Happy New Year!
And so, it begins.
Starting something new is always exciting. You set out with a list of goals and hopes to make positive changes or to simply try something different. But then, the underlying fear and uncertainty gradually creep in.
You start to question yourself and wonder if you’re really capable of everything you’ve decided to accomplish. What if you fail? What if it’s too hard? What will other people say or think about it? Or you?
All the enthusiasm and excitement you initially felt slowly starts to dwindle away until you ask yourself why you even bothered to think you could possibly attempt something new in the first place.
This vicious cycle is one that I’m all too familiar with.
But (very) recently, something changed.
Picture it. Thanksgiving weekend of 2020. I was propped up on my sofa after yet another long week of work, browsing Netflix for something to lose myself in for the next few hours. As I was mindlessly scrolling through the options for my potential escape, I noticed where the ‘For You’ section had taken me.
Adventure documentaries.
Now, I’ve been a huge fan of this genre since childhood. My addiction to National Geographic and The Discovery Channel was mildly concerning, to say the least. Watching intrepid people base jump in wingsuits from remote, near-impossible-to-reach mountaintops or trek across arctic terrain over the years is what fueled and inspired my ever-growing count of bucket list adventures.
Yet this time, the prospect of watching someone else accomplish their next-greatest feat didn’t fill me with anticipation.
The Turning Point
Instead, I could only sit there while staring blankly at the TV screen and re-evaluating my entire life in the span of a few minutes. My emotions ran the gamut from envy and frustration to mild disappointment, and eventually settled upon steely determination.
It began as a tiny spark, a small ember. So fleeting, it could’ve been a passing thought. However, it swiftly grew into a smoldering fire that could no longer be suppressed or ignored. This was it. I was truly ready for a drastic life change and nothing or no one could stop me. Not even myself.
You see, deep down, what I have always yearned for is to live the most epic and exciting life I could possibly imagine. The legendary sort.
To truly represent the life motto that, years ago, I had quietly adopted but had been too timid to fully implement – “Be uninhibited and live vibrantly”.
A life that conjures images of fearless explorers and adventurers dashing into fates unknown for the mere possibility of experiencing or discovering something novel that no other living person has ever seen or done. To embody that audacious spirit that is so all-encompassing, life is inevitably distilled and becomes strikingly simple. To live only for the constant chase of that which makes you feel most alive.
It was this burning desire that prompted me to let the immaterial fall away, until only the core of what had ignited the spark remained – a renewed sense of urgency in not allowing one more day to pass without incorporating the previously suppressed need for passion and adventure into my everyday life.
Making the Change
So, being the all-or-nothing type of person that I am, I immediately decided that I was going to turn my life into an experiment for the entire next year. I would be courageous, bold, and completely open to all opportunities by incorporating a radically different and yet-to-be-expressed facet of my psyche into a more daring version of myself.
I flew to my desk, grabbed my bucket list journal, and began reviewing every adventurous activity and new experience I could ever possibly think of doing over the next year.
As an urban-dwelling, non-outdoorsy, thirty-something lover of all things luxurious, beauty-related, and delicious, I figured I would attempt to transform myself into what I envisioned as a cosmopolitan Lara Croft-esque outdoor enthusiast and aspiring adventurer. I’d be a fearless and curious explorer of life who lives to take risks and try new experiences – but make it fashion.
In less than thirty minutes, I had laid out the main concept behind The Adventuresse Life.
The way in which all my thoughts and feelings came together so quickly to align in this new and exciting vision of how I could live my life (if only I were courageous enough to grasp it) was convincing enough for me to completely accept it as a done deal. Even the name ‘Adventuresse’ had easily come to me!
I wanted to create a way to document and commemorate the journey of hurling myself full speed towards every wild and crazy adventure I had silently filed away to experience “someday”. That frustratingly vague and undefined date in the future that consistently remained just out of reach.
Experiences and Adventures Abound
Well, for me, someday has finally arrived and I have probably over-extended myself by cramming in all manner of experiences (big and small) into this year. However, if 2020 has taught me nothing else, it’s that tomorrow is promised to no one, and I am taking that message as literally as possible!
I want to capture every moment of excitement, trepidation, joy, and fearlessness as I embark upon this road of radical self-discovery. To be honest, creating The Adventuresse Life (and corresponding Instagram and Twitter accounts) in and of itself is a major accomplishment. Especially considering my strong aversion to social media and how fiercely I guard my privacy. But we’re living the uninhibited and audacious life now, remember?
I figure if I’m planning to learn how to scuba dive, sail a boat, become a mountaineer, and go skydiving for the first time (amongst other things), creating a blog and posting on social media to celebrate my every move in painstaking detail is probably the least extreme thing that I’ll be doing for the next year. While I plan to write about my daily experiences for myself (to both hone my writing skills and have a journal of sorts to reflect on later for personal growth) I welcome anyone who happens to come across my humble blog to read about my latest adventures.
So, here’s to big dreams and wild aspirations at any age, and to honoring the enterprising spirit that lives in all of us. Just waiting for the day you notice it and give it free rein to take you on the adventure of your life.
May this year be the best one yet.
Cheers!
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