Example A. Picture this: You’re on a four day trip to Barcelona, by yourself. You’ve mapped out every sight you want to see, restaurant you want to visit, and person you want to meet. You’ve created a jam-packed day-by-day itinerary because success to you is seeing as much of the city as quickly as possible. By day two, you’re a bit cranky due to jet lag, long lines outside La Sagrada FamÃlia, and a general feeling of being rushed. You keep pushing yourself, ignoring your discomfort, so you can see and do everything on your list. By day four, you’re completely exhausted, carrying a completed check-list, and experiencing a feeling that something is missing. You’ve crossed off your to-do’s but don’t have any memorable stories to accompany your travels.
Example B. Picture this: You’re on a four day trip to Barcelona, with your best friend. Each of you has picked a few must-see places to visit, keeping in mind that the motto of your trip is to “see what happens.” This is an adventure, you have an idea of where you want to go, and you feel open to where the journey takes you. By day two, you’re feeling energized by your half-day at the beach, 360-degree hotel rooftop wine-tasting, and photo excursion in El Born district. You randomly stumble upon a delicious tapas bar and interesting group of locals who convince you to go dancing with them late into the night. It turns out your new friend owns a vineyard estate fourty-five minutes outside the city, and they invite you to their second home for an authentic Spanish meal and wine-tasting experience. After four days, you leave the city inspired and invigorated, with new friends, a dozen stories, and a feeling that you got so much more than you were expecting.
Which trip would you rather be on, A or B?
B? Good choice. Know why? B experienced the four days to the fullest by embracing a “see what happens” spirit.
Since A ignored what they really wanted to do before they set foot off the plane, they exhausted themselves, misread their flight departure time, and are currently cursing at the airport, trying to figure out another flight out of BCN.
How about the B best friends? They’re enjoying a champagne toast as they reach 30,000 feet.
These two stories are a lot like life.
You can either take it really seriously and when one thing goes wrong, think the world is ending. Or, you can look at life like a grand adventure and opportunity to “see what happens.”
My favorite times in life often start with a “see what happens” way of thinking.
Let’s see what happens when I launch this project idea to the world.
Let’s see what happens when I fly to Austin without a place to sleep.
Let’s see what happens when I let this amazing guy know how I feel.
Let’s see what happens when I ask that famous author out for tea.
Try anything. We’re always ready and we can never fail when our only aim is to “see what happens.”
Copyright © 2012 Hey Amber Rae, All rights reserved.
GREAT share! And an awesome find on your brother's part. Thank you (and him.)
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