View Life As An Adventure

Travelling with the people you love is like taking home with you wherever you go.

Travelling with friends or even alone can be a calming, reenergizing, soulful experience.  This type of travel is very satisfying and helps you to rediscover who you are and is a great time for self-reflection and fun. 

 I have recently gone on a trip.  I travelled meet alone to with friends at a resort.  I had an amazing time and enjoyed so many experiences that took me out of my comfort zone.  I tried new things, met new people, and had so much fun!  I was proud of the things I accomplished on this trip.  But I found myself really missing my family.  The only thing that would have made this trip even better would have been to have my family with me.

I sat there and wondered why I missed them so much even though I was having such a great time.  I realized that my family is a source of comfort to me.  They bring the warmth and cozy feeling of home that I was missing. 

How do I bring the feeling of home with me when I travel?   I could talk to my family each night.  I could video chat with them so they can see where I am and share my experience.  Or, I could just take them with me when I travel. 

Whether it’s a long vacation or just quick trip, spending time with the people you love in a beautiful place creates memories you can all hold in your heart when you can’t be together.  

Experience a new way of life by seeing the world through your child’s eyes.

Children are experiencing the world for the first time.  They don’t know to be judgmental.  They don’t know to be cynical.  They just allow the world to happen around them and find a way to make those experiences fun. 

When we think of taking our children on a trip, most adults look at this as a long to do list.  We pack extras of everything and worry about their sleep schedule, what they will eat, how to make activities more interesting to the children so they don’t have a meltdown, and then we worry about how to find time for ourselves to relax.  Children don’t have these worries.  They are focused on fun, food, and happiness.  

We are told so many times to grow up. It’s drilled into our head that being an adult means taking responsibility for everyone and everything around you.  We are so busy taking that responsibility that we forget to enjoy what is happening right now.

Today, whether you are at work, at home, or anywhere in between, take two minutes to stop what you’re doing.  Take a few deep breaths and ask yourself what you can do to make your day more fun.  Look at your day as a child would.  What could you do to make this day amazing for you?  Now, stop thinking about it and go do it.  Make today amazing!

You learn more by accumulating experiences while exploring the world.

Whether you are feeding the green monkeys on the side of the road, ziplining through the rainforest, soaring on a personal coaster down the side of a mountain, or exploring the critters that live in the creek beside your house, you are learning by experience. 

Don’t get me wrong, when you read a book and imagine yourself actually travelling with the characters, you are transported to some of the most amazing places you could ever imagine.  But what if you could actually experience some of those adventures?   Could it really be possible?  Of course it can. 

Are you stuck at home because of the state of the world right now?  Not really.  You can make your own adventures.  Maybe hiking Mount Everest isn’t possible because of travel bans, but you can find a mountain closer to home.  No mountains?  What about hiking a new trail instead?  Can’t hike on a trail because the ground is uneven?  Go for a walk through your town – pick a new pathway and just go. 

Try something new today – whether it’s a new recipe, a new hobby, listen to a different type of music, or even read a different type of book.  Learning is all around us.  It’s up to us to find new paths, explore new surroundings, and make life exciting.

Some of the most scenic roads you travel in life are the detours you didn’t mean to take.

When you stop wanting everything to be perfect in your life, you learn to let go.  Letting go of control can be one of the hardest things we can do in life.  When we realize we can’t control everything, we learn to enjoy the moment we are in right now. 

My husband and I were headed to the beach.  We stuffed the trunk with a week’s worth of our belongings and hit the road.   We had a long drive with some great conversation.  I kept looking out the window and the scenery instantly put me at peace.  I was relaxed and was heading to the one place in the world that my husband relaxed enough to become the man I married.  Life was good.

Then we hit detours.  Traffic was horrible and the weather was getting bad.  Our GPS told us to go straight even though the signs said to make the right.  We made the next right and followed the road that had a view of the ocean. 

About 20 minutes later, we ended up back on the road that we were originally supposed to travel.  However, if we would have followed the signs instead of the GPS, we would not have seen the ocean for the last 20 minutes.  We would have been stuck in traffic with the best view being the cars and angry people in them.  Instead, we were listening to the radio, singing (or at least trying to sing), and had the most amazing view I’ve ever had travelling to that beach! 

Today, find a way to take the scenic tour.  You never know the beauty you will find there!

Life is an adventure filled with the people we love and the places we’ve been.

When we were younger, we were told to be brave and to try new things. We were surrounded by the people we love.  We call them family.   We travelled to exotic places:  the backyard jungle, the neighborhood park, or even visited the zoo we called Grandma’s.  Some adventures are literal and others are all about perspective

The summers we spent at our cottage were amazing!  We were surrounded by woods, farmland, and a river.  My childhood was spent playing in mud puddles, gardening with my uncle, visiting the farmers, fishing, and swimming.  Family and children were everywhere and you never had to look far to find adventure.

Adventure is about facing each experience head on regardless of the outcome.  Do you remember the last time you had an adventure?  What did you do?  You can have an adventure every day by stepping out of your comfort zone and do something you thought you’d never have the courage to try.

There is no time to be bored in this beautiful world.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are bored, change the way you look at the situation or change the situation itself. 

I remember telling my mom that I was bored when I was a child.  Her response was that if I didn’t get outside and find something to do, she would find something for me.  I believe that was one of the best things she ever did for me.  This taught me that there’s always something to do – you just have to be willing to look for the thing that brings you joy.

We are all getting a little tired of being home, doing the same things, and not being able to see our loved ones like we used to.   But we have found a way around those situations.   We go for drives, try something new, and visit on Zoom or socially distanced. 

I like to go for a walk, a hike, or a drive when I’m bored.  Being outside makes everything beer for me.  What works for you?  Make a list of ten things you could do to change things up a little when you get bored.  Hang that list on your fridge so that you can quickly figure out how to beat the boredom

Do more things that make you forget to check your phone.

When was the last time you left your house without your phone?  We are all so caught up in social media, games,   videos, the perfect picture, and Googling everything under the sun, that we sometimes forget to put that phone down and enjoy the life that is in front of us.

What would it take to get you to put that phone down and have fun?  What would you do without a phone?  How would you know what’s going on in the world?  Could you call your loved ones?  Do you even know their number?

Spend 30 minutes without your phone today.  Put it away and just focus on the life you are living now.  Don’t document it; no pictures; no videos.  Just do something fun.   What did you do?  How did it make you feel to not have your phone in your hands for that long?

 Don’t count the days.  Make your days count.

Sometimes we are so busy worrying about the next thing coming.  I know I’ve heard myself saying, “I can’t wait until…”  or “I will do this as soon as…”  The problem is that life is happening now.  What about now? 

We live for that next best thing.  How many times have you heard that there’s only ## days until Christmas or until Memorial Day or vacation.  We get so lost in our thoughts and our planning that we forget about today.  Today isn’t Christmas, but it’s still 24 hours that I can use to do something great.  You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to do what makes you happy. 

Take time to stop what you’re doing; stop the planning; stop waiting.  Find some way to have fun or make today special.  Can’t think of anything?  Turn on some music and dance.  Take a walk through your neighborhood and actually notice your surroundings.  Call or visit someone you  haven’t seen in a while.  The possibilities are endless. 

Take time for yourself, for fun.

The greatest adventure you can have is to live the life of your dreams.

What dreams do you have?  What are you doing to make those dreams come true?  What excuses are you giving yourself that make you think these dreams can’t come true?  Write those excuses down.  Now walk away for ten minutes and do something that takes your mind off the list. 

In ten minutes, come back to the list, read it, and ask yourself what is stopping you from doing those things?  Are they actual reasons or are they just excuses that you tell yourself because you’re afraid?  Fear is a signal that you are doing the right thing.  Fear is also just a thought that can be changed.

We sometimes get so caught up in fear of failing that we forget we can learn from our failures.  Pick one of your dreams and figure out what your next step would be for making that dream come true.   Remember, fear is a thought.  Thoughts can be changed.  What thought would you need to tell yourself that would make you more confident and give you the courage to take a chance?

Imagine a world where all your dreams can come true.  Take a few deep breaths, gather a little courage, and take the risk.    You are living in that world right now. 

One way to get the most from life is to view it as an adventure.

The word “adventure” brings up so many feelings, including excitement and fear.  Think about one of your happiest memories.  I bet you were excited about doing something.  Maybe you were a little afraid of trying a new thing, going to a certain place, or even being with certain people. 

A few years ago, my father took us on a cruise.  I was so afraid of going on a cruise that for months I had trouble sleeping.  When I did sleep, I had nightmares about the Titanic and about living in a pineapple under the sea.

Then came the day we boarded the cruise ship.  I was so focused on getting my belongings onboard that I didn’t have time to worry.  I did have a few set-backs during the cruise – especially during the storm or when the elevator announced that we were “going down”.  However, most of the time I just told myself that I was in a hotel overlooking the ocean. 

This particular cruise took us to the islands of Antigua, Tortola, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Puerto Rico, and Haiti.  I realize now that if it weren’t for taking that cruise, I would never have seen those particular islands.  If I still allowed my fear to keep me landlocked,  I would never have seen the islands we have visited since that first cruise.

I changed the way I looked at the situation.  I allowed myself to try new things.  And I made some of the most awesome memories with my husband and my family.

Today’s challenge:  Have an adventure (even a small one.)  How are you feeling when you are having the adventure?  Make the time, have fun, and plan more adventures.  You and your happiness are worth it!