Somewhere here in the red deserts of the western United States my life took a new direction just over a decade ago.
It felt so awkward and scary, but as I came out on the other end a few months later, I felt more alive than ever. That trip planted the first seed in me that maybe a life that’s different from the norm is possible, the kind of life that only existed in my wildest imagination at that stage.
The challenge? To follow my dream of crossing the Atlantic alone, go live in the wilderness with people I’ve never met and navigate a way of life I never tried. I barely knew how to put up a tent and had not been on a proper hike in my life, but every inch of my being kept nagging I had to go.
I was fresh out of high school and it would have been so much easier and more comfortable to just stay were I was, in that safe harbour, but I'm forever grateful my teenage self didn't let that hold me back.
Today I smile at this memory of how afraid I felt, because now I breathe the outdoors, and jumping on a plane across the Atlantic to go climb a mountain and catch up with friends feel as natural as jumping on my bike to go see friends in my tiny home town in Sweden. Our comfort zones are funny that way - once expanded, our old boundaries kinda look cute.
But most of all I smile because the seed I planted back then eventually sprouted, and I somehow went on to create that life beyond my dreams.
Whatever direction your heart is pulling you, make yourself and the world the biggest favour ever - take that leap, and trust the journey.
