What makes life worth living?
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde
Life should be a rollercoaster, not a merry-go-round.
Life should be about taking risks and exploring the unknown, not hiding inside bubbles or behind walls of safety and security.
Life should be about pushing boundaries, experiencing new things and pursuing your passions.
It should be about seeking knowledge and striving for growth, about building community, connecting with others and making a difference. It should be about balance and commitment, failure and solutions, and a never-ending pursuit of true happiness.
This is the life that I want to lead and this year and I am out to prove that if you work hard enough and want it bad enough, you can make your life worth living.
This is how I plan to do it:
Seeking a life outside the bubble
We live in one of the most amazing places in the entire world.
From Canada’s dynamic landscapes to its diverse cultures and heritage, it’s easy to say it’s one of the greatest places on earth.
I am so proud to be a Canadian, but at the same time I feel as though I am not truly Canadian…
After 30+ years of living in this country, I have barely explored any of the land that I call home.
Sadly, I have to admit that I know very little about our indigenous culture or heritage and I have only the slightest understanding of what makes up all of the unique cultures from each of the cities and territories that stretch across this great land.
I have never ridden the Maid of the Mist through Niagara Falls, I’ve never hiked the bluffs of Gros Morne national park and I’ve never seen the northern lights above the prairies.
I have lived my life inside a small bubble, rarely venturing too far from the safety of home.
So I ask you, how can I possibly call myself a Canadian if I’ve never really experienced Canada?
This year I have decided to commit to a journey across the country which I hope will not only take me far outside of my bubble but will connect me to the greatest people and landscapes my country has to offer.
Seeking to minimalize in order to maximize
“Some of y’all are not where you want to be in life, yet you party every weekend. What is it that you’re celebrating?” – T.I.
It’s no surprise to anyone to say that we live in a society of excess…
The typical Canadian owed $21,348 in consumer debt at the start of 2016 and I myself have somewhere just over $31,000!
That’s insane!
And yet for some reason, I keep living a lifestyle that is far beyond my means. Year after year I find myself further in the hole and more limited to do the things I enjoy most in my life.
Well enough is enough… This year I’m pulling a Mr. Money Mustache and massively overhauling my life so that I can live more and pay less.
Last year I lived on $250 for an entire month and it massively shifted my mental state towards the conservative, so what can I now do to make that perspective more sustainable?
Well, starting at the end of my current challenge to trade up a Button to a Bus I plan to eliminate all excess from my life.
I will sell my car, my stereo and anything I have that is not nailed down (or that my girlfriend won’t kill me to sell) and I will fully move into my bus.
It’s my hope by making such a massive shift to my physical life that I’ll finally focus more on enjoying the simple things instead of always reaching for the finer things.
Seeking to challenge my limits
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” – Tom Hanks – A League Of Their Own
It’s so easy to fall into a rut.
Whether you’re falling off at the gym or coasting at your work, life makes it easy to get comfortable and complacent.
But if we want to live a full life we need to be able to take on challenges that kick us in the asses and push us off the couch.
It’s only then that we can find a true purpose to our lives, or discover more about ourselves, or feel like we’re truly alive.
Unfortunately, if you can’t commit yourself to your own S.M.A.R.T. challenge you will quickly find life has provided one for you (and spoiler alert it won’t be as fun).
This is why I’ve decided to commit my entire life to the pursuit of projects.
Whether it’s attempting to sail the Haida Gwaii islands or doing a daily vlog every day for a year, I want my life to be about fun, adventurous and interesting projects that add value to my life.
This year, as I travel across Canada I hope to pursue as many of these projects as I can so that my ambition and potential for accomplishment never end.
So in the end, I will ask you, what are you doing to live life to the fullest?
Are you pursuing passion projects? Are you making the sacrifices you need to live a fuller life? Are you stuck in a bubble, or are you breaking free to discover more of your life?
It doesn’t take a lot to create a lot of change, just some small steps and a lot of big dreams.
I invite you to follow me as I attempt to capture my dreams and hopefully discover a life at scale.
