Quick Takes:
- Don’t fear a mindset shift, overcome it
- Opportunities can sometimes look like “work”
- Live without limitations or judgment, also known as positivity
My journey has come to an end, but my adventures still continue. I have been back in the United States for roughly one week now. It’s like jumping into a properly chilled pool on summer California afternoon. You know, refreshing. Did I just compare the feeling of being home to jumping into a chilled pool? I totally did. However, I didn’t come back to the lifestyle you may expect I would return to. I’m not sitting on my couch and enjoying time with my dog. I’m not sleeping in my own bed and enjoying the much awaited relaxing days at my own home. I’m not going to work to replenishes my not so beautiful bank account. I’m actually doing all the opposite of that. I don’t have a house. I don’t have a dog. I don’t have a job, which explains why I don’t have a dog. And I still am living out of the same bag I traveled the last 75 days with. However, I’ve been learning how to take a different approach when it comes to the aspects of my current lifestyle that at first seemed like negatives. So sit tight, and maybe by the time you’re done reading this I will have gotten that call from human resources regarding an interview.
Fearing a mentality and mindset shift
I didn’t fear much along my journey these past 3 months. Surprising, hey? You would think traveling solo and entering unfamiliar countries that I would sense a feeling of fear. With all that is going on in our world today, you can imagine the thoughts you may have believed were in my head. Well, fortunately, I went into the trip with a demeanor full of confidence and enthusiasm. With the intention to not let fear fluctuate the way I would live my everyday life; with the intention to not let fear fluctuate my ultimate perception of life.
However, as I said above, I didn’t fear much, keyword, much. So, there was something I did begin to fear. My personal mentality and mindset became a very important part of my mental health. It became something I was striving to improve with each and every connection I made, with each and every experience I crossed. It became such a positive driver of my life I began to fear it. No, not fearing it because the direction it was headed, but fearing the thought of losing touch with it; fearing a mentality and mindset shift in the opposite direction.
Over the course of the last 75 days, there was one common theme when talking to fellow travelers about returning “home,” if that is what you want to call it. Home to me is wherever you take your pack. But anyway, there was a common theme of not wanting to return to reality, to the lifestyle they lived before they traveled. To connect my points, there was a fear of losing the mentality and mindset of traveling. This was the fear that clogged my thoughts when I imagined returning to the states.
I have obtained a completely new lifestyle and returning to a life I once called “reality” was something I only dread. I was worried that I was going to lose all the positive improvements I have made to my character. The character which I possessed over this journey has become who I believe I am truly meant to be. It took an adventure like this in order for the absolute best to be brought out of me. Although I had a fear of having a mentality and mindset shift when I returned to the states, I have seen this as an opportunity and I am motivated to overcome the fear and eliminate any sort of shift.
It may be difficult, but it will be worth it
It’s not easy. It’s going to be difficult. What I am talking about when I say that is attempting to keep the traveling mindset and mentality when you return home. Trust me, I am attempting that now. However, it is something that I really want to achieve and work toward, along with the rest of the world travelers. As a matter of fact, I was having a chat with a close mate regarding this topic just the other day, and he pointed out a very good aspect of life on the road. He said that life on the road is one without limitations or judgments, so why shouldn’t life at home be like that. This makes it difficult to keep your new character and mentality in effect because everyone is, for some reason, out to judge. So, Jamie, thank you for opening my mind to that, you’re a legend.
Although I have realized this is going to be tough, I have learned to seize any opportunity at hand because the outcome could be greater than you imagine. You really just never know how one action can unfold something so extraordinary. As Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” I believe this idea meshes perfectly with the situation those are in when returning home from a life journey, a journey of self-discovery. Although there is the opportunity to maintain your mindset you’ve gained while traveling, it’s an opportunity that will take maximum effort that may look like “work”. However, achieving something that looks like “work” and presents a high level of difficulty always seems to leave the mind with a high level of achievement, or reward. A sense of reward that makes you feel alive, a sense of reward that allows your mind to feel healthy.
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I love telling people stories about the last three months of my life, and the self-discovery journey I set out on. However, something is becoming more apparent to me as more people ask the same question, “What was your favorite part?” You would think my answer would involve something about the sites, historical places, food, etc. However, that has not been the case. Each time I am asked that question, I seem to explain my favorite part was the exact opposite of that. It was more about discovering who I was meant to be and how I was positively changed as an individual. My explanation seems to always revolve around the idea about the mindset shift I had that has given me a new perception of how I want to live life while carrying myself with a newfound character.
