s a topic I’m interested in, I have no issue picking up a book to learn about it. My favorite type of book usually focuses on manifestation and the law of attraction. A few of my favorite books are Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, and Power of the Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy. I’m also on a continual journey of healing, and one of the most incredible books I’ve read is Imagine Heaven by John Burke. I’m very visual, so when I get an idea in my head, I put it on paper and map it out by breaking it down into bite-sized pieces; it’s less intimidating and more attainable. I recommend journaling and scheduling your day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cruisepassportblog.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cruisepassport/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cruisepassportblog/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CruisePassport
- Other: https://twitter.com/CruisePassport
