Have you ever wanted to move to a new country or start your own blog or just go on a grand adventure? Well, Katie from Welcome to Versailles has done all three.

You’ve probably dreamed of doing something similar and going after what you want.

Most of us only fantasize about being able to have the confidence and courage to chase our big dreams.

We can be intimated or overwhelmed about actually taking the first step towards these exciting yet scary goals.

After talking with Katie though, it doesn’t feel as scary or intimidating anymore. Her confidence in herself is infectious and her story is inspiring. You’ll be more motivated than ever go after what you want after reading her story.

Grab your favorite drink and sit back as Katie’s beautiful story unfolds.

Read More: 49 Quotes to Inspire and Motivate You to Build Confidence

When Katie found herself laid off from her job, she knew she there’d be some time before the economy would bounce back.

Instead of getting discouraged, she got motivated. This was her chance to live in Europe for the summer.

She booked a one-way ticket from the States to Germany, where her sister was already living. She secured a job as an au pair and her new European adventure began.

Little did she know her European adventure would continue for ten years instead of a few months.

“Once you start down a path, options come up that you didn’t see at first. Action breeds action,” Katie explained.

She was able to work in Switzerland for a year, spend time in Paris with a friend, and explore many beautiful places that Europe has to offer.

While in Germany, Katie met and fell in love with her now French husband.  When they decided to settle down somewhere for permanency, they decided on France.

Sounds like a fantasy, right?

But life does have its challenges. 

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Read More: 11 Easy Ways to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone to Boost Confidence

The first year was tough for Katie because of the language barrier and the bureaucracy.

She struggled to learn the language even after completing an app program on learning French.

But she continued going after what she wanted. 

“Learning doesn’t always happen how and when you want it to. Every season of life brings new words. My vocabulary grew and grew. You figure it out.”  

The people in her life, like her husband, made all the difference. They were patient with her and helped her laugh at her little mistakes.

Once the first year came to an end Katie wanted to enjoy the fruits of her labor and decided to stay in France longer.

She always had it in the back of her mind, though, that she could go home if she wanted to. But she was enjoying her life in France.

Through trial and error, she discovered people, places, and things she adored about Versailles.

“The adventures keep happening. It’s more exciting to be here than it is to be home,” Katie said.

She was falling in love with Versailles. She found herself living in a charming 120-year-old house in Paris’s suburb and enjoying the stories she was learning from the locals.  

“There’s no shortage of stories. There’s a lot to tell about this little town in the suburbs.”

Living in a new country with a husband and four kids is not where Katie’s adventure stops though. She decided to take on a new challenge after having the idea “haunt” her for 8 years.

Read More: Quick Easy Wins are a Simple Way to Boost Your Confidence to Help You Achieve Your Goals

Katie describes herself as a natural hostess. She loves showing people around her home of Versailles. And she happily welcomed people to France when her and her husband bought an Airbnb apartment (it’s stunning!).

Hospitality is very important to Katie especially after spending time in Texas. She felt France got a bad rep for not being welcoming. In her own way she wanted to shift that narrative.

The idea of starting her own blog began to hide out in the back of her mind. Especially once she landed her dream job but found it to be more boring than she thought it’d be.

She started writing as a creative outlet. It helped her from burning out because she enjoyed it so much.

She began compiling a Google drive of stories and photos of her life in Versailles. She was a wealth of information.

But she didn’t do anything with this Google drive for 8 years.

She thought about starting a blog, but then she would think, “I’m not an expert in anything. I’m just a mom who works a 9 to 5 in marketing.”

*If you want to gain more confidence to achieve your goals in just one week, subscribe to my newsletter to receive your FREE copy of the 7-Day Confidence Building Workbook*

Still the people close to her encouraged her to give it a shot. She was honest with herself though and knew the tech side of building her blog was not her forte.

But she was determined to go after what she wanted. 

She saved up the money and hired someone to build her website. She finally had a home for her Google drive stories, articles, and photos.

“Sitting on the idea for 8 years didn’t do me any good.”

She was able to publish her first 100 posts in 3 months!

She started to think about how she would speak to herself as a new person in Versailles.

“I thought how would I have been helpful to me?” Katie explained.

This thought brought her the highest pageviews when she wrote for real people and their questions about Versailles.

The user experience has always been Katie’s main focus since creating Welcome to Versailles. Even though tech overwhelms her she recently figured out how to add Google maps to her blog to make it a better experience for her readers.

“You’re doing it right if you’re getting overwhelmed. Life is overwhelming and big.” Katie laughed.

Before she was able to monetize her blog, the pageview numbers are what kept her motivated and built her confidence. She looked at her numbers every day believing in her dream that one day her blog could become her full-time income.

“I’m a nerd because I like the numbers of it.”

It was a labor of love initially but now she’s been able to monetize her blog and she’s only 6 months in!

“Money means I’m providing a service that resonates with people.”

Read More: 33 Journal Prompts to Increase Your Self-Confidence

She’s created a solid blogging foundation for herself that she knows will scale.

Her blogging foundation was built in 3-month increments. Every 3 months she takes on a new blogging challenge whether it’s mastering Pinterest or SEO or writing content.

“You can’t get overwhelmed by the big idea. You have to break things down into minis to work on the big. Instead of zooming out on the big picture, zoom in. I just do one task a day,” Katie explained.

If at the end of the 3 months what she was working on didn’t get her the results she wanted, that’s okay.

“I don’t see big failures. I tried it and now I’m trying this. It was only 3 months.”

Then she starts the next challenge for the next 3-month cycle.

“I take things one day at a time. Every moment I make the best decision with what I know.”

So is Welcome to Versailles where Katie hopes to stay. Nope, she’s already ready for the next adventure it brings her way.

“It’s an investment. The skills I’m learning now will take me to what is next. This isn’t where the goal ends.”

If you want to stay connected with Katie and all her adventures check out her beautiful blog, Welcome to Versailles.

*If you want to gain more confidence to achieve your goals in just one week, subscribe to my newsletter to receive your FREE copy of the 7-Day Confidence Building Workbook*

1. View setbacks as step ups. When Katie was laid off, she took the opportunity to move to Europe for 3 months, which turned into 10 years and is still continuing.

2. It’s vital to have supportive people around you who will be patient with you and help you laugh at your mistakes.

3. You can always go back to what your life was, but you might as well see where the adventure takes you.

Katie knew she could go home if she wanted to, but instead she followed the adventure. Just look at all the amazing places it’s taken her!

4. Sitting on an idea for any length of time is not doing you or anyone else any favors.

If an idea won’t leave you alone, start figuring out how to bring it to life.

You have to go after what you want in life. 

5. Just because you don’t think you’re an expert or anyone special, doesn’t mean you don’t have something of value to offer people.

Katie thought she was just a mom and a 9 to 5 worker, but her blog has helped so many people and continues to do so.

6. It’s okay to get help. You don’t have to do everything on your own.

Katie knew the tech side of starting a blog was out of her wheelhouse, so she hired someone.

She was able to focus on the part she enjoyed, which was the writing and content creation.

7. Don’t overwhelm and intimidate yourself with the huge goal.

Break your big dream down into smaller, more achievable goals. 

This keeps you motivated and your confidence high.

8. Focus on the people you serve and who you can help.

Katie’s success was built on wanting to provide the best user experience for her readers and guiding them through Versailles.

9. See your failures as learning opportunities to find what works best for you. Like Katie said, you try it and then you try something else.

When something doesn’t work out, instead of feeling discouraged just move onto the next task.

10. Keep dreaming. You never know if what you’re working on now might lead you to something even greater in the future.

Continue chasing your dreams and going after what you want most in life. 

Let me know if Katie’s story resonated with you in the comments. Also, please share this post with a friend if you think it’ll inspire them to dream big and achieve their goals!