Four years ago, as my final semester of college came to a close, I was just another soon-to-be graduate with surprisingly little direction as to where I wanted to head in life. In the time since, I’ve made my way to three more continents and found far more direction and perspective in my travels than higher education ever came close to providing...
Post-travel depression is a real thing, you guys. Usually I come back from my travels and it’s a struggle for a few days, but we’re going on weeks now. Vietnam is on the short list of the most beautiful places I’ve ever explored. But what captivated me most and has continued to resonate in the days since are the people.
I’ve given up plenty of times in my life. In many regards, I am a quitter. And all those things I’ve thrown in the towel on have fallen into one of two categories: something that I had absolutely no natural talent for and consequently did not enjoy, or something where I felt my end goal was far outweighed by inconvenience and the red tape blocking the way. The second being one of the biggest misconceptions I’ve carried for my 26 years.
As it relates to happiness, from a 10,000-foot view you either are, you aren’t, or you’re somewhere in transit – that’s so oversimplified it’s comical, but stick with me. As a visual learner, I try to imagine models that can represent abstract and challenging concepts such as happiness. Over time, I’ve come to envision happiness as a spectrum that can be further broken down into individual ranges for each of the three basic associated states…
Nerd Alert: It is my sincere hope that at some point during my life we make the necessary advancements in order to send people beyond Earth to colonize another planet. The first logical step would be Mars. If that occurs before I’m old and decrepit, sign me up. Seeing as we’re on the right track, I am confident that we will at least land a human on Mars in my lifetime.
We don’t often view family as an obstacle. Most of the time it’s regarded as a sacred entity that comes before everything else. There are certainly situations where we put our family first for the right reasons. However, far too often we leverage the concept of family in order to justify tabling our passions and dismissing our own dreams.
One of my constant concerns growing up has been how to best avoid becoming one of those people who gets ‘stuck.’ It’s easy to get trapped on a predictable path that never leads beyond the familiar, with regard to both experiences and physical location. This played a significant role in my motivation to relocate to Nashville last year. A major move was the catalyst for change that I was seeking.
Nostalgia can be many things. It’s the feeling of the first spring day when the sun starts to warm your bones after a long winter, reminding you of the endless possibilities of the impending summer. Nostalgia is also the song that was the soundtrack to an early heartbreak, whose lyrics rang truer than even your own words...
100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith is the story of Finn Easton, a sixteen-year-old boy, attempting to find himself despite unusual circumstances. Finn sees the world through distance rather than time, which provides readers an interesting perspective. He views each second as twenty miles; the distance Earth travels in that amount of time…
In my first quarter century, I’ve done my best to travel and explore this vast, beautiful planet that we call home. I’ve reached three continents and aspire to explore all seven by the time I turn 30. I don’t pretend to have been everywhere, or even a fraction of the world. “A fool thinks himself to be wise,” but there’s something unique about Nashville, Tennessee that I have yet to discover anywhere else.
