Sometimes on Wednesday afternoons I like to tackle questions such as “what’s the biggest challenge facing the existence of our species?” One can point to a great number of things ranging from environmental crises to education issues. But there exists a common thread among almost every major struggle and setback we face…
“College…the best four years of your life” – a bizarre phrase uttered with regularity these days. It also happens to be a great indicator that the person voicing such an elementary thought should never be consulted for any life advice. In fact, whatever guidance they attempt to pass along, I urge you to do the opposite...
Wanderlust is best understood as an inherent desire that burns within and beckons to explore and seek out the elusive sense of euphoria that’s amplified in a foreign destination. It’s a concept that resonates so strongly because travel provides one of the most effective outlets to pursue the true source of happiness that is a new experience.
Four years ago, as my final semester of college came to a close, I was just another soon-to-be graduate with surprisingly little direction as to where I wanted to head in life. In the time since, I’ve made my way to three more continents and found far more direction and perspective in my travels than higher education ever came close to providing...
Post-travel depression is a real thing, you guys. Usually I come back from my travels and it’s a struggle for a few days, but we’re going on weeks now. Vietnam is on the short list of the most beautiful places I’ve ever explored. But what captivated me most and has continued to resonate in the days since are the people.
I’ve given up plenty of times in my life. In many regards, I am a quitter. And all those things I’ve thrown in the towel on have fallen into one of two categories: something that I had absolutely no natural talent for and consequently did not enjoy, or something where I felt my end goal was far outweighed by inconvenience and the red tape blocking the way. The second being one of the biggest misconceptions I’ve carried for my 26 years.
As it relates to happiness, from a 10,000-foot view you either are, you aren’t, or you’re somewhere in transit – that’s so oversimplified it’s comical, but stick with me. As a visual learner, I try to imagine models that can represent abstract and challenging concepts such as happiness. Over time, I’ve come to envision happiness as a spectrum that can be further broken down into individual ranges for each of the three basic associated states…
Nerd Alert: It is my sincere hope that at some point during my life we make the necessary advancements in order to send people beyond Earth to colonize another planet. The first logical step would be Mars. If that occurs before I’m old and decrepit, sign me up. Seeing as we’re on the right track, I am confident that we will at least land a human on Mars in my lifetime.
We don’t often view family as an obstacle. Most of the time it’s regarded as a sacred entity that comes before everything else. There are certainly situations where we put our family first for the right reasons. However, far too often we leverage the concept of family in order to justify tabling our passions and dismissing our own dreams.
