This is Optimal Living Daily Episode 999. What it really means to do, what you love,

by Jennifer with KateFlanders.com, and I'm just a mall like your very own personal narrator.

This is the award-winning show thanks to you, where I find blogs, get permission from the authors,

and then narrate their articles so that you can take a break from staring at a screen.

And this is Episode 999, of course. I will be doing something special tomorrow,

and over the course of a week or so in celebration, so stay tuned for that.

For now, let's get right to it and start optimizing your life.

What it really means to do, what you love, by Jennifer with KateFlanders.com.

When I was 22, I decided that I was tired of my life, and did something I'm almost scared to admit

on a personal finance blog. I dropped out of university, bought a one-way ticket to London,

and boarded a plane with nothing but a backpack, a work visa, and a meager $500 in my pocket.

I landed at Heathrow after a long and difficult flight, I was sick on the plane,

feeling completely lost, exhausted, and disoriented. But also happier than I'd ever felt in my life.

Despite the pitiful exchange rate, my limited funds I realized I had enough to sustain me for

exactly seven days provided I stuck to a strict diet of peanut butter sandwiches,

and the fact that I knew absolutely no one in London, I was beyond excited.

For the first time in my life, I was doing what I loved. This was a few years before Steve Jobs

gave his famous commencement speech and told us all to find what we love, but the hype was already

in the air, not falling for it. Hook, line, and sinker. Quit your job and travel the world.

Follow your passion. Do what you love. I lived and breathed these mantras, and for the next few

years, they got in my life. Back in London, I landed on my feet, finding a job and placed a

live just hours before my money ran out. I spent a magical six months exploring the city,

...