Thursday 3 March 2011

What adventure burns in your heart?

Over the weekend I watched the FEAT talks with my mom, Liz; she wasn't at FEAT Cape Town.

She says to me, "I need an adventure". So I asked her what she had in mind. "Something like what Allyson and Marc did," she replies.

Allyson Towle and Marc Booysen did a sea-to-summit expedition in Chile over December. I answered that what they did was cool, but that was their adventure - something they had burning in their hearts.


"Where," I asked, "have you always wanted to go?".

Without hesitation she replied, "A Buddhist retreat in Japan". She has been doing Tai Chi for about five years and she has long had a 'Japanese thing' - art, painting, culture...

What a great starting point for an adventure! Find a place you've always wanted to go to and then figure out a creative way to get there.

And while you're thinking about this adventure, consider this.

I hit on two super articles in the past week. The first, by adventurer Alistair Humphreys, touches on first expeditions, why you're doing the trip and advises against focusing on media, blogging, tweeting and such. The next, by Scott Brady, is a really straight-down-the-line look at expedition sponsorships. Why, indeed, should a company pay for your holiday? Sponsorships are a trade of services, not a gift.

Pursue what is in your heart because it is something that you want to do. Not for lightbulbs or accolades - that comes later... maybe.

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