Welcome to this month's edition of Adventurous Life!
In this issue:
I welcome your thoughts, feedback & suggestions for stories.
Please don't hesitate to contact me or swing by www.judywolf.com to see what's new.
Pass this newsletter along to a friend!
These last two months, I've spent a few weeks teaching whitewater kayak clinics, as I do every summer. One of the groups I taught happened to be a strikingly homogeneous and stereotypically "successful" collection of high-powered professionals. As I watched them step outside of their safe, comfortable paradigms and struggle through the experience of being a beginner, I was struck by how much courage it takes for any one of us to turn away from what we know and try something new.
Kayaking is a sport that can be particularly humbling for beginners. Out on the river for the first time, even the strongest, most competent athletes find themselves vulnerable to being flipped over by barely noticeable riffles in the water. It's a sport that demands an unflagging sense of humor.
When I see people for whom "success" is a key element of their everyday self image make themselves vulnerable to the whims of the river, I am deeply impressed by their readiness to voluntarily (and repeatedly) experience this lack of control...and come through it with their sense of play intact.
How often do you put yourself in a position to fail? Do you welcome the experience of being a beginner, of being awkward and unskilled? As Shunryu Suzuki said, "If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." This month, put yourself in a position to learn something new; this month, make yourself vulnerable to failure (and fun!). Have an adventure and send me your story!
"It is only by
risking ourselves
from one hour
to another
that we live at all."
- William James
Top 5 Ideas to Inspire You This Month
- Take a ride in a hot air balloon
- Plan a multi-day bicycle trip (and go!)
- Go to a park and play on the swings and jungle gym
- Sign up for scuba lessons
- Buy a harmonica and make some spectacular noise
"I have not failed.
I have just found
10,000 ways
that won't work."
- Thomas Edison
Frozen in Place: Getting Past Perfectionism
Do you find yourself critiquing every line you write, every note you play, every decision you make? Do you walk around wondering what "they" will think of whatever you're doing? Is it difficult to move on to the next thing before the item in front of you is "finished"? You may be suffering from Perfectionism.
As Julia Cameron writes of perfectionism in The Artist's Way, "We've all heard that the unexamined life is not worth living, but consider too that the unlived life is not worth examining." She goes on to suggest that "anything worth doing might even be worth doing badly." This month, take those words to heart. Make a list of everything you'd try if you didn't have to do it perfectly. Then do a few (and share the outcome)!
10 Great Reasons to Get Up in the Morning
This month's 10 Great Reasons were submitted by Jean S. of Rochester, NY
- All the years I have ahead of me for exploring, for adventure
- I'm not getting older, I'm getting better
- The world is green, the sun is shining
- I'm alive!
- I am a woman and a writer
- Each day brings a new parenting adventure
- I learn something new at work each day
- I have wonderful conversations with people
- Laughing, laughter, jokes
- The smell of fresh coffee
Travel Corner: When It Rains, It Rains
Have you ever noticed how every travel article sidebar and guide book includes a section on "best times to visit" the country in question? If you're like many people, this sort of representation may lead you to conclude that it is nigh inconceivable that anyone might want to visit these places in the "off" season.
Read the complete article on my web site.
About the author:
Judy Wolf is a world traveler, freelance writer, speaker, and workshop facilitator. Since studying and traveling extensively abroad through college, she's taken numerous, extended solo journeys around the world, traveling by foot, bus, jeep, camel, truck, boat, train, plane, and bicycle to destinations including Central America, Europe, Russia, South America, Southeast Asia (including India and Nepal) and 38 states here in the USA. She's currently working on a book-length travel narrative about her most recent adventures.
Learn more at www.judywolf.com.
What gets you up in the morning? What do you most enjoy doing?
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Copyright © 2002 Judy Wolf
