Travel blogger and Instagram sensation Michelle Halpern describes herself as living proof that it’s never too late to change your life, follow a dream, or throw all of society’s expectations out the window to do things on your own terms.
In Halpern’s case, throwing society’s expectations out the window meant leaving her corporate job in fashion at the end of 2015 to go on a year-long round-the-world adventure.
Little did she know that this spontaneous adventure would end up changing the course of her career and reshape the way she thinks about work and life as well. Nowadays, Halpern’s goal is to help others realize their dreams. Her motto (and subsequent blog name) is “Live Like it’s the Weekend”, and doesn’t it sound nice?
“For me, living like it’s the weekend means saying yes to opportunities and invitations because I have the freedom to do so,” explains Halpern. “It means taking spur of the moment adventures to discover something new and beautiful because I don’t have to ask anyone else’s permission.”
Halpern’s optimism is refreshing, especially given the circumstances. In a recent blog post, where she recapped 2020, she reflected on the year’s little joyful moments.
An avid traveler with over 40 countries under her belt, Halpern didn’t let 2020 stop her from exploring, though these explorations were largely restricted to her “backyard”, meaning California.
“This year made me appreciate how much there is to explore in my own backyard and it showed me that even when travel fully opens back up again, I don’t need to take a 13-hour flight to arrive somewhere incredible,” she observed. “There are still so many destinations on my own California bucket list, not to mention just a short drive away in other states.”
And looking ahead, Halpern admits she’s willing to tweak her lifestyle to allow some time for family gatherings and reunions.
“While last year seemed to smash down a lot of my big travel goals, this year I’m going into the year taking a different approach to what I want to accomplish,” she writes. “I also want to work at putting more boundaries in place when it comes to balancing work and play.”
Her blog is a great teaching tool for people looking to spice up their daily routines and truly live like it’s the weekend.
