What does adventure mean to you? For me, it means taking risks. With any risks you take there is the potential to get hurt. The key lies in the rewards that taking those risks will bring to your life. That’s why the quote “adventure may hurt you but monotony will kill you,” resonates with me.
As an American, it resonates with me even more because of this rat-race in our society to achieve the “American Dream.” Go have your house with a white picket fence and start a family while you’re young, work a 9-5 job, raise your kids, retire then die. I quiver at the idea of that becoming my life. Maybe for some people, that really is their dream…and good for them, everyone has a unique story.
My story is where the words call me to different places entirely. My story is that I long to live on the road, reaching corners of this world that I have only ever dreamed about and probably can’t pronounce. My story is that I cannot feel fulfilled by this daily life until I can leave footprints in the sand, mud, snow, of hard to reach places. I want to stare into the eyes of beautiful people who look differently than me that come from other cultures and connect with them in the same time and space. I want to make an impact on the lives of those around me.
No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams. – Maya Mendoza
Security feels nice. It’s nice to work a salaried job and get a consistent paycheck, have a consistent roof over your head, and know where you’re supposed to be every day. Security is comfortable. It’s comfortable just long enough to keep your mom happy until you remember you have bigger dreams. Then one day you buy a one way ticket to Europe and tell her “I’m going to live in Spain” (or Korea for that matter, go Kate!)(or in a van, go Jesse!).
I got this message from a friend this morning and I think he hit it spot on. “She described the feeling of coming home to Ohio and I knew it from chalking up, from tying on my snowboard boots, seeing certain people, etc. Home is a feeling, a way of being, not places. I think you get that.”
I’m currently in a unique position with my job. I’m the full-time art director for a non-profit Creative District outside of Denver, (at age 22, I’m probably one of the youngest art directors out there) and I love my job. I’m able to be creative and see my impacts on the people and community around me. Those two aspects are really important to me. Another important aspect is travel, and my boss has been really great about allowing me to go whenever and wherever I want, as long as the work is covered or I can work remotely. It’s comfortable, and I can’t go full-remote because we have a very small staff and hands need to be on deck… but I do dream and wonder about taking my design career full-remote and living in new countries each year (or until I get bored, change my mind, or the visa runs out). I have this dream to visit 50 countries before I turn 30.
I’ve been able to avoid a totally consistent life routine by visiting at least two new countries each year, but I get bored so easily…I’m not sure how long doing that will last. I need to do something more…something bigger. I need to leave tangible effects on the places I visit and people I meet. I need to stay longer. That is for me to contemplate. What has this blog post got you thinking about?
Stop thinking about what’s realistic. What is YOUR dream? Okay, now, how do you MAKE it realistic? Start taking those steps. Don’t stop dreaming because monotony became comfortable and safe.
I have a plan cooking… I don’t think my life will look the same in a year from now. Take risks. Truly live your best life.