Do you want to confidently travel solo, become a nomad and go after your dreams?

Is your money mindset currently holding you back from being the badass solo female traveler that you CAN be?

You CAN live your dream life if you want it bad enough. 

Having a dream isn’t enough to make it come true. Dreamers need to be doers.

What does that mean?

It means that you have to take action in order to make your dream become your reality. You need to take baby steps in order to get to your goal. 

If your goal is to go against the grain like I did, quit society & become a full time nomad, then read on…

Or if you want to just rack up the courage and confidence to take that first solo trip, then keep reading too girl…

What is your Dream?

What is currently standing in your way in order to HAVE that dream life that you desire?

What is the worst case scenario if you DON’T go after your dream?

These are some of the types of questions I ask my coaching clients at the beginning stages of our sessions in order to get them thinking about what their VISION in life is. 

A lot of the women I have been coaching have shared a common recurring theme when it comes to overcoming their fear of going against the grain and traveling solo. This common theme is their money mindset.

What was your upbringing like?

Maybe you grew up in a household that valued hard work and taught you the value of a dollar.

You may have acquired good spending and saving habits in order to put money away in order to go after your dream one day…

What kind of money mindset were you taught and currently have?

Do you have a scarcity or an abundance mindset?

Many women that I have spoken to have the former, and want to learn HOW to adopt the latter. 

I was raised by an Eastern European family that subconsciously ingrained a scarcity mindset into me since I was a child. We didn’t grow up rich, but nor were we poor. The reason they instilled this mindset upon me was because for them, growing up in the Soviet Union left them with no other option. They came from a different generation, where the main goal of life was to work hard to provide food and shelter for your family. 

All I would ever hear from my parents and especially my Ukrainian grandparents was that you had to work hard in order to earn your money, and you also had to be smart and save it ALL. Money doesn’t grow on trees – You had to be patient to save it, and smart not to burn through it all either.

Work hard. Save Money. Go to University. Get a Career. Get Married. Buy a House. Have Children… 

This was the kind of bedtime story that was read to me every night. It was drilled into my brain from an early age. Although I haven’t yet forged a path that aligns with the norms of society, I did learn a lot from my family. I am grateful that their tough love approach made me extremely hardworking and savvy with my money. 

A scarcity mindset is the belief that there will NEVER be enough, resulting in feelings of fear, stress & anxiety.

If you find yourself living paycheck to paycheck, then it’s possible that you have cultivated a scarcity mindset in relation to money. This is one component of a scarcity mindset: when you find yourself spending ALL your money the moment it hits your bank account.

I had friends throughout high school and University who had this type of mindset. 

You know the type of friends you would have to beg to go do a fun activity with or grab lunch with you in the day, and they would say, “I only have $100 bucks in my account!”

They would spend it all on one night out, and then wonder why their bank account was going into the negatives. They would get down on themselves and constantly believe that “there would never be enough” and this same vicious cycle would repeat itself until they got their act together. 

Another component of a scarcity mindset, is when you find yourself afraid to spend any money AT ALL.

Growing up, I have been guilty of the latter, as I was always afraid to touch any of my money. As I mentioned earlier, my family’s attitudes and behaviours toward money socially conditioned me to adopt a similar mindset. 

I witnessed my parents work extremely hard and save all of their money. Although we did have everything that we ever needed, and went on holidays from time to time, they made it very clear that they HATED spending and wasting their hard earned money. If we ever went on holiday, you would hear about how much money was spent and how overpriced it was.

Are you the type to live paycheck to paycheck and spend all your money instead of saving it?

Are you on that side of the scarcity mindset spectrum?

Or are you more on the other side?

Do you HATE spending your money and you constantly make excuses as to why you shouldn’t go on holiday, invest in yourself or go traveling around the world?

It’s okay if you’re unsure. Take some time and evaluate your relationship with money.

Do you have it ingrained into your mind that spending your money on traveling is a waste, and that you will be left broke and without a clear roadmap or plan? 

Are you currently feeling stuck in this mindset because your entire life you have been told to follow a life path and fill out a specific checklist?

Have a moment and think about the type of social conditioning that has been instilled upon you.

Have you been led to believe that your hard earned money should only be spent on things that society values such as a 50 thousand dollar wedding or a million dollar home that you need to take a loan out from the bank for anyway?

Personally, I always strayed away from this path and never fully completed this checklist. Yes, I know that many people have followed it and are extremely happy, but I also know that there are others who are extremely unhappy because they are in debt and tied to a mortgage and car payments.

I’m not saying that I don’t ever want to invest my money and buy a house or get married. I definitely do, but in my own time. I also don’t agree that having a scarcity mindset like the one that my family subconsciously taught me is the right way to live your life either. 

