Hello Steemians! I’m Vandana Yadav, a Travel and Lifestyle Influencer from New Delhi, India. Exactly one year ago, relaxing in the beach town of India — Goa, I wondered to myself — “If I love traveling so much, why not write about it and share it with the world?” I knew it was going to be anything, but easy.

Especially when you are a 22-year-old female in the middle of your MBA, living in a country like India, where females are still considered inferior to men.

I love the excitement of it all–feeling like an explorer–discovering a new land, a new language, new money and all the little challenges that go along with it. It just makes me feel more positive towards life. After all, we have one life, why don’t we live it the way we want?

2017 was the year that changed my life and my way of thinking completely.
When I started sharing about my travel experiences on Instagram, I had some 1000 followers on Instagram and in just a year, I got an online family of over 34k. I traveled to one of the most one of the beautiful countries in the world — Indonesia for more than a month. I had the opportunity to stay at some of the most beautiful accommodations. All while I had some $500 in my bank account. You must be thinking how?
Looking back, here are the 3 things that gave my life the U-turn it needed!

3 things that completely changed my life in a year!

1. Setting Goals

Setting goals is the first step in turning invisible into the visible. You have to have a purpose to do something. I see myself as a successful social media influencer in 5 years. That’s my major goal or the long-term goal. And to do that, I set some short-term goals. One of them was International Travel. I knew I had to travel outside India, to get out of my comfort zone, learn a new culture, meet new people, all while I create content for my Instagram and blog. I had no money or plan at that time. The only thing I had was a goal and faith in myself. And I achieved it!
Goals are important. They give you the fire, the hope and the purpose to do something.
Just find out where you are now and where you want to be in 10 years, 3 years or 1 year. Keep asking yourself what do you want? and why do you want it?
And you will get the answers out.

2. Putting in the work

The best way to achieve all your goals is to JUST DO IT. Just start somewhere. Starting is the hardest part but let me tell you that it is the ONLY HACK. Sorry folks, there’s no shortcut or way around this.
I wrote down my goals and started working on them from the very first day because you don’t need a special day to start. Read your goals every day. Eat them. They should be on your mind always. Either consciously or subconsciously. And work on them every day. Write down your progress and work harder. Imagine yourself achieving those goals. And I bet you will do it!
Just START and have faith in yourself!

3. If you can think it, you’ll do it

This is very very important. If you can imagine yourself traveling the world in your 20s, if you have that faith and confidence, you can do it. Trust me. It’s a big thing.
Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.
If you think you can do it, you can. If you think you can’t do it, you can’t. I knew it that I will achieve those goals I set for 2017, I did. To succeed, we must first believe that we can. Your belief shape your actions and your actions shape your result, but first, you have to believe.
Positivity is the key!

So that’s it, Steemians! I hope you enjoyed my story! Remember I said I had about $500 in my bank account while I traveled and stayed at some of the most beautiful (and expensive) places? Yes! I’ll write about it in detail in my upcoming posts, along with how I organically grew my Instagram from 0 to over 30k in less than a year! :)

Follow me to stay updated. And upvote to show your love and support! Thank you for reading. Love to all! :)