What if I told you that by stopping a Vespa in front of a random house for no other reason than a gut instinct, would dramatically change my life? This impulsive moment led me to visit the island of Tahiti over numerous times in the last seven years, creating a new world of friendships and more joy than I ever imagined, all because of intuition and doing something crazy without a logical reason. Intuition is one of the keys that unlocks the door to a life of living your dreams.

I believe intuition is one of the most important factors in having everything that you desire. The little clues that take you off your mapped out route lead you to your riches. Riches can be more than just money. They can be your relationships and friendships, or a job that you are passionate about. The list is endless.

What I marvel about is how important it is to listen to that little voice inside you so you can be open to it and allow it to take you down those magical roads. There are books written about it, and there are numerous CEO’s and athletes who attribute their success to following their intuition.

For me, the best example is a trip I took with my husband to Tahiti over seven years ago. I had been once before and I was drawn to French Polynesia. The people, the music, the mountains, the sea and the French food didn’t hurt this attraction either.

We went to a little island called Tahaa. It is an island less traveled than Bora Bora or Moorea. There are no airports, no fancy hotels, just large Tahitian guest houses for families, one small bed and breakfast and a tiny island with a very nice Relais and Chateaux where we were staying.

As luck would have it, it decided to rain. When it rains in Tahiti, it can go on for days! After the third day of rain, I was researching flights to travel to places with the promise of sun. Finally the rain stopped. My husband Dale and I decided to take the Vespa and explore the main island of Tahaa in search of the infamous pearl farms and a strand of pearls, which was to be my reward for interminable patience waiting out the rain.

With the sun kissing the land and trees, everything had a very magical quality to it. On our journey to the end of the island and the pearl farm, about midway through, I saw a house on the water that was open air, using tree trunks for the corners with a very tropical, yet different design from the other houses that we passed. I told my husband to stop the Vespa, because I wanted to see who owned it and who the designer was. I had an interior design company in Malibu and was keenly interested in what inspired people to build what they build. Dale responded, ‘Are you crazy? You cannot just stop at a complete stranger’s house.’ But something inside me said it would be okay. I love adventure. What was the worst thing that could happen? After all, I felt compelled to stop. Dale carried on ignoring my plea. He wrote it off to one of my impulsive moments, one of those moments that are hard to explain, because from the outside, they make little sense.

We continued down the road, arriving at the pearl farm and asked to speak to the owner. Apparently, he had been taken to the hospital with a heart problem and thus, the pearl farm was closed. So I was forced back on my Vespa, having completed the length of the island, without a reward. On the way back, I begged Dale to stop while I pounded on his back like a child throwing a tantrum. He reluctantly pulled over to indulge my moment. Around the corner there was a young boy yelling, ‘You wanna see some pearls?’ in his adorable French accent. ‘Yes,’ I blurted out and said, ‘Told you so,’ to Dale, so he could hear my triumph. Tama, the boy’s father, offered us a Heineken, which I took even though I don’t drink beer. I was up for the full adventure. We chatted and looked at pearls, finding a gorgeous aqua green strand that I was considering taking. He told us to take the strand back to our hotel to ‘See how I like it.’ I asked him if he wanted my credit card information. He refused my card, saying, ‘I trust you.’ I thought to myself, who does that? What planet is he on?

So, we took the strand with promises to return after living with it for a day. We went back to our hotel and spent the night discussing how refreshing this trusting way of living was. The next day, we returned to Tama’s home and, at his insistence, went snorkeling and ate at a local restaurant.

The following day we returned for more island fun and watched him free dive and spear fresh fish, which he then cooked on a wheelbarrow with coral and wood, using a screen as a grate to keep the fish from falling through. It went on like this for the next four days. We never returned to our five star hotel to eat again. We dove right into their family, their culture, and the generous spirit that they shared.

As we were getting ready to leave the island and return to LA, we said our good-byes at their house, and of course, bought our strand of pearls. I looked up at the mountain behind their house on the water and told them how beautiful it was. I had been watching the stars litter the sky night after night with that majestic hill as a backdrop. Tama and his wife, Virginie, informed us that they owned the land with a dream to build a guesthouse and residence one day. Unfortunately, they said they thought they would never build it because it was too expensive. We looked at Tama and Virginie said, ‘We’ll build it.’ They stared back in disbelief with tears in their eyes.

It was their dream, but it was also mine, to live in a culture as untouched as this, and experience this type of island life. Within two weeks, we had wired the money, and the building began. Within four months our bungalowwasbuiltandwewerestayingthere. Never a contract, or stitch of paper changed hands. They gave us the land, we gave them the building and embarked on an adventure we named Tiare Breeze. Tiare is the name of the fragrant gardenia-like flower of Tahiti.

They rent the bungalow out to help support their family, and we bring friends and family to stay and vacation. Since that original meeting, we built an over water pontoon and bought a boat to explore surf spots to snorkel and swim with the whales, which I did for almost half an hour with a mother and her calf less than 50 feet away! We hike, bike, eat, and have a group of local friends that we just love and adore.

The story, and the magic only get better. A year later, I was moving my office and I took my vision board off of my wall to pack away. As I looked over this glorified collage of things that I wanted in my life, I was shocked to see before me a picture that I had cut out of a magazine. It was of an island bungalow with tree trunks supporting the corners and branches holding up the thatched roof. It looked just like what we had built in Tahiti. There was also a picture of a motor boat racing through the water. I was stunned. I realized that I had attracted and built my dream. I remembered making this collage and thinking that we couldn’t afford another house, and I even wondered what I needed with a boat. But with the faith of seeing how many others had done these vision boards with magical results, I did it and hung it in my office. All of this took place because I followed my intuition and set my intention on a dream. I did not know ‘how’ it would happen, I just knew it would. Think of the odds, because we are not French, we could not have legally purchased the land or afforded it, but instead it was given to us. The boat became part of the Tiare Breeze project. All of these circumstances collided to deliver a dream, one that is better than anything I could have ever imagined. A whole new life was available for Dale and I and our friends and family because of a simple exercise in faith and intuition.

Say the Radical yes to following your intuition and creating the backdrop for your dreams, like Rachel and I have done with Radical Skincare.

Go above and beyond because you can.