Do or Do Not, There is No Try

In the blogging world, there is a seriously fun game of tag going on.  Someone choses a topic, writes about it and then tags a few more bloggers to keep the ball rolling.  I was tagged by my friend Tiffany over at Fite Inertia.  We met through an incredible virtual bootcamp, Dream:Reboot -a 12 week course to living the life of your dreams.

The topic: Your Next Big Thing

I have been a pretty open book here at OSL, so you already know my plans for the next 5 years of my life.  So I had to get creative with this challenge. Thanks for the push, Tiffany!

Our next big thing is getting comfortable being uncomfortable.

Getting Quite Uncomfortable for a Photo Shoot

Because we don’t plan to launch for several years, we have a lot of time to prepare.  Not just for the typical nomadic things like getting ourselves digitized and clearing out the junk.  But for everyday life stuff.

We are so accustomed to a certain way of living.  Purely convenient things like pushing your kiddo around in a stroller while out and about and driving everywhere we go.  But what if you’re in the middle of Guatemala on a public bus and there are just too many damn chickens for your stroller to fit?  You’ve got to make do without it.  And if you’ve ever gone out for the day with a walking, spirited toddler, things can get chaotic REAL fast.

Its too easy to get comfortable.  Make a little nest for you and your family, and stay there.  As Jenn Miller from The Edventure Project beautifully points out, it’s much easier to keep the status quo.  Or is it?

Think about the times in your life when you’ve learned the most important lessons about yourself and grown as a person, either physically or mentally.  I am willing to bet you were pretty uncomfortable when you were in the middle of those moments.  It’s easier to see it in other forms:

• Physical workouts-being physically uncomfortable is when you gain increased strength, endurance and stamina
• Relationships-vulnerabillity is what creates bonds between people

The familiar can play a misguided notion of safety in our lives. And what does safety do? It shelters us from our fears, fears that will most likely never even come true.

We plan to use the rest of the time we have left here in the states to practice living outside our comfort zone.  Little things like taking the train/bus into town sans stroller instead of hopping into our warm car and simply driving there.

Stepping out of our comfort zone, awkwardly, and together as a family.  I can tell you that it won’t be graceful and sometimes will be downright ugly.  But 100% neccesarry.

Let Your Magic Happen

I figure the more we do now, the better prepared we will be when we ARE sitting on that chicken bus in the mountains of Guatemala!  All these small journeys will be posted to the Adventures section of the blog, because well…they will be adventures.

Tag, You’re It!

Next up, head over to meet Charlene Burke at Let’s Noodle on It, a woman of many talents to see what she’s got in the works as her Next Big Thing!

And then swing by to say hello to Lara-Bee – but only if you’re in the mood to laugh hysterically.

End your evening with Love from Rio, an extraordinarily talented artist of life.