Twenty five years ago this week I embarked on a year long trip around the world with little more than my backpack, some travelers checks and a sense of adventure. First stop USA, then Europe and, then on through India and South East Asia.
I recall a tumult of intense mixed emotions as my plane took off and I stared down, through tear streaked eyes, onto Melbourne shrinking into the distance. I was on my own now. No mobile phones or Facebook back then.
In the 12 months that followed I learned a lot – about the world, about people, and about myself.
I learned there are many kind and honest people in the world and to trust my gut in avoiding those who aren’t.
I learned the importance of self-reliance and the value of humor when plans go awry (as they often did!)
I learned that we tend to resist the unfamiliar until we understand it.
I learned that we human beings are far more alike than we are different.
And I learned that a sense of adventure is one of the most valuable things to take on any journey (not just on vacation).
This week I will again board a flight from Melbourne to the US, a trip I’ve now made dozens of times, to speak at the United Nations Foundation and several other events.
In the quarter century that has passed since that first trip (my first flight!), I’ve had many other adventures (think four kids!). Each of them, particularly the tougher ones, have only reinforced my belief that embracing life with a sense of adventure – open to new and different people, ideas, experiences, and possibilities – can fundamentally shift our experience of life.
Opening your arms (mind and heart) wide to the grand adventure of this journey we call life will help you find laughter when plans fall apart, ride above the waves when storms blow in, and discover within yourself resilience, strength and bravery you never knew you had.
Opening your arms to the grand adventure of life will help you discover your own strength.
It will also ignite your imagination and fuel your courage to move toward the people, opportunities and possibilities that inspire you… and away from those which don’t.
French Novelist, Marcel Proust wrote, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” So if you were to see yourself and your future with new eyes – what is one thing you would start doing and one thing you’d stop?
If you’d like some support figuring that out, I invite you to join my 10 day Train The Brave Challenge which kicks off next week. Ten videos from me. Ten challenges for you. Ten days to build the bravery to create the life you want. TraintheBrave.com
Live Bravely!
