Bravely Stepping Into the Unknown

Life can often feel as daunting and uncertain as exploring the depths of an ocean. Sometimes we find ourselves in parts where light barely seeps through, where we feel alone, lost, and unsure about what we might experience in the next moments. 

Zion National Park, Utah // October 2020

While not quite the same, and far from the frightening dark with its incredible colors, the Narrows in Zion National Park require that one willingly enters into the unknown. There are so many uncontrollable factors – varying temperatures, water depth, strength of the currents, the uneven terrain - that remind hikers of their humanity and how nature cannot be tamed.  Wading through the Narrows means committing to trekking ahead, even in the moments when you aren’t certain where your foot will land or how high the water will meet you. If you hone in on the rapid current, or look ahead and realize you’ve lost sight of the ground, it can be easy to feel distressed. To get through moments of uncertainty, it can help to look up, take in the surrounding beauty, and remind yourself of all the elements you’ve already successfully overcome.  

It’s important to remember that sometimes you’ll have someone there to cheer you on, lend a supporting hand that you can literally lean on, and dust you off when you need some extra strength. Other times you’ll be forced to look around and find ways to work with what you have. And, the reality is, there will even be days when you’ll just have yourself to rely on – whether it’s a celebratory event or a low period. In these moments, we become strongest as we exercise our skills of surviving on our own, and it makes us more appreciative when we do have support around us. 

Personally, I know it can be extremely hard to muster up the courage to move forward. Sometimes recognizing all the support and love around you can actually make it harder, adding on a layer of “Why do I feel this way when there is so much positivity around me?” Guilt can seep in, compounding the negative feelings of not knowing what lie ahead. The effect that you are only sinking deeper and deeper may wash over. The key word is “effect;” the truth is that there have been challenges before and, often times, the worst outcomes of our daily stresses aren’t actually all that bad. Truly, it hurts us more to limit ourselves and remain stuck; It’s important to continue to make progress by bravely taking that bold step into the unknown. 

While hiking waist-deep through the cool, crisp water in Zion, I realized that it was easiest to trek when I went with the flow of the current and intuitively harnessed my momentum to leap from rock to rock. In this way, change is similar to a current. Resisting change and being frozen by fear, only makes it harder to navigate. Without surrendering to what might be and continuing our journey, we miss out on new possibilities and the potential to see an unthinkably beautiful sight around the corner. It’s about focusing on the fact that opportunity awaits, as opposed to the fact that you are halfway under water. 

“It’s about focusing on the fact that opportunity awaits, as opposed to the fact that you are halfway under water. ”

Without the power to predict the future, it is normal to get anxious about the unknown or feel overwhelmed. However, if we pause and log all that we’ve conquered in life, it’s easy to see that the magic in life is in all the crevices that we dare to explore. Cheers to being more fearless in this new year! xoxo

The Importance of Being an Explorer

Growing up, my mom always imparted on me the wisdom of my great-grandmother: “Be a trier.” These three words have influenced my life heavily, as I guide my life with the perspective that some things I need to experience before I have the authority to gauge my stance. Whether it’s a new food, a new idea, or a new activity (especially one that pushes me out of my comfort zone), I keep in the back of my mind that I must give it a shot if I want to expand my knowledge, knowing that the worst that can happen is that I learn that whatever I tried isn’t something I want to partake in again in the future. This morning as I began brainstorming how to formulate my thoughts into an intelligible blog post, I made myself some tea (and I like the kind that has a little quote to ponder as you sip) and the quote of today’s tea bag was: “Experience will give you the power and confidence to be you.” And that’s when all my thoughts came together.

Napa Valley, CA // February 2018

I absolutely love traveling, but for me the term “explorer” goes beyond the physical act of going on some exotic journey, to also include just the act of “exploring” other options, different perspectives, a bite of that interesting looking dish at the neighborhood potluck… you get the idea! From an early age I’d like to say that I have had an inherent curiosity and thirst for knowledge pushing me to seek out a plethora of new experiences, but I know that some people are more homebodies. Which brings me to my overall message that I hope to instill: even if you wouldn’t describe yourself as one who wishes to go outside of your normal routine, the act of exploring in any sense of the word is so enriching and benefitting. With this freshness that comes with the start of March, I encourage everyone to make this month one of healthy challenge, setting at least one new goal to attempt that pushes the boundaries of the “normalness’ of the everyday.

When we spread our wings and immerse ourselves in something new, we add one more notch to the repertoire of things that make us who we are, since after all, we are all unique creations that have been shaped and molded by our individual life experiences. The more books we’ve read, people we’ve met, places we’ve gone, foods that we’ve tried, etc., the greater awareness we have for the world around us, and thus the more accurately we can place ourselves in the greater context of this diverse world. In my own life, certain experiences have illuminated feelings that were deep inside me all along, but that I could only place a finger on once I was exposed to the converse feeling through an exploration or heard someone else put words to my ambiguous emotions. 

Napa Valley, CA // February 2018

I think that when we as human beings take an active approach towards life, meaning that we maintain an open-minded perspective and allow ourselves to continually absorb new knowledge, we work to cultivate a society that is more culturally aware and empathetic. By encouraging our own selves to take advantage of all the wonderful possibilities in life, we are opening ourselves up to being pleasantly surprised and learning something about our own beings, or we can at least take pride in entering and surviving something that wasn’t necessarily our “cup of tea,” but that we now have an educated background in and thus can have justified attitudes towards. In working on making our inverse one of more unity, we need to all have a small taste of what other people’s “normal” is, so we should all view ourselves as “world detectives,” doing our best to collect all that we can so that we can make supported claims, have a better understanding of who we are, and add to the evidence that there is something that connects us all as human beings.

So go out and try a new cuisine, read a new genre of books, watch a documentary on an unfamiliar topic… or maybe even book a flight to that place you’ve always wanted to go to! We never cease to be students of life, so let’s all make the most of our priceless education! 

Channeling Fearlessness

Hello! For the longest time I have kept this blog privatized, being too insecure to allow my thoughts and feelings to be so exposed to those around me, but I have finally come to the point in life where I want to give my creative project the space and recognition I always envisioned it would have. As I continue to grow as an individual and solidify my purpose on this planet, my one steady goal in mind has been to leave a positive footprint in this world through my words. My ultimate dream is to dedicate my life to soaking up as many culturally diverse experiences as possible and then writing about them so that they are accessible to as many people as possible, in an effort to hopefully bridge the gaps between populations and blur the divisions among all of us. By the end of my lifetime, I hope that this world is more cohesive, empathetic, and receptive than when I entered it. So in correlation with what I am doing by releasing this blog, I have chosen to make this post all about being fearless and being your own biggest supporter. 

Newport Beach, CA // November 2017

My entire life I have dealt with insecurities and the fears that come along with the lack of confidence. Throughout my life, there always seemed to be questions looming in the back of my mind of whether or not people around me genuinely liked me, and essentially I just rarely trusted that I was being positively perceived. Until college, I naturally never felt as though I truly fit in with people in my same age range and I could never seem to find that place in the world where I was truly accepted. I feel like that has played a large role in my anxieties with food, since it was one of the only things I could control and I could at least make sure that I “looked” good even if I doubted people liked what was beneath the surface. Recently, I started to feel old insecurities slowly try to creep back in, but then I remembered that I have the power, just like everyone else, to choose to be fearless and pave my own path.

I think what I am trying to say, is that as individuals, we have every right to love and support ourselves. Why can’t we act in ways that make us happy and say things we think are funny without feeling ashamed? Lately, the closer to my heart that I have lived my life, the more I have attracted people who genuinely care and want to be around me. Not only that, but my confidence has remained steady and therefore it is easier to ignore people who aren’t as openly accepting. Being confident in yourself is something that has the potential to transcend to a level of visibility, taking the form of a noticeable glow that almost acts as a protective bubble that only magnetizes positivity as you go through the ins and outs of daily life. It becomes easier to find happiness in even the smallest parts of life when you find contentment with yourself. When you have established that you have in yourself someone who will always love you, will always laugh at what you think is funny, and will always believe in your abilities and dreams, life becomes so much more manageable and carefree. 

Berkeley, CA // September 2017

Essentially, life is not a competition and we have to choose to live our lives for ourselves. I know the topics that I write about won’t be accepted by all that read them, and I know that half the time people probably won’t even take the time out of their days to read my posts. But I have come to the conclusion that that’s okay, and I can’t be afraid of all the things that might go wrong, because what about all the things that might go right? If I impact just one person by being so vulnerable, I’ll be content knowing that I am one step closer to achieving my ultimate dream. I hope that everyone can look at themselves and see that they have nothing to fear in living life in whichever way makes them happiest, because at the end of the day, the scariest thought is to never have truly lived at all, or to have never at least given yourself the chance of being happy. The next time you question even the smallest of things, like whether or not you should smile at that person from across the coffee shop, challenge yourself to shed any doubts and actually follow through with your intentions. The worst that can happen is that you acknowledged the light and power within yourself, and the truth is, is that even though we might fall down a few times along the way, once we have discovered our own fearlessness, that’s when we will all be living our individual lives as close to our heart’s desