Episode 65: The Worst-Case Scenario

In today's episode, I explore the transition from a stable corporate career to the uncertainties of entrepreneurship with One Girl Travel. Together, we discuss the practical aspects of facing worst-case scenarios and how considering potential pitfalls of life-altering decisions can provide a realistic perspective. My story serves as a reminder for those contemplating change, emphasizing the importance of confronting fear and embracing risk and solo travel as avenues for personal growth and opportunity.

The journey of self-discovery through change is often accompanied by internal struggles and the allure of comfort zones that may seem dissatisfying. In this episode, I share insights into the transformative power of following one's inner calling, the role of mentorship, and the impact of breaking self-imposed barriers. We underscore the significance of a guiding 'why' during turbulent times and explore how calculated risks can uncover opportunities aligned with our deepest desires. This episode acknowledges the potential rewards for those willing to step into the unknown, affirming that pursuing what ignites our spirit is not only feasible but can be deeply satisfying.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Embracing Worst Case Scenario
• 11:22 Embracing Change and Growth

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, episode number 65.

Speaker 2: 0:05

Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, your passport to the world of solo travel with certified life and travel coach, alessia Tennebruzzo. Join Alessia as she shares her own journey of self-discovery through solo travel, while also focusing on topics such as life coaching insights and travel tips along the way. Now here's your host, alessia Tennebruzzo.

Speaker 1: 0:31

Welcome to episode number 65 of the One Girl Travel Podcast. I'm excited you're here today because I want to talk to you today about the worst case scenario. Now, the worst case scenario can be something that you might have been told in the past not to think about, not to dwell on all the things that can go wrong when you make a decision. But what if I told you that thinking about the worst case scenario could actually benefit you and help you move forward with making big decisions? As most of you know, if you listen to the podcast, I left my corporate career of 14 years this year, this January, and I decided to go all in on my business, one Girl Travel. And if you're not familiar with what I do with One Girl Travel, I'm a certified Martha Beck Life Coach and I'm a certified travel coach and I help women gain the confidence to go out and travel by themselves and ultimately live a life of freedom where they don't have to wait around for other people to do things with them. They're capable and they're comfortable enough to go out and do whatever it is they want to do in their life on their own. And I have my membership, the One Girl Travel Club, and I do one-on-one coaching, I host group trips and there might be other things in there in the future, now that this is my full-time career. But I wanted to go all in on my business because I know that this is my passion. This is what I'm here to do. I'm here to share the power of solo travel with everybody, as many people as I can and I just felt that if I didn't make this decision I would regret it and I personally I don't want to live with regrets. I want to make sure I am utilizing my time on this earth to the best possible power that I can. I want to make the most of my life and I want to share what I know with other people so I can help them, so I can make an impact in other people's lives.

Speaker 1: 2:52

And I knew, if I continued on the path, that I was going on, where I was in the safe job and I was doing this thing and I'd retire there and I just I knew that I couldn't get to my future self's life if I stayed on that path and to me the thought of staying was more uncomfortable than the thought of going and something that really helped me make that big decision and realize and have the clarity that I needed to go after my dreams was to think about what's the worst case scenario. What's the worst case scenario if I left my corporate job and went all in on my own business and I thought to myself, okay, I'm leaving this safe job where I get a decent salary, get benefits, vacation time, I get a check, you know, and it's safe. You know it's something I was doing for a very long time and for me to leave it and to give it all up for a dream, for a chance on myself, and to believe enough in myself to go all in on my business and become an entrepreneur and be a business owner and depend solely on myself to earn an income, it was scary, it was terrifying, honestly. But I had to think of okay, what's a worst case scenario if this goes wrong, if I don't succeed, if I fail, what's going to happen to me? And ultimately, at first you're going to come up with a lot of things and we're going to touch on that. But when I was being honest with myself and I was being realistic with my worst case scenario, I came up with the fact that my worst case scenario is if I fail, I'll have to get another job. That's not that bad. Getting another job is not that bad. Capable of getting another job, I have no doubt that I would get another job. So, knowing that that gave me the approval I needed for myself to be okay with taking this chance and going after my dreams. But I had to really sit down and think about it. What's the worst case scenario for me in this position, if I take this chance and I realized the worst case scenario wasn't as bad as I thought it would be? So when you think of worst case scenario, what comes to mind? For me, the worst case scenario isn't a negative thing. It's about planning and preparing for realistic things that could possibly happen. But the key word here is realistic.

Speaker 1: 6:03

So many of us, when we think of worst case scenarios, we automatically go to absolute doom, the worst possible thing that most likely will never even happen. Then you dwell on it Okay, if I did this? What if I lose my house? What if I get sick? What if I die? What if I? You know, there's so many terrible thoughts that we will allow ourselves to think, if we think it's going to be our way out of the discomfort when we think so deeply about doom and negative things that most likely aren't going to really happen. Of course the possibility is out there, of course, but realistically it's most likely not going to happen.

Speaker 1: 6:58

So you really need to be truthful to yourself. You need to be honest about your reality of what could possibly happen and you have to be okay with the fact that your worst case scenario might not be that bad. Yes, it might be terrifying to you. It might be terrifying to think, oh, I'm going to have to start all over in a new career path, or I'm going to have to get rid of my apartment and go move back home, or whatever it is, even if it's as simple as oh, you know, I want to go to this meetup, but I don't know anybody. You know your thought might be oh, they're going to hate me, they're going to think I'm boring, they're going to think I'm stupid. But if you're realistic with yourself and you know you're not stupid, you're not boring, you're an interesting person the worst case scenario of you going to that event would be maybe not hitting it off with everybody. Maybe your people just aren't there. That's not that big of a deal. You just go to a different event. But you have to allow yourself to feel that discomfort of actually going through with it and experiencing it.

Speaker 1: 8:14

I also want you to think of your best case scenario. So your best case scenario let's use myself for this example with leaving my corporate job and going into full-time entrepreneurship. So the best case scenario is I'm successful, I own a successful business and I am helping so many women change their lives. I'm empowering so many women to go out there and take a solo trip. I am making a difference in this world. And that feeling, even saying it now, it just lights me up from the inside because that's what I want, that's what I desire, that's my why for all of this is to help other people. And my best case scenario knowing that I could potentially reach that that makes it all worth it. That makes every risk I take worth it if I could get to that point. So when you think of your best case scenario, clearly identify what it is that you hope for from this situation. If you're best, let's go to the networking thing or the meetup, whatever. If you're going to the meetup and you're worried oh, I'm not going to meet anybody, people are going to think I'm stupid. What if you went to that meetup and you made an amazing connection with somebody that could potentially be somebody that offers you a job. They could be your best friend, they could be your future partner. You have no idea what those connections can bring into your life. Best case scenario is your life changes because you took this risk and you met these people. Doesn't that sound worth the risk? I think it does.

Speaker 1: 10:04

And when it comes again to regret, do you really want to have regret when you look back at your life and say I wish I did this, I wish I did things differently, I wish I took a chance on myself, I wish I took that trip, I wish I started the business, I wish I left the relationship, I wish I started the relationship. Whatever it is, you don't want to have those regrets, do you? I know I don't, I can't, I'm not okay with regrets and I firmly believe that. You know we get one chance at life. This is it. This is our one chance. So why wouldn't you just live it fully and embrace it? Embrace the worst case scenario and embrace the best case scenario and go after it Now? I know it could feel scary. I know that making these big decisions in life can feel overwhelming. They can feel confusing at times as well, because you don't know what you're doing when you're starting something new. Right, I know I'm learning as I go.

Speaker 1: 11:22

When I first started this business in 2020, I went off a whim. I honestly, I went off a feeling that I had in Paris and just knew that it was right and I continued forward. And if, for any reason, this doesn't work out or if, for any reason, this doesn't light me up like it currently does, I'm allowed to change my mind and you're allowed to change your mind. Just because you go all in on something doesn't mean you have to stay all in. You have to listen to yourself, trust your gut and know what direction you want to go in by being intuitive to what your soul is guiding you towards. You're allowed to change your mind, you're allowed to try different paths, but the goal here is to always be moving forward, not stay safe in your comfort zone where you're just comfortable and you're miserable, even though you think that it's a good place to be safe here, to be at the job that you can't stand because you get that paycheck and you get the benefits, but every day you dread going to that job. That's not comfort, it's discomfort, just in a costume of comfort. When you embrace what truly feels right to you, you're gonna know it.

Speaker 1: 13:06

When I left my corporate job, I thought I was going to really feel a difference in my life and, to be honest with you, the only difference that I feel is I miss my co -workers that I, you know, I'm used to seeing every day for 14 years. I miss them, but that's it. I thought I'd be crying over the fact that not going into the office, or I miss the work or the routine. I don't miss any of it because you know what? I cried myself home from many days of work and I dreaded waking up in the morning to go into the office. And now I don't even think about it. It just naturally changed as soon as I made that decision. Everything felt in alignment and, again, it wasn't easy to get to that decision. I started thinking about this in 2018, this shift 2018?, yeah, 2018.

Speaker 1: 14:51

And it obviously took me many years to finally commit to making the change, and I believe what led me to finally making that change was, like I said, acknowledging my worst-case scenarios, being clear and being realistic with what could possibly happen, and doing the work myself because I don't think, you know, a few years ago, when I asked myself what the worst-case scenario was, I don't think I would have been realistic with myself. I think I would have went to absolute doom, to not being able to see past that doom, to think that I would just not survive and my life would be over. And it took the work. It took self-work and coaching, and you know I work with different mentors for different things, and it truly makes a difference when you grow as a person and you evolve and you realize that you're capable of more than what you think you are capable of, that you're able to do anything that you desire and that there are so many opportunities out there for you.

Speaker 1: 16:08

Don't narrow your options because of your thoughts. Why are you putting limits on your life? You're the one putting limits on your life, not anybody else. If you don't think you're capable, you're not going to go after those opportunities. So you need to recognize the fact that you are able to do whatever it is that you want to do. If that's what truly is within you and what you want to go after, you have to have that. Why, behind everything you do, why do you want to go after it. Why do you want to take a risk on yourself? Most likely it's because you want to be happy, you want to be healthy and you want an abundant life. You want to enjoy yourself, you want to have fun, you want love.

Speaker 1: 16:56

There's so many things that drive our whys, but you have to really recognize what it is. And once you do recognize what it is, you have to hold it close to you and you have to remind yourself of why you're doing it. Those nights that you're crying because you're overwhelmed and you don't know what to do or you feel like a failure, you have to hold on to your why and pull from it and let it guide you to move forward, give you that strength that you need. It's not easy. No one's gonna say it's easy. It's hard, it's uncomfortable, it's confusing. But again, it's still worth it and you have to realize that you are worth that effort. If you have negative self-talk, if you don't believe in yourself, you are going to struggle to make these big leaps in your life because you're just holding yourself back with your thoughts about yourself. Stop, you could choose what you would choose and what you want to think about yourself. So think that you're amazing. Find evidence of why you're capable and allow yourself to go after what it is that you want in your life.

Speaker 1: 18:19

If you want to solo travel but you're scared, you need to think about okay, what's the worst case scenario of me solo traveling and be realistic with it. Don't go into doom mode. Be realistic. Okay, you might feel uncomfortable meeting new people. You might not understand the language, so you can't read the signs. You might feel lonely.

Speaker 1: 18:48

Now, when you think of those worst case scenarios, you also have to think about your best case scenario. So, if you want to solo travel, what's the best case scenario? The best case scenario is your life could be absolutely changed, like mine was. You can meet amazing people. You can have incredible experiences. You can visit these gorgeous destinations. You will grow as a person, you get to know yourself, you develop self-love. All of these things are best case scenario of taking a solo trip. What outweighs each other? Is it the worst case scenario or the best case scenario? I truly believe the best case scenario very much outweighs the worst case scenario. So it's worth taking that chance on yourself. It's worth taking the risk because the best case scenario outweighs feeling uncomfortable or not understanding something, because you can figure it out. You can always figure it out, so I want you to take that into consideration the next time you have a big decision to make. And if solo travel is one of those decisions that you're thinking about making, I truly, truly hope that you decide to go for it and you don't have to do it completely alone.

Speaker 1: 20:14

If you didn't know, I host group trips and we are going to Italy in April and I actually have another group trip planned and I want you to get ready for it. It's going to be released to the public on March 1st and I need to still tell my VIPs first. So those of you who have traveled with me or traveling with me in April, or if you're in the One Girl Travel Club, they get first dibs on this trip. But I'm really excited because this is again. It's a. It's something that I've never done before. I've never hosted group trips before and now it's just. It's so exciting. The best case scenario, thinking of bringing 20 plus women together on these life changing experiences is well worth the discomfort. So putting myself out there hosting these trips, organizing them and all the things, it's just. It makes it all worth it, and so I'm very excited about that.

Speaker 1: 21:21

So if you are interested in solo travel, get ready for the second One Girl Travel group trip coming to you very, very soon. So if you want more information, you need to be on the mailing list. So go to onegirltravelcom and sign up, because you do not want to miss it. And I also want to remind you that if you are ready to take a chance on yourself, if you're struggling with making a big decision and you want help, I'm here for you. I offer one-on-one coaching and I have the One Girl Travel Club.

Speaker 1: 21:58

So, whatever feels right to you, if you want that one-on-one intensive coaching program, come to me, let's do it. We can have a discovery call for free and get to know each other and see if we're right fit for each other. Or you join the One Girl Travel Club and you get a library full of lessons and workbooks and coaching calls and guides, itineraries behind the scenes and more. There's so much there and there's so much more coming. So whatever you need I got it covered Reach out to me however you want.

Speaker 1: 22:36

You know where to find me and I would love to support you on your journey. So cheers to the worst-case scenarios, and we always make the best of them. Have a great day, my friends. So I want to do something a little different and I am going to start having guests on the One Girl Travel podcast. So if you are a solo traveler and solo travel has made a positive impact on your life, and if you have a story that you want to tell that you think that my audience would enjoy, I would love to have you on the podcast. So, if you're interested, send me an email at contact at onegirltravelcom, and I would love to talk to you.

Speaker 2: 23:25

Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the One Girl Travel podcast. If you're enjoying the show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find out more about your host on our website, onegirltravelcom, or follow her on Instagram, facebook, pinterest and TikTok. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll catch you in the next episode.