Category: Planning

The Best Time for Your Next Adventure

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What is always rushing towards you but never reaches you?

I thought that this would be a good post to start with a riddle. (I am not a good riddler, but thought that I would give it a try.)

Have you figured it out yet? Highlight here: tomorrow to see the answer. This is not the best time for your next adventure, no matter how often it is used. This is when everything will be perfect, when all of your ducks will be in a row, and when the sun, moon, planets and stars all line up, and when you will win the lottery.

The best time for your next adventure? Right now! There will always be something left to do, someone you wanted to visit with before you leave, or some other excuse not to go. If you keep waiting, tomorrow will become next week, next month, next year, and then 10 years will have gone by.

Start on your next adventure right now! Take 5-10 minutes, determine what you want to do, and set a realistic date. Follow the planning steps outlined in the link, and start working towards your adventure. If you have a time-frame to work within, you will be surprised how much you can get accomplished. Complete one 5-10 minute necessary task per day, and it will be no time before your adventure is upon you.

What are you waiting for? Get going!

Here’s a Quick Way to Learn Everything You Need to Know

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How do you know that you have learned enough? Are you sure that you didn’t miss that one vital piece of information that could make or break your adventure?

In today’s world, there is more information available to us than we could ever take in, much less remember and use. It is all too easy to become overloaded with information, paralyzed with the options before us. I am especially guilty of this. I love to learn, to explore a wide range of subjects. I researched off and on for months before starting this site. Finally I decided it was time to just go for it. I could continue reading forever, but no matter how much I knew, without jumping in and actually doing it, I would never get anywhere.

Fortunately for us, there is a simple way to learn what is most important, the truly necessary information, for any subject. Use other people’s knowledge (OPK). There are experts who have researched just about every topic available, and others who have done everything there is to be done. Often, they have published their findings in written form, either in books, on websites, or on blogs. Search out “Best of” titles. If they do not have such a post or chapter, contact them and ask.

An example: I had never been out of the country, and had no idea what/how to pack for my trip to Ireland. I looked up information from people who had traveled around the world.

* The Digital Backpacker
* Life Nomadic

I ended up carrying more than they did, but I used their suggestions as a starting point, as the very minimum that I needed to take. I didn’t have to research what luggage to use or what adapter to buy for my computer. Those two pieces of information alone saved me many hours of research. I was able to meet Tynan of lifenomadic at an event and he was more than happy to discuss gear for a few minutes.

Learn from others’ mistakes and research. Find someone that you trust, find out what they have to say on the topic, and go from there. You can save yourself much time if you just utilize their other people’s knowledge.

Planning Your Adventure – Enjoy your Adventure!

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This is the final post in the Planning Your Adventure series. You’ve followed the map that you created and the only thing left to do is to go out there and enjoy your adventure!

Of course, there is still that nagging voice in the back of your head, “Are you sure this is the best time?” “What about that thing you were going to do?” and everyone’s favorite, “Did you turn off the oven?”

You will never get everything done that you want to do. There will be someone you wanted to talk to before you go, some last detail that you did not get a chance to take care of, not exactly the right amount of money saved up. If you allow yourself to do so, you can make excuses from now until eternity. It doesn’t matter how big or small the adventure, it is possible to find an excuse to put it off.

    For the trip to Ireland:

  • I can’t get all of the classes that I need.
  • What if we can’t find a place to stay, or it costs too much?
  • With the currency difference ($1 US is currently [Jan 2008] worth $0.77 Euros) we will be losing money, should we wait?
  • and on and on and on…

We finally decided that we just had to go and quit making excuses. Once we brushed those excuses aside and focused on our goal, everything else seemed to fall in place! We didn’t immediately find a place to stay, but received a list of places that are available, including prices (which ended up the same or cheaper as our rent in the U.S.!) The classes mostly all worked out, we will only be missing two that we would have otherwise been taking.

Of course, that is a big example. We’ll be putting everything we own into storage and moving out of the country for nearly half of a year. It’s easy to see how one would make excuses for that. However, I had been making excuses for my painting for at least 6 months. 6 months for a few hour painting! I’d had the materials for at least that long! Hadn’t touched them yet, though.

    For the painting:

  • I don’t have just the right picture to work from
  • I don’t have enough time to finish it right now, so I’ll wait until complete it in one sitting.
  • I’m just not in the mood.

Until I made myself do it, it was never going to get done. I love to paint, I just hate starting. So even if I was not in the mood, it normally only took about 10 minutes for me to be thoroughly enjoying myself. I let that temporary displeasure stop me from doing something I love.

To ensure that you enjoy your adventure, whether it is big or small, you have to determine what truly needs to be done. You don’t have to leave your house spic-and-span, but you do have to make sure the pets will be fed and watered. You don’t have to visit everyone you know, but you should let them know what you are doing: email or a phone call will suffice.

Once you have taken care of the true needs, you can let everything else that is inconsequential slide from your mind. Relax and enjoy your adventure!

Planning Your Adventure – Start Stepping

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Another post in the Planning Your Adventure series. You have your Baby Steps listed. Now it’s time to start taking action!

You have at most nine (sub)steps listed to complete each goal. Focus only on the first step. Can you complete it in less than 5 minutes? If not, break it down further until you can do each portion of the step in 5 minutes or less.

    Live in Ireland for 3 months & visit Europe for a week

  1. find transportation
    1. compare prices of plane tickets between carriers (I already know I will be leaving the last week of January and returning the first week of June)

      • check out prices at cheaptickets.com, priceline.com & orbitz.com
      • determine which airline is consistently cheaper & check their sites for direct prices
    Paint 8×11 picture of sunset & trees

  1. get materials
    1. go to store and purchase (paint, canvas & brushes)

Now do it! This small step gets the momentum started. It is the gentle nudge that gets you started. Are you done yet? No?! Stop reading, GO DO IT, then come back and continue reading. I’ll be here when you get back, don’t worry. GO!

  • US Airways ended up consistently being the lowest price.
  • At least $100 cheaper per ticket directly from their site. (I was able to search both of these in about 10 minutes, so I actually did the first two steps together.)
  • This took a few more than 5 minutes, but Michael’s is only two blocks away so I was easily able to pick up the materials I needed. I ended up waiting in line longer than it took to get there. Total of maybe 15 minutes.

Now that you have completed your first step, you need to complete the next one by this time tomorrow. It will take you another 5 minutes (or break it down again until you have a series of 5 minute-tasks to complete)

Your adventure is getting closer, are you getting excited yet? You’ll be off on your adventure soon, as long as you keep on stepping…

Planning Your Adventure – Baby Steps

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Continuing on with our Planning Your Adventure series, we have chosen our goals, defined them and now we can start achieving them!

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

How true, how very true. One single step is all that it takes to get going. Even better news, a small step is no worse than a large step, and is generally so much easier!

Break it down. What do you have to do to reach your goal? Let’s make it even easier. What three things do you have to do to reach your goals? These will not include every single step, but will get you pointed in the right direction.

    Here’s my example:
    Live in Ireland for 3 months & visit Europe for a week

  1. find transportation
  2. find place to stay
  3. take care of business at home
    Paint 8×11 picture of sunset & trees

  1. get materials
  2. get images to work from
  3. PAINT!

Now that you have a general direction laid out, you can start including some more details. For each of the steps, write up to three more steps that you have to take. These are actually the stepping stones that you have to proceed across to reach your goal.

    Live in Ireland for 3 months & visit Europe for a week –

  1. find transportation
    1. compare prices of plane tickets between carriers
    2. purchase plane tickets to Ireland
  2. find a place to stay
    1. determine city to stay in
    2. look up places on CraigsList/other options
    3. rent apartment
  3. take care of business at home
    1. medical requirements (vaccinations, prescriptions, etc)
    2. have necessary paperwork (passport, visa, etc)
    3. sublease apartment/move stuff into storage
    Paint 8×11 picture of sunset & trees –

  1. get materials
    1. go to store and purchase (paint, canvas & brushes)
  2. get images to work from
    1. browse internet for suitable images
    2. “chase” sunsets and take own pictures
  3. PAINT!
    1. set up equipment
    2. look at inspiring pictures
    3. put paint on canvas

Is your list finished? This is your road map. Each step is laid out before you. Once you put the finishing touches on it, it is time to start stepping…

Planning Your Adventure – Further Definition

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This is the second post in the Planning Your Adventure series.

Before proceeding to the next step, you have to make sure that your goal is well defined and measurable. In the last post in this series (What do you want to do?) you chose one or two goals to focus on reaching.

    As before, I will provide my own example in this color to illustrate what we are discussing. My goals are:

  • take a trip to Ireland/Europe
  • paint a picture

This step helps you know when you have reached your goal. If you don’t define your goal, in measurable terms, you could continue chasing it all of your life. For example, if your goal is to “travel around the world” does this mean that you are going to take a plane and physically circle the globe, or visit every continent, or visit every country or… See what I mean? You could continue chasing that goal for many lifetimes. However, if your goal is to “visit one country in every continent” you will know when you have completed that goal.

Define your goal. When you picture your goal, what image do you have? Write that down beside each goal. Be specific. Include details such as time frame, people around you, exact location, scenery, what you are wearing, etc.

  • take a trip to Ireland/Europe – Live in Ireland for at least three months, taking at least a week to visit Europe (including, but not limited to, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower & Big Ben). Travel with my wife. End of January thru the beginning of June.
  • paint a picture – using acrylic paint, create 8×11 painting of trees silhouetted by sunset

If you cannot say “this is what I have to do to complete my goal” go back and add more details. We are turning the X on the map from a fuzzy blur to a sharply defined location. We know exactly where we are going. Armed with that knowledge, we can begin our Baby Steps…

Planning Your Adventure – What Do You Want to Do?

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This is the first post in the Planning Your Adventure series.

Before you can get anywhere, you have to know where you are going. Today we are going to start drawing your map. X marks the spot, right?

I will draw my map as we go along, to give you an example. I’ll use this color text to separate it from the directions.

First you have to determine your X. Let’s start with a deceptively simple question. “What would you do if nothing could go wrong?”

    Some examples would be:

  • purchasing something (motorcycle, house, computer, etc)
  • learning some skill (cooking, a new language, jousting, etc)
  • doing something (going on a trip, finding more geocaches, trying out a new restaurant, visit a long-lost relative, etc)
    My list:

  • Running motorcycle (either fix mine or buy a new one)
  • RV -windstream
  • My own company
  • Cross-country motorcycle trip
  • Travel to Ireland/Europe
  • Hot air balloon ride
  • Hang glide
  • Get pilot’s license
  • Paint a picture
  • Sell my ring design
  • Sell stationary design
  • Be debt free

This can be a hard question to answer truthfully. (I’ve had the advantage of time to think about it.) If you are struggling, think back to dreams that you have given up on for some reason or another. Think of things that you hate or fear and write down the opposite. Don’t limit yourself and do not concern yourself with how these things will be accomplished. Just list your dreams.

    If that didn’t help, try answering these questions:

  • What would you do, day to day, if you had $100 million in the bank?
  • What would make you most excited to wake up in the morning every day?
    If you are still having a hard time, fill in these five spots:

  • one place to visit
  • one thing to do before you die (memory of a lifetime)
  • one thing to do daily
  • one thing to do weekly
  • one thing you’ve always wanted to learn

Now you have a list of dreams. Using at most a 6 month timeline, indicate the most exciting and/or important dreams.

    Reordered list, in order of importance & doable within 6 months

  • Travel to Ireland/Europe
  • Running motorcycle (either fix mine or buy a new one)
  • My own company/passive source of income (notice that I am defining this further)
  • Be debt free
  • Paint a picture
  • Cross-country motorcycle trip
  • Hot air balloon ride
  • Hang glide
  • Get pilot’s license
  • Sell my ring design
  • Sell stationary design
  • RV -windstream

I have a number of goals left, too many for a beginning project. I narrowed some down because they are not achievable in 6 months or less (pilot’s license, buy windstream, cross-country motorcycle trip) and some are just not as important/exciting to me (selling designs, hot air balloon ride and hang gliding).

Now that you have indicated the most important dreams that you can complete within 6 months, it is time to choose which ones to focus on. I recommend trying only one or two at a time to start with.

I will focus on the most important goal (a trip to Ireland/Europe) and an easy one to complete (paint a picture).

Now that you have your goal firmly in mind, the X drawn on the map, it is time to figure out how to get there! Next time we’ll Define & Measure!

Planning Your Adventure

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Want to know how easy it is to go on the adventure of your dreams? You’ll be amazed at how simple it is!

In the Planning Your Adventure series I will give you the simple step-by-step directions you need to go on any adventure you want. I will include a walk-along example of me creating a painting (quick and easy) and living in Ireland for a semester including a week in Europe for fun (a bit more involved).

Here is what we will be covering:

And so, without further ado, here is how to go on any adventure you want…