Being 4584 miles away from home you realise that life is really not that much different. The people, culture and geography may have changed but life is really the same. The locals go to work to provide for their family, parents still want their kids to grow up healthy and happy. And people are generally good and will help you if you are lost which happens surprisingly frequently for me. Below are some of the lessons I’ve had time to reflect on while being away from the comforts of home.
1. I Don’t Need Much To Be Happy
Traveling and living out of a backpack brings a whole new perspective on living the simple life. I’ve come to realise that the joys of travel is directly proportionate to the amount of stuff you have. The more stuff you bring from home or accumulate on the journey the less enjoyment you will have moving from place to place. I am just as happy, if not happier with my few possessions on the road as I was with my abundance of stuff back home. I think another spring clean is in order when I get back home. Continue reading! »
“…So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk bound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.” – Edward Abbey
The time has come for me to carve my own road and explore our little planet a bit. I’m off on the first leg of my world trip with the first stop being Hong Kong. All sense of normalcy and routine will be lost to me for the next six months replaced with a sense of the unknown, new experiences, new cultures and people. While I’ve been asked by friends for months whether I’m excited or looking forward to the trip it never really dawned on me until now that it is actually going to be a reality. At this juncture I am reminded of a passage in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: Continue reading! »
Finding a universal packing list for a long term trip is often confusing and down right impossible. Everybody has an idea of what you need for a trip, often times they may not be relevant to your particular travel needs. Some people enjoy traveling light, while others have the luxury of being able to travel with several suitcases. My particular needs for my 6 months round the world requires me to pack fairly light, I am aiming for something around 6kg which is far short of the airlines maximum of 20kg. The reason being is that I will be largely hosteling around the world and maneuverability is a must.
I will also be undertaking the Camino de Santiago as well as several other shorter hikes on my trip so carrying a large pack is out of the question. Continue reading! »
While I sometimes might lament and wish for a better life as many of us do, it’s often fleeting and passes by quickly. That’s partly because I’ve finally gotten myself to a good place in life and it’s taken many trials, tribulations, miss steps and near disasters to get there. It’s easy to look back in hindsight and wish that had you been made available with better information, less fear or ignorance, or better guidance so things would have turned out differently. I now know that I am richer for my experiences good or bad and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t continue to learn and grow both from others and through reflection of my own self. While I continue to pursue growth from learning from those further down the path of life than I am, here is what I wish someone had told me when I was younger.
1. Focus Less On The Destination And Just Enjoy The Journey
When I was younger I got so caught up in the trees that I didn’t even see the forest all around me. It’s funny how when you’re at school every exam is like the end of the earth. It’s like your life is put on pause until the exam period is over. When you become an adult you find other ways to keep yourself stressed and focused with work commitments and your period in school almost feels like a breeze in comparison.
If you’re always focused on the destination, life will pass you by and you’ll never get it back. There is always going to be a new destination once the old one is reached. There is always going to be deadlines, disasters to manage and havoc to get under control. It’s human nature to never be satisfied with being in the one place.
“…if, in my high moments, I have done some good, offered some service, shed some light, healed some wounds, rekindled some hope, or stirred someone from apathy and indifference, or in any way along the way helped somebody, then this campaign has not been in vain..” – Jesse Jackson
This will be my last post of the year. I will return to blogging on the 2nd of January 2008. Since I am traveling for the first half of 2008 I will be blogging without a schedule to give me more flexibility. I will continue to blog and reply to comments as usual as I will make my way to local Internet cafes on my trip so don’t go anywhere.
As the year draws to a close and the festive season is about to kick into gear I wanted to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to all the readers that have visited my Blog since it’s creation in July of this year. It has been you the readers that have made this project so much fun and rewarding. I’ve met some wonderful readers along the way who’ve stopped by and left comments or emailed me with kind words. Your contributions make this site great and it wouldn’t be the same without you. Continue reading! »
Thursday’s weekly guide to Personal Growth from 4EvaYoung.com
When I hear the term self control I immediately conjure up images of monks laboring for hours in a meditative state. While this may not be far off the mark considering that self control is a theme espoused in many religious contexts, self control can also be a useful discipline that can have wide ranging benefits to your overall life and well-being.
In fact during the 1960’s psychologist Walter Mischel conducted a now famous experiment affectionately known in many circles as the “Marshmallow Test” where he gathered a group of 4 year old children to study the importance of impulse control and delayed gratification for academic, emotional and social success. The test involved giving a marshmallow to the four year old and telling them that if they could wait till the researcher returned in 15 minutes they would get another marshmallow.
Mischel followed the group and found that, 14 years later, those children who were able to exhibit self control and restrained themselves from taking the first marshmallow went on to become better adjusted children in later life. They coped better socially and were more self assured of themselves. Surveys conducted on their teachers showed they had greater aptitude in academia, were more trustworthy and dependable. They also outperformed their counterparts in exams such as the SATs.
The results of Mischel’s experiment illustrates that self control is crucial to living a successful life. Thankfully self control is a skill that can be improved over time for those who have poor impulse control. Here are some benefits of improving self control in your life: Continue reading! »
Wednesday’s weekly guide to Best Of The Web from 4EvaYoung.com
You’ve never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called “developing world” using extraordinary animation software developed by his Gapminder Foundation. In Rosling’s hands, global trends — life expectancy, child mortality, poverty rates — become clear, intuitive and even playful. – TED
Being 4 Eva Young is not about age, it's about attitude.
This site is dedicated to inspiring, motivating and encouraging anyone who is young at heart to live a life of significance filled with peace, joy, and success.
Finding a universal packing list for a long term trip is often confusing and down right impossible. Everybody has an idea of what you need for a trip, often times they may not be relevant to your particular travel needs. Some people enjoy traveling light, while others have the luxury of being able to travel with several suitcases. My particular needs for my 6 months round the world requires me to pack fairly light, I am aiming for something around 6kg which is far short of the airlines maximum of 20kg. The reason being is that I will be largely hosteling around the world and maneuverability is a must.
