Sacrificing Comfort for the Sake of Adventure

I've lived and worked in three different states, travelled to two new countries, talked to strangers in the sauna, woken up at dawn for sunrises, driven all night to see the ocean, hiked all day to reach a summit, and broken up with someone I still love. People in my life call me crazy and/or brave and some say things like, "I'm so jealous," or "I could never."

But you could. What haven't you yet? I have a guess. My guess is that you're used to your life being the way it is. It's comfortable to keep a routine and have all your things that you have and talk to the people you usually talk to. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. But I'm curious...When was the last time you chose to do something uncomfortable?

People ask, "Weren't you cold?" or "Aren't you scared?"

Yes. I was cold when I slept at the summit of a mountain. But because I was willing to endure it, I woke up on the morning of my 25th birthday to this:

Yes. I was scared when I left college and moved across the country by myself with nothing but two boxes of belongings. But because I faced my fear, I got to experience living here:

Yes. I was really tired when I drove to the coast after a long day of work, but I played on the beach somewhere new that weekend:

And yes, I am sad to have left someone I love and scared to move somewhere new again, but in my gut I know it's going to be worth the discomfort I feel now.

That's what real bravery is. When you choose to do something even when there is a very good chance it won't be 100% rainbows. Anybody can have that. It comes down to making the choice to sacrifice your comfort for a moment.