It’s hard to believe I’ve been traveling the world for nearly three and a half years now. It seems like only yesterday I was living a normal life, preparing to donate my belongings, and set off on this grand adventure.
The point of this adventure was to step out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons. To learn more about myself and the world around me. And to experience life differently.
And for a while, that was entirely the case. I downsized my life to a couple suitcases. Lived in new places for a month at a time. And found a gym, co-working, and community in each new place around the world. It’s been quite the adventure.
But, over time, I came to realize I started doing the very same things in every new place I lived. Same month-long stays. Same monthly gym membership. Same routine of checking new experiences off the list and then moving on.
And upon reflection, I realized that I was no longer expanding my horizons. Or stepping out of my comfort zone. Or experiencing life differently. I was just following the same routines but from some different part of the world.
In essence, I reverted back to the same “normal” life that I set out to avoid in the first place. And in doing so, I held so tightly to those routines that they became part of my identity.
I became so beholden to “my” way of life that I began to resist change, flexibility, and new ways of living - and became close-minded to doing things differently or accepting other points of view. And I became what I feared - just another person in life who was through the motions.
So, I took a month break to truly reflect on my life and how I was living. And finally stopped to think about why I was doing the things I was doing, and whether they truly served me. And whether there was more to life than this.
And of course there is.
There is so much more of this world to see.
I’ve lived mostly across the US, Mexico, and Western Europe - partly due to travel restrictions - but partly because these are my comfort zones. But there are so many unique cultures to experience beyond my horizons.
There is so much more of life to experience.
I find myself going through the same routines, just in different places, because I feel safe and comfortable in them. But even an outside-the-box life can become a routine or habit if you don’t shake things up every now and then.
There is so much more to life than this.
Whatever you’re doing right now doesn’t need to be the life you live forever. If you love every aspect of your life, great. But if not, there are so many new ways to live, experience, and explore.
Traveling. Exploring. Adventure. Dreams.
These things light my soul on fire. I’ll never stop chasing after the things I truly love, but I’m curious of how to experience them differently. More consciously. And with more curiosity for new and unique ways of experiencing life.
And if I truly wish to live fully, I need to let go of the routines, habits, and identity I’ve held onto.
So, over the last six weeks, I threw my routines aside, camped out of a mini-school bus, trekked across Patagonia, hiked the largest glacier in South America, journeyed to the end of the world to an island full of penguins, and for once, just headed to wherever the wind will take me.
Because there is so much more ✨