This blog is named Living a Life Imagined. I chose that name when I was transitioning from being an attorney to being a writer.

It was a reminder to go after my dreams and not accept anyone else's version of my life. It was a rejection of the idea that I had to do something because that's the way things have always been done.

So I fill these pages with encouragement, positivity, and inspiration. And sprinkle in tips on overcoming obstacles and limiting beliefs. And always, always share bucketloads of courage to live the life you've always imagined.

Because whose life are we living if not our own?

I needed to remind myself of this because I just returned to the US after living in Thailand for a month.

It was one of those tremendous experiences that are chock-full of valuable life lessons. So I want to share a few highlights, including a few personal epiphanies as well as the surprising impact this experience had on my writing.

This was a last-minute trip and I was hesitant to go at first. But by the end, I was wishing I could stay for another month or two. Here are the top things I learned in Thailand about myself, my life, and my writing.

Maybe there's a nugget of wisdom in here that applies to you?

1. Sometimes the scariest plans are the most fruitful.

2. You will love the thick, gentle feeling of humidity on your soft skin.

3. When you lose all of your work and writing, it's best to move on. The truly important things will have embedded themselves in your heart anyway.

4. You don't have to go, and you don't have to stay.

5. There is magic waiting for you on the other side of the world.

6. If you don't like where you end up, try somewhere new one day at a time.

7. You will find that euphoric feeling of life sparkling around you while you sit on the beach and watch the blue day fade to a golden glow, then bright pink light reflecting off the water, until everything ultimately crashes into darkness.

8. The sand comes alive and your skin is electrified and everything feels right. Still, you sit, pondering how lucky you are to be alive.

9. Days later as you walk down the street toward 7-11, that same feeling will find you again, whooshing down upon you in a stunning sense of wonder. The beauty of it all will nearly be enough to knock you over.

10. Even stray dogs know how to cross the busy roads better than you do. Watch them. They are good teachers.

11. Things get lost in translation and that's okay.

12. Sometimes you will wake up in the middle of the night and wonder where you are. And that's okay too. In fact, you'll come to realize that it's all okay.

13. When your laptop breaks, it's best to treat it as an adventure rather than a wasted day of work.

14. Riding on the back of a motorcycle to the repair shop, smiling into the wind, will become one of your favorite memories.

15. You will learn that maybe, maybe some time alone is long overdue.

16. You will discover vast creative energy to write when you let go of all the other things consuming your attention like hungry little lizards.

17. It's a beautiful, liberating thing to leave your wallet, phone—everything that identifies you—to swim alone into warm, dark waves at sunset.

18. You would replace macho culture with the Land of Smiles any day.

19. Riding a tuk tuk is a fantastic decision. Don't worry if you don't find one right away. You know your legs can carry you home.

20. And you will also discover that if you stay open to it, a tuk tuk will find you at the perfect time, just as your feet are starting to tire. As you ride, you will smile as wide as if you were on a roller coaster.

Are you going about your life because that's what you think you should be doing? Or are you purposefully, courageously cultivating the exact life that you—and only you—desire?

What would it look like if you truly went for it?