Imagine yourself sitting in your office chair, staring at your computer screen, pecking at your keyboard, checking the time, get a cup of coffee, repeat. Let’s face it, the craziest thing you did today was trying your coffee with no sugar (or with 10). You’ve got a routine, this place is familiar, you have to work with these people everyday, why would I do something CRAZY?
There are so many excuses in this world to remain tame and lame. But suddenly, you find yourself in New Zealand, and think about how you’ve always wanted to skydive,
Look, some people have a hard time doing what they really want to do. This can be out of fear, content, or just pure laziness. But traveling can transport your body and mind putting you in a completely new mindset…
The Deadly Triangle: Fear, Laziness, and Content
You’ve always wanted to go to Thailand for as long as you can remember. You think it is one of the most beautiful places on earth, I mean, it’s your computer background, you’ve got posters of Thai beaches plastered across your room, you tell people every chance you get, “Yea, I am dyinggg to go to Thailand, but…” BUT… I’m afraid of flying, I don’t know the language, I don’t know if I can afford it,
I’m gonna get mugged or scammed or kidnapped or end up in jail for a law I inadvertantly broke or killed. Guess what’s more scary than all that? NOT going.
Overcome the fear of unfamiliar: We like to know what’s going on and we like to create routines and systems to manage the things we do every day. Traveling disrupts all this and it scares the sh*t out of us. Once we take the first step out our comfort zone, things begin to get a lot crazier.
When in Rome… : I’m not saying it has to be Italy but when you get to wherever you’re traveling, something happens to you. Besides the tingly, butterflyish, feeling, you start to feel empowered. You got here. You did it! Now what else do I want to do? I’ve always wanted to go to New Zealand as I imagined it as the ultimate place of adventure. When I finally did, I went further and decided to do all the things that I had wanted to do but was too afraid to. And that’s how I went skydiving, caving, white water-rafting, and hiking on an active volcano in New Zealand.
Put it in front of me and I’ll try it: We are lazy. I’ll give you an example, not that you need one, but because it shows you exactly what I am talking about. The pains in my stomach are now getting to the point that I can’t concentrate, I am starving! I haven’t eaten all day when my mother walks by me and says, “Do you want dinner?” I perk up, “Of course I want dinner…” “Oh, well go ahead and make something.” And I wither back into the sofa, deflated by the effort it’s going to take to conjure up something eat. If she had placed food in front of me, anything really, I would’ve devoured it. I like to think the same way about travel. Get out there, see the world and magic will happen. When Mt. Doom is looming in the distance, you are almost 100% more likely to climb it. When you’re standing above a cave system covered in glow worms, you’ll probably a lot more likely to rappel yourself down into the deep dark earth. You’ll do these crazy things that usually only other people do.
Things are not that bad: Things are going fine. I’m pretty happy. Do you know what the definition of content is? “To be satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.” I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty damn sad. I think once you travel and find yourself in a radically new place, an unfamiliar enviroment, out of that oh so comfort(able) zone you find maybe you weren’t so “satisfied” or “happy” and maybe there is actaully a lot more out there you want. Give yourself the opportunity to see what you could be missing out on and I bet your ass you won’t be so content anymore