I used to fear running out of money, not having enough, and not being able to save enough. But then I soon realized that I actually HAD enough, and I was able to have more, if that’s what I desired. 

As soon as I started traveling solo, that is when I began to shift my money mindset. Instead of constantly living in fear, stress and anxiety about not having enough money, I decided it was time to adopt an abundance mindset around money. 

An abundance mindset is the belief that there are limitless opportunities available in work and in life. 

I began to focus on the positive things in my life rather than the negative. Instead of constantly thinking that I would run out of money, I started to think that money would always come easily to me. I became more grateful and thus abundance flowed effortlessly. 

Yes this might sound a bit woo woo to some people, but it has honestly worked for me. Every time I spend my money on something like: traveling, kiteboarding gear, good & healthy food, fun activities, investing in coaches for myself and business investments, that money comes back 3-10 fold to me, ALWAYS.

How?

Because I manifest that it will. I have always been a great flipper as well. Anything I buy, like a car or kite gear, I sell it and break even or make some profit. It’s a skill I’ve mastered, and one that allows me to fund my travels and give me that extra cushion every time I move countries and have to get rid of personal belongings. 

I have always found a job and a way to make money while I lived overseas and traveled. I seeked out those opportunities, and because I had shifted my mindset, being able to fund my travels was never an issue for me.

I never FULLY adopted a scarcity mindset, because I always found a way to make money and I was comfortable spending my money on things that made me happy, such as traveling and kiteboarding. Even though a scarcity mindset subconsciously ingrained into me since I was a kid by my family, I never wanted to believe that tale that I should never spend my money on certain things that made me happy.

I realized from a young age that things always seemed to work out, as long as I had a work hard & save approach. I didn’t allow myself to become fixated on never spending a dime nor burning through my entire savings account, thus I always seemed to have enough. 

When I turned 14 years old, I applied to work as an Assistant Swim Instructor and got my first paid job at $11 Canadian dollars an hour at a private swim school. This was 14 years ago, and back then, 11 bucks was about $4 higher than minimum wage. As a 14 year old who was just starting high school, this was a pretty good gig. 

I was already making more money than my friends, and was part of the 20% of high schoolers who actually had a part time job outside of school. I took what I learned from my Soviet Russian family and saved EVERY SINGLE PENNY.

I definitely have to thank my parents and grandparents for pushing me so hard to take my Instructor and Lifeguard courses and be able to land such a good paying job, which I kept until the end of University and was able to make and save a lot of money. I also began working as a waitress and took all my tips and saved them.

I would transfer most of my paycheck (normally 50-80%) of it into a savings account to build interest, and I would take any cash I was ever given on my birthday or for holidays and put it away into a piggy bank. 

I knew that I was saving up for something big. I didn’t know exactly what it was, and at the time I probably thought it would be for a house or my dream wedding that I was blindly pinning onto my Pinterest account.

As I grew older and went away to University, I began to get an itch that was reminding me about my wanderlust for travel.

As a kid, I would often doodle and draw pictures of beaches, sunshine and rainbows. Yes, I have always been a dreamer. Remember that story I told you guys when my first grade teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up?

Well, I told her that I wanted to travel the world. Little did I know that I would be doing just that at the age of 22 – moving across the world to go live, work and study in Australia and backpacking through SE Asia as a solo female backpacker. Little did I know that by the age of 26, I would be working in the Super Yacht Industry, traveling and being able to save 90% of my salary.

Little did I know that prior to this I would have lived, worked and studied in Australia and New Zealand for a total of 4 years. Little did I know that by 28 I would continue my nomadic lifestyle, where I would eventually start this blog and launch a coaching business at the same time, and immediately land my dream clients!

My 20’s have been a rollercoaster of adventure, and I know that this is just the start of that dopamine kick. It feels like I am constantly at the edge of my seat, getting a rush of adrenaline as I slowly make my way to the top of the track. I’m waiting to put my hands up in the air and anticipating my stomach dropping as I get ready to experience this ride we call life…

Do you have a dream to go against the grain like I did and become an expert solo female traveler and nomad?

Do you want to learn HOW to make these dreams come to fruition?

Are you currently struggling with your money mindset?

Are you wanting to find out how to shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then you’ll like what I’ve got next for you…

Here are some ways to shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance:

1. Have a Direction for your Money → Do you have a budget/plan for your bills and spending habits? If you don’t have a plan for your money, then from a practical standpoint, you will never be able to shift your financial situation. If you are thinking about traveling solo, then having a budget and a plan is ESSENTIAL.

   The best way to get yourself ready for this, is to start budgeting and planning your finances right NOW. Keep track of your spending habits and write down what is truly necessary to spend your money on, and what you can cut out. This will give you control over your spending, and will instill good habits and practices with your money.

2. CUT OUT Emotional Spending → Do you find yourself going on an online shopping spree when things aren’t going well? Do you allow your emotions to take the driver’s seat in your life? We’ve all been guilty of this. When things aren’t going to plan in life, it’s easy to feel powerless amidst the chaos and turn to spending money on material things to make it right, or to make us feel more ‘happy.’

   Doing this only leads to self sabotage, and will NOT get you ahead with your savings. It will be more of a reason for you to make an excuse and say, “I CAN’T actually afford to travel!” Instead of actually wasting your money in order to get instant gratification, start putting it away into your “travel fund.” Then your language will change to, “I CAN actually afford to travel!”

3. Money is Personal NOT Relative → Do you constantly compare your financial situation to that of your friends and family and coworkers? It’s easy to sit back and begin to feel a sense of lack and despair if you don’t think you are doing as good as others. How often have you even looked at a stranger and gone, “Wow, it must be nice to be able to afford to jet set around the world!” Do you automatically assume that they are rich and happy, or are you unaware that they might have worked 3 jobs sacrificing sleep, relationships and a personal life?

   Money is personal, and it’s best to keep it that way in order to avoid what I like to call Analysis Paralysis (thinking you are not doing as well as others). Have a sit down with yourself and evaluate what YOU can do to be able to afford to travel or have the things you desire. 

4. Change your Money Script → Do you constantly say to yourself, “I’ll never be able to afford that or have what they have!” This common statement is a prime example of negative money self talk. You may have heard that your mind is a powerful tool. Having control over your thoughts gives you power to either have a positive or a negative money script. Change your thoughts and your words, and see how quickly your life will change. Start believing in YOUR GOALS AND DREAMS. 

Shift your language to, “I WILL be able to have what they have!” 

“I can travel the world too, I just have to figure out a way to fund myself as I travel and save beforehand!” 

EFT (Tapping) → This is a powerful tool that you can use to begin shifting your mindset from scarcity to abundance. Have a read here if you’re interested in trying out this technique https://www.healthline.com/health/eft-tapping

5. Focus on What You DO HAVE → Do you often say to yourself, “I don’t have the skills to travel all alone, I don’t have enough money to do it, etc…” Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, or what you THINK you don’t have, start believing in yourself and look at the things you are good at. Are you independent and good with budgeting? If yes, then great… you have the necessary skills and abilities to be able to solo travel successfully. 

6. Start surrounding yourself with people who HAVE an Abundance Mindset → I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “You are the total of the 5 people you spend the most time with!” If you’re constantly hanging out with friends who have a scarcity mindset, well then guess what? So will YOU. If you want to adopt an abundance mindset, then you need to seek out friends who value positive thinking in all areas of their life. 

7. Cheer for Others → Someone with a scarcity mindset will often believe that if one person wins, then automatically the other loses. Instead, learn to adopt a mindset that everyone can be a winner. Instead of competing against others, learn to collaborate and find ways for both parties to find a solution. If you start practicing this now, you will be surprised how much abundance will start flowing to you. The more you cheer others on, the more they will cheer for you! 

8. Incorporate Gratitude into your day-to-day life → According to Oprah Winfrey, “If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough!” Having gratitude is so important. I love keeping a gratitude journal and jotting down three things I’m grateful for at the end of each day. It’s no surprise that according to Psychology experts, expressing gratitude improves mental and physical well being. 

9. Train your Mind to Recognize the Opportunities → Is your current belief, “I can’t do that!” or “It’s Impossible for me to afford to travel solo!” If you shift your mindset to seeing more options, choices and opportunities, then you will automatically switch your beliefs to, “I CAN DO THAT TOO!” “It’s POSSIBLE for me to travel solo and be able to afford it too!” 

Ask yourself, “If you had all the time and money in the world, what would you be doing?” 

Answering these kinds of open ended questions will allow you to see what you REALLY want, and what is TRULY POSSIBLE. 

10. Believe that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE → Create an expanded awareness that fosters the abundance mentality. By taking a moment each day either through meditating or writing, have the intention to clear your mind and allow for new abundant possibilities to enter your life. Start by believing you can achieve anything your heart desires. If you want to travel the world like I have, then you need to BELIEVE in yourself. Anything is possible if you Believe.

Now, these are just some tips on WHAT you can do to shift your mindset. If you want to implement all these tips + more & learn HOW to actually adopt an abundance mindset by believing that you too CAN go against the grain and travel solo, then head to my Work With Me page to sign up for a FREE discovery call to see how I can help you to get after your dreams!

I am showing you that anything is possible if you want it bad enough. So what are you waiting for?

Thanks for reading,

Karina