WHAT GETS YOU UP IN THE MORNING?
What gets you up in the morning?
If you’re like me usually it’s a simple need, like water, the bus schedule, a bursting bladder, hunger. From there, the things that drive us each day become more complex. Some people like to gaze lovingly at their bank balance, they work hard for a pay rise, or get dewy-eyed about a new T.V.
But for those who need more, for me and maybe you, I think our future selves would want to look back on moments in time that are untainted by slavery to money or status, or the accumulation of stuff. I think we would want to look back at where we ticked those boxes of those “oh my god I can’t sit still” need-to-dos. To climb a mountain, to ski untouched back-country powder, to dive deeper than ever, to taste a beer after surviving a day at a shallow reef break or maybe you’re bold enough to try to make a real difference in someone else’s life! To do all those things that have no real reward – but are the most rewarding of all – they are the moments we would be really proud of.
To do these things we need to learn how to think and understand what’s really valuable in life, so we don’t slip into the bland everydayness that I see in so many city-folks eyes.
Staying focused on what’s important became essential for me when I began planning a monumental adventure (for me, at least) over a year ago. I plan to ride a motorbike from the southern tip of Argentina to Alaska. Thousands of kilometres across the Americas, over freezing alps, sailing the Caribbean, through the temperamental Amazon, whisking the scorching sands of Mexico and all the way through North America to Anchorage Alaska.
All of these ethereal descriptions make it sound amazing, yes, and I would love to tell you that this is one of those soul-searching pilgrimages wherein I’m going to impart Zen-like wisdom unto you, readers… but the reality is, I’m just like you. I don’t fully believe that I’ll pull this trip off, I have my doubts and demons that I’m sure I’ll have to face. But that’s ok, failure, struggles and ass-kickings are a requirement for success.
I will explore extraordinary places and find new ways of exploring them. I will find people doing ground-breaking things and learn from them. I will find new angles and stories that haven’t been told.
This is as much a promise to you as it is to me. This idea will become my life.
