For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to travel. In my opinion, there is no greater blessing than to see the world and experience everything the earth has to offer. I remember journaling about it when I was in high school, basically declaring that I was going to travel someday. I realize now that back then I was using The Secret but just didn’t know it. My first goal, however, was to finish college.

Living during the recession in the USA was very spirit-crushing and at times very frustrating. I never would have guessed that I would be graduating college during the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression! I had no money, I had student loans, and I couldn’t find a job in my little college town to save my life. Either nobody was hiring or my school schedule didn’t fit with the job. I was starting to feel really discouraged.

I had read The Secret and applied it to some things, but I don’t think I really and truly believed in it with all my heart. So I decided to read it again, and this time it really hit home.

I had three and a half months before graduation to manifest traveling while the world around me screamed, “You will never be able to travel!” Even my parents, who are amazing and supportive people, told me, “Get those dreams of travel out of your head . . . it’s not going to happen for a long time. You have no money, and we aren’t paying for it!” At times it was hard not to just give in and say, “Oh, they’re right.” Instead I shook my head and decided to stop talking to them about it, because they were being so negative. Meanwhile I kept telling myself every single day, “I am going to travel. I don’t know how or when, but it will happen.”

I made a vision board with pictures of places I wanted to go. I journaled every single night, listing everything in my life I was grateful for – things I loved about people, things I loved about myself, etc. I would write about how grateful I was to get the opportunity to see the world, and what great things it would do for my soul. After weeks and weeks of journaling, it really helped me to feel as if I had already received it. I honestly believed with a full heart that it would happen for me.

Then, about a month and a half into practicing this, I got an email from an old friend offering me a position in Italy – a cultural exchange to live with a family! The family then contacted me and offered to pay me to live there. I couldn’t believe it. This opportunity literally fell into my lap.

After that I thought, Okay, so once I am there, I’ll have money. Now I just need to figure out how to get there! I kept telling myself I was going for sure; I just needed money for my plane ticket.

A few weeks later, I graduated college, and lo and behold, people started sending me graduation money. All the money added up to the exact amount I needed for my ticket.

After that, I realized that I couldn’t go all the way to Italy and see only Italy. I wanted to see a lot more of Europe. So I decided that I would spend my last month backpacking around. My friends and family were concerned, asking, “How will you save that much money? Are you going to go alone? Who’s going to go with you?” But I kept insisting, “I will figure it out when the time comes. I will have someone to travel with, and I will save enough money. I just know it!”

So I booked my return ticket based on staying that extra month, and the very next day my best friend, who was living in another state, called me to catch up. We hadn’t talked in a long time. When I told her about my plans to travel in Europe, she immediately said, “I’m going with you. I am booking my ticket now . . . See you in Rome!”

My entire trip was manifested through using The Secret. It’s a beautiful feeling to know that something so wonderful can happen to you just by changing your own thoughts! My trip was a life-changing experience, I had more than enough money to do it, and by the end, I even had money left over!

It really is true: Ask, Believe, Receive. It really does work.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Good blessings to all.