ADVENTURE + ALIVENESS Page 10 of 18

Notes from the Arctic #1: When your worst nightmare comes true

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Greetings from inside the Arctic Circle! Mr K and I have been digital nomads working at minus 15 this week, as we have spent an incredible few days in northern Finland. I’ll be sharing some of our experiences over the next couple of weeks, but first wanted to share a major lesson we have learnt on this trip.

I nearly didn’t book the tickets because I was worried about taking our daughter with us when she is still just a toddler. What if she screamed on every flight? What if she hated the cold? Or even worse, what if she was ill? But then I reasoned that they have toddlers in Finland too, and as long as we were well prepared with thermals and skiwear she’d be fine. So I stocked up on warm clothes and Calpol, and hoped for the best.

And guess what? She was a great little traveller on the flights, waving at everyone as they got on the plane like an air hostess in training. She coped with the weather brilliantly, proud of her new snow boots, and fascinated by the white world around her.

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But then disaster struck and our worst case scenario came true – poor Sienna fell ill with chicken pox. Of all the places in the world to come out in a raging rash. We were a 100km round trip from the nearest hospital, and really worried about her.

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A new beginning today

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Earlier this week I woke up to a magical winter wonderland – it was snowing! As I stood at the window admiring mother nature’s spectacular work, I started thinking about how beautiful the world looks in white.

There’s something quite special about the colour white. In colour psychology, white symbolises purity, innocence, awakening, growth, completion and new beginnings. It’s thought that we wear white clothes (often subconsciously) when we are moving in a new direction in life, such as travelling abroad, moving house, embarking on a new relationship or changing careers because white makes us feel calm, organised and optimistic. Colour psychologists also say that surrounding yourself with white is good for your soul because it cleanses and purifies your thoughts, emotions and, ultimately, your spirit, refreshing and strengthening your entire energy system.

Venturing out into the crisp white snow – a big blank canvas full of possibilities – was just the inspiration I needed to be bold and start the art course I’ve been dreaming about.

What’s will you begin today? We’d love to hear what’s inspired you.

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Download a high res version here.

Help me write my TEDx talk!

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When I heard last week that I had been confirmed as a speaker for TEDxYouth@ Islington I was in equal parts thrilled and terrified. It’s a fantastic but somewhat daunting platform, and something I have had on my dream list for quite some time. Most people get around 5 months to prepare for a talk like this. I’ve got 7 weeks, and I need your help! In fact, I would be so grateful for your help that one person responding to my quick survey will win a free place on the Do What You Love course.

My topic will be “How to teach your parents to give you better careers advice”. It is based on the premise that careers advice is nearly always well-intended but frequently flawed, because we often ask our children the wrong questions when trying to help them discover their path in life.

In the talk I will offer the young people in the audience:

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Your year of microadventure

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Alastair Humphries

 

 

This is a guest post by adventurer, author and motivational speaker Alastair Humphreys. Find out more about Alastair here.

 

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YOUR YEAR OF MICROADVENTURE

Would you like to live more adventurously this year?

  • To experience the wild and escape from the rushed, mundane real world.
  • To do something new, fun and different.
  • To spend memorable time with your friends, family or by yourself.
  • To challenge yourself, surprise yourself, and achieve something to be proud of.

I bet you can think of other reasons why you’d like to do have a more adventurous year. You may even be intending to make this the year when you really do get out “there” as much as you dream of doing.

But real life often gets in the way and good intentions fade.

So why not commit, today, to a challenge? It’s easy enough to be achievable, but will be really rewarding to complete.

12 months. 12 overnight microadventures. 1 adventurous year.

Are you in? Good!

Read on to find out more…

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In their words – why the Do What You Love e-course could be just what you need

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We are always humbled and thrilled to hear how our courses have helped people change their own lives, sidestep mountains, move forwards, and find fulfillment and happiness on their own path. As we prepare for the Do What You Love course to begin on Monday 26 January, we thought we’d share some of the latest words we have received about the impact of the last class, in the words of the participants themselves.

If any of these resonate with you, and you’d like to be able to say the same within five short weeks, then join us for the online adventure of a lifetime.

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Our acclaimed course Do What You Love begins on Monday 26 January and runs for five weeks. In those five weeks, everything could change for you – not least how you see yourself, others, your future and your place in the world. It’s powerful and inspiring – don’t miss it. Book your place now.

New Year Happier You. Begin today.

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A new year brings a sense of new beginnings, of possibility, of the chance to start afresh. So what kind of a year will you make it this year?

What if 2015 was the year that you became a happier version of yourself? What would that look like, and what would be different? What would have to change to become that version of yourself?

In our community of tens of thousands of people spread across the world, this is a question that has been asked many, many times. Often the answer lies in a few small but important decisions.

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New Year, New You. Begin today.

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‘New year, new you’ must be the most over-used phrase in the world of magazine headlines, but there is a very good reason for that. The beginning of a new year can be a watershed. ‘Next year’ becomes ‘this year’. The time is now. If you had a bad year, that is now in the past. If you had a great year, you can step it up a level and make this one even better.

A new year is like a gift. It’s a chance to start again, and to tell yourself you have the power to decide how this year pans out. What will you do? Where will you go? Who will you spend time with? Who will you avoid? How will you behave differently so things work out differently? What different choices will you make? What will you tell yourself about what could be possible for you? And what steps will you take to make that happen?

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As you simplify your life, so the laws of the universe will become simpler…

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As you simplify your life, so the laws of the universe will become simpler. Solitude will not be solitude, nor weakness weakness.

You must live in the present.

Launch yourself on every wave.

Find your eternity in each moment. – Henry David Thoreau

Today we are taking inspiration from mountain runner Anton Krupicka in this beautiful video:

What lies ahead of us and what lies behind us are tiny things compared to what lives within us. – Henry David Thoreau