Aloha, Lovecat.

Do you ever find yourself at a crossroads and find yourself taking the path of ease or foreseeable outcome, because the thought of taking path of the unknown is too harrowing? I do that all the time. One of my life lessons on the path of seeking happiness is learning how to be brave by nursing a sense of curiosity and striking out on adventures when that impulse hits.

{ Life Inspo: How to Be Brave – Dare to Roam }

Don’t be afraid to take the road less traveled.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
–Robert Frost

That’s me, pretty often. With big and small decisions, with the exception of shopping. I hold myself back all the time. But some of the biggest and best things that have happened in my life were the result of taking a plunge into the Great Unknown and my life improved and changed dramatically.

For example: I met my husband on the internet eight years ago, and, after a thorough and intense vetting process, we embarked on a long distance relationship for several months. After it became apparent that both of us were going broke with the back and forth across the country and both were tiring of the late night phone calls and missing each other, I made a quick decision to leave my life in San Diego, California and move to Detroit, Michigan to be with him. Though I didn’t love living in Michigan, it still was the best decision I ever made. It wasn’t easy, and that decision could have ended up disastrously, but if I quibbled and teetered and ultimately stuck with my gut reaction to stay in my safe, normal existence in Southern California, I wouldn’t be in Hawaii today.

Second example: When it seemed like my relationship with Husby (N) was going nowhere after three years, I was on the verge of moving out, frustrated with not knowing whether he was going to propose with the d*mn ring we’d bought together over a year before. I had a potential roommate lined up, had a couple of apartments I was ready to visit and sign the lease on and everything. But a month of debate said, stick with him for awhile, even if you have no idea if this will turn out well. We went to Hawaii and he broadsided me with a proposal after a particularly dangerous hike.

Of course, I said yes. If I’d said, “EFF THIS NOT KNOWING SH*T” right off the bat and dismissed what N might’ve been planning, I might’ve lost out on the best thing ever.

After giving myself a reasonable time frame, I decided to trust him just a little more, and it turned out okay. (More than OK.)

Though I am my own worst enemy, when I feel a sense of curiosity and act upon it, it leads to the most enriching experiences. If I let myself say, “I need to go the most comfortable path,” I end up getting stuck in a rut and not progressing. I have probably missed out on countless job opportunities because of this. I say, “I like where I am, I know what I’m doing, I’m good at it. I may not be happy, but I’m doing okay. I’m just not qualified or knowledgable or smart enough for {INSERT THING HERE}” or “but that’s not safe or comfortable” or “but that’s going to cost me a lot money” and who knows what could’ve happened? Something good. The worst that could’ve happened if I’d tried just a little would be that someone would say “no,” and I’d still be where I was before, having lost nothing, and gained a useful experience of how to be better next time or just obtained an enriching experience.

In 2006 one of us had the idea to go somewhere, being tired of hanging out in Michigan during the nasty Midwest Summer… just randomly saying, “I’d love to visit Munich one day.” The other (can’t remember who) said, “yeah, let’s do that.” And instead of just leaving it there in fantasyland, we both started Googling places to stay, things to see, places to eat, how to speak German. Next thing you know, we were looking up plane ticket prices and then booking fares and hotels. Next thing you know, we were IN Germany taking the U-Bahn through Berlin, looking at graffiti on the Berlin Wall, traipsing through castles in Bavaria (all on a very strict, very small budget, I might proudly add!).

Instead of just saying we were curious about a place, we decided to GO to that place.

Adventure doesn’t have to be about splashing out on trips around the world or buying that IT pair of shoes. In fact, acting on a quick impulse of curiosity can be absolutely free. A trip around the block to check out the nearest new café, exploring a new beach, hiking to a top of a nearby mountain trail and seeing the ocean, losing yourself in the pages of a book you’ve been meaning to read, a stimulating conversation with a person you barely know, learning how to play an instrument… the world is your oyster, and you don’t even have to travel all around it.

There are universes of adventure everywhere you look as long as you encourage your curiosity and open your eyes to see the potential.

Happiness isn’t about doing what’s comfortable. It’s about seeking the things that enrich your life, grabbing as tightly as you can and sucking the juice out of them.

Don’t be afraid to roam when an impulse hits you. Don’t listen to the little voice inside cautioning you to stick to what you know. Nurse that sense of adventure and say “Eff It” to the unknown. Or, it could be the best thing in your life may be awaiting the very moment that you decide to waken your inner adventurer. The worst that could happen is that you fall on your ass. And if that happens, get up again, dust yourself off and keep traveling. Nothing is more sexy than a fulfilled, confident, resilient and well-traveled [emotionally, mentally and geographically] woman (or man).

Rock on, lovers!

Me ke aloha ~ With love + aloha,
Mae Xx

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