Preface: Why you should explore and push your limits.
This is a long one, but bear with me.
If you had to pick one place in the world to visit, where would you go? In most of your minds places like the beaches in Spain, or the vineyards of France, or maybe even the mountains of Chile pop up. Wherever you pick, why are you drawn there? I am here today to challenge you to think outside of the box on an adventure. I have been to very different places in the world and they have all been so beautiful and unique in so many different ways. First, we must challenge ourselves and being realistic in life and knowing what travel is. Second, to not take ourselves too seriously. Lastly, to explore where to go and really dive deep into what exploring is and an inward look into our own relationships.
Travel is purely moving from one place to another. We use travel in a variety of ways. We think of short travel versus distance travel and the thought of going to different places for different reasons. What is the reason that you travel? Work? Family? How about a culture change? Environment? Situations? One great quote that has no credit to a person is, “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” We work and prioritize everyday living that we do not take time for ourselves to be spontaneous. Traveling today has been the cheapest, easiest, most diverse, and most accessible it has ever been. Compared to fifty years ago the ticket prices are twenty percent of what they used to. Attaining visas or getting a passport has been made dramatically more simple. Most places to go and the easiest way to get there is also a bonus, comparatively. When thinking of why else to travel, a great motivator, businessman, and influencer Gary Vaynerchuk once said , “Life shrinks and expands on the proportion of your willingness to take risks and try new things.” We can take this quote literally but we can also think of it in our own mind and ask ourselves when was the last time I did something new?
Two of the biggest regrets people have in life is that they do not pursue their passions and that they worked too much. The last time I tried something new was when I had to learn to tie a bow tie. Was that a huge step like traveling around this sphere we call home? No, but I can confirm it was easier for me to learn the subway system in Beijing than to tie that bow tie. Take Taoranting to Xuanwumen then get on line two and next thing I am at school. It’s been four years. It’s been four years. Four years later and I still remember where that school is in Xicheng. These memories last forever and it’s a mistake not to make any while we are young. It seems we can assume my memories have lasted.
I have a good friend from childhood named Zach. He and I were talking one day and he moved away while we were young but always kept in touch. One night we got bored and started talking about going somewhere in Europe and wanted to have a culture change. Spontaneously we bought our tickets to Amsterdam and the rest is history. Having shared that experience with a close friend was incredible and a memory I surely wont forget. Sometimes being spontaneous just needs another match to burn with you. We ended up going to Amsterdam (Netherlands), Cologne (Germany), and Brussels (Belgium). He lost his passport, I ate a burger crepe. He might’ve drank a little too much, I might’ve encouraged it. Life is meant to live. Life is meant to live. Life is meant to live.
You just heard me talk about why you should travel from a point of view of investing in your experiences, but why not travel to make a lifelong friend? I challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and make a friend. There are two friends that come to mind for myself. While I was in Haiti I made a friend named Nelfis Macon. Nelfis and I bonded over our love for Jesus and our love for music. He was a guitar player and I played drums. We talked our styles of play and really bonded over it. He and I still message each other today. It’s been six years since I have seen him. It feels like yesterday. The next relationship I made was Luo Tianyang or his English name, Jason. He and I first met when he came to my high school for a foreign exchange program. We bonded instantly and became very good friends. It also helps that he was staying with me in my parent’s house. He and I bonded over the Chinese and English language. I wanted to learn more Chinese, and he loved using his English. It created a great bond due to the fact of us always communicating. He loved sports. I loved sports. He loved American food. I loved Chinese food. It was a great friendship from the start. One night we were at a gym in Edwardsville, and we get done and he looked up at the sky and was speechless. He just waited a second. He looked at me and whispered “I’ve never seen so many stars.” Back at home there are very few clear nights. It was so special to him and he still talks about that memory today. What’s the point of staying in one space and never experiencing anything besides the norm when you only know the norm.
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” A simple but deep quote I heard not too long ago. This sums up the last six years of my life. I have taken risks and done things I would have never thought. I always wanted to see new environments and cultures and when I had a chance, I took it. All three of the international trips I have taken in the last 6 years have been completely different. One for a mission trip to help the people of Haiti, a culture exchange with students in Beijing, China, and a leisure vacation to a few countries in Europe. With each of these trips I have made lasting memories that are all very different. So I leave you today challenging you to think inside your heart and head, why haven’t you been to the place of your dreams? What is causing you to not push your comfort zone and step outside, take a deep breath, and breathe. Just breathe. Breathe in the new air of a new person and put yourself in situations where the ideal you becomes the real you.
My adventures are not over and this is only the beginning.
