I'm going to start off with a disclaimer of sorts: most of you will think I'm crazy for some of the stuff I'm about to say next. You've been warned.
I've learned A LOT since I moved out to this magical little place called Aspen - about people, about myself, about adulting, about life in general. Above all else, I've learned how to live life - and love it.
Having talked to people that have lived in Aspen for decades, people who have just recently moved here, and people that are from all over the world, I've gathered one important piece of information: everyone is here because they want to be. Nobody ends up in Aspen because they were forced to, or because they're stuck and they can't seem to get out. I mean, come on. How often do you stumble upon a place like this? Pretty much never.
With that said, as you can imagine, that creates a very special--for lack of a better word--vibe. People in Aspen are here for one reason: to do what they love - which makes for a town full of very happy people. They're not living to work, but working to live (as cheesy as that sounds.) When you meet someone in Aspen, the conversation always starts off with, "What do you do here?" but no one's wondering what pays your bills - they're curious about what you do for fun, for you. No one gives a shit if you're waiting tables, bar tending or looking after someone else's kids. None of that matters - it's all about how you're living your life. On any given day, I chat with people who just got back from skiing their way through Europe, backpacking throughout Southeast Asia or something equally as rad and exciting. Talk about life envy, am I right? I've never felt more inspired to pursue what I love to do, what lights me up, than when I moved to Aspen.
I mean, that's what you're supposed to do. Go to school, graduate, get a job and work your way up to a six figure salary...right? WRONG. So wrong. (Unless that's what you want to do.)
Guys, I've realized that I can create a life that I truly love and have all of those adventures, too - and so can you. I don't have to be married to my job, work six days a week and move my way up to a job where I sit behind a desk all day and call the shots - I can choose happiness instead.
I'm not saying everyone should quit their job, move out to a tiny ski town and party their asses off every day. And I'm not saying that we should shirk all of our responsibilities. But by all means, if that's what you want, I highly encourage you to do that. No judgement here.
What I'm saying is DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY and don't forget to really live your life. We must have adventures when we're young so that we can tell stories when we're old, right? There's nothing worse than going through the motions and being miserable while doing it. If that's crunching numbers and wearing a suit and tie to work every day, then do it. If that's scooping ice cream and laying on the beach all day, get after it. If that's teaching people how to ski and getting 100+ days out on the mountain each season, hell yeah. You don't have to be a weekend warrior, counting down the seconds until Friday every single week. Don't sit behind a desk and stare at a computer screen just because you think that's what you should be doing. Live a little, guys. If you're going to do something that you're not super jazzed about, at least take plenty of time to do what you really love.
So, I'm letting go of all the "shoulds." All of the preconceived notions about what my career should be or how I should build my life. I may move to Fiji and work on a cacao farm. I may travel through New Zealand and pick up odd jobs. I may complete a yoga teacher training in an exotic country. But that's just what I would do...what makes you happy and gets you excited to be alive? Think about it. I have my whole life to settle down into a desk job - so I'm going to do everything that's calling me NOW and then look to settle down with responsibility later.
Make a list of all the things that make you happy. Make a list of all the things you do every day. Compare. Adjust accordingly. (Thanks for that advice, Jacki Carr.)
Namaste, bitches.
passion
come alive
This.
In 2015, it is my mission to pursue what makes me come alive. It's mind blowing to think of how different the world be if everyone did exactly what they loved. For me, this is writing and traveling. Not just writing and traveling as two separate entities, but writing about my travels. To me, they are two halves of a whole. I can't think of a time when I was more inspired to write and share my thoughts, feelings and experiences with the world than when I spent a semester abroad in Europe. I was just as excited to write about my travels as I was to physically participate them. I think it's the excitement of trying something for the first time or the unique experiences that inevitably come along with traveling that I'm drawn to. Ask me to speak in front of a group? I'm breaking out in hives, stuttering and popping a double dose of my anxiety meds. Ask me to write something? I'll write you a freaking novel. #nerdalert
What does this look like for me, exactly? Starting with baby steps, the first one being exactly this: putting what I want out into the universe. Check.
Next? Writing more. Over the last few months I've been really good at making excuses about why I'm not writing, including: "I'm too busy," "I'm too tired," and "I don't have anything interesting to write about." Wrong, all wrong. After an inspirational conversation with one of the coolest humans I've ever met, I was reminded that I should be writing every day. Writing is like a muscle; if you don't use it, you lose it. It's something that I am committing to every single day from here on out, whether it's a paragraph or a page. Don't worry, I won't be using this as my public, online diary. I'll spare you all the behind-the-scenes writing and save the good stuff (or at least what I think is the good stuff) for the blog. Promise.
Having things to write about is also a slightly important piece of this puzzle. This means breaking out of my dailey routine (ha, see what I did there? Bad joke...) and constantly putting myself in a position where I'm vulnerable and open to new experiences each and every day, not just when I have big plans. I tend to find a routine that works for me--no matter how boring and mundane it may be--and sticking to it. I find myself playing it safe and thinking twice, more often three or four times, about straying from what I'm used to. Well, that's all about to change. Bring on the spontaneity and open-mindedness. I'm ready for ya.
What comes after steps one, two and three? I have lots of ideas, but there's nothing set in stone. I have a gut feeling that I'll know exactly when I'm supposed to. I say that not because I'm lazy and expect amazing things to just fall into my lap, but because I believe in timing. I believe that everything happens for a reason, that opportunities aren't presented to you before you're ready (whether you believe you are or not) and that the dots always connect down the road.
Cheers to doing what makes us come alive. Let's see where this takes me.
Namaste, bitches.