Now that we’ve covered Part 3 of The Free Fall Map of Adventure already, I thought I’d start from the beginning of it… Part 1, Information Gathering!
This is the part of the Human Amusement Park when you’re wandering around. There might be a map involved. You’re watching people walk around too, maybe you’re overhearing their reactions to whatever they’ve already done. Like “oh man, The Serpent ride was so crazy, I almost puked.” Or “The Margs at that stand next to Batman were so strong!” So you walk around… do you get on a ride? Grab a hot dog? Find a bathroom? Maybe you’re looking at the menu and you see tacos with Fermented Mosquito Larvae. (They were on the menu at Le Kliff in Puerto Vallarta.)
Whatever it is, don’t get stuck here. Gather some info and make a choice. Most of the time, in our lives, these are not life and death choices. Most of the choices we have day in and day out are relatively minor, like workout today or not. Cook dinner or drive through. Dessert or not dessert? Or if dessert, do I take another bite? Go to sleep or just one more episode? Maybe ask the waiter about the Mosquito Larvae.
And most important of all our decisions, choose a ride or pretend I don’t want to because I’m afraid? Or pretend I don’t know which ride to ride, so I never have to ride any. Still fear doing that to you. Yes, get your ducks in a row… but there’s only so much you can control a duck. Do your due diligence, and get on with it. Ultimately, It doesn’t matter which ride you choose. It’s not a life sentence. Not choosing is also a choice.
The thing I ask myself a lot in this stage is “What’s the worst that can happen?” The worst case scenario (WCS) is rarely death and destruction. Usually the WCS is that I might “waste” time/ money/ energy. I might get lost. I might get into something and be terrible at it. I might fail. I might disappoint someone. These are all acceptable WCS in my book, because they’re the price of joy. Even if the WCS happens, I still went after the thing which brings its own exhilaration. Whatever the worst case scenario is, if you can accept it and live with it, you’re free to go forward. I promise trying and failing is still WAY better than wandering around aimlessly.
So you have an idea of a dream. Take a step towards it. Make one phone call. Or send one email.
What’s the worst that can happen?! 😀
My Favorite Moment on the Map of Life
