017: When life takes you off course
We start off with a destination in mind, and we start thinking of our route, our game plan and how we’re going to get there. That in and of itself is challenge enough - but what about the unpredictable things that throw us off course along the way?
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers. So recently, one of my favorite TV programs, Race Across the World, has come back for another series. It's a series where people compete to shock horror, surprise, race across the world, but with a difference. You get told a starting point and you're only told the end destination when you get there. You have two months to get yourself to the end destination, but there's no flights allowed and you have to do it with no phone, no Internet, no credit card, and a strict budget which is equivalent to what your airfare would have been. And, also, you can't plan anything like accommodation in advance. For the first series, they all started in London and had to make it to Singapore without taking a single flight. But that's not all.
In terms of the competition, it is not just about getting from point a to point b. They are regularly taken off the path by having to reach five checkpoints along the way, and the checkpoints aren't in logical places. And frankly, most of the time, they are right ball ache to get to. Now you might be wondering why I'm telling you this. Yeah. It's nice you have a TV show you like Meg, but what does this have to do with Rebel Rising, and what does this have to do with me? Well, let me tell you. The whole premise of the show is a great metaphor for life, the challenges we face, and our goals. We start off with the destination in mind, and we start thinking of our route, our game plan, and how we're gonna get there.
And I mean, that in and of itself is a challenge enough. But what we simply can't cater for is the checkpoints and the unpredictable things that throw us off course along the way. Going back to the TV show for a minute, if they just had to get from a to b, it would be easier. They could arrange to get a two month ferry. They could probably do it faster than the two months they're given by sitting on one bus after another after another. But they're taken off the path by these checkpoints just like we are with the uncertainties of life. And it can be really fucking frustrating, especially when you're so certain on your destination or if you've been trying for a very long time. And it just feels like you're making progress, but then something else happens, and then something else happens.
And just a quick thing for a second. If you're wondering whether you should take these things as a sign to give up, go listen to episode six about signs. It's not only can it be frustrating, it can be heartbreaking. It can be so hard for us on a soul level, and it can make us pretty weary travelers. But the thing is, if this is something you really, really want, somehow you have to keep going. You might need to adjust your route, and sometimes you might need to adjust your route many times. You might even need to buy a slightly different map and you might need to rethink everything, but you figure out a way to get there anyway because it is worth the journey. And while it sucks to be taken off your path, some curveballs aren't all that bad.
In fact, some might be the very things you didn't know you needed. As you're taken off your path, you might find things you never knew were there. A bit like how the contestants in the show end up going to random places to find out it's a national holiday or to find a beautiful lake they never would have found. You might even stumble upon another path or you might join someone else's path for a while, and it might just be the thing you needed. You might be thrown off your path right at the very moment something is starting is happening somewhere nearby, or you might just be thrown off the path and bump into a stranger who's gone to the place you're heading and knows a route that's quicker and isn't in the guidebooks. What I'm trying to say is don't be so afraid of coming off course that you completely block and miss the things you might learn when you do come off course. Maybe and you know how much I hate platitudes, so it pains me to say it, maybe the journey is the destination itself. And if you're that weary traveler, maybe you need to break for a minute and regroup.
Maybe you need to get your strength back for the last leg of the journey and maybe it just doesn't have to be done right this minute. So that is my food for thought for the day. Have a fabulous day and I'll see you back here tomorrow where we are tackling all or nothing thinking. Have a great one.
Episode transcript automatically produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
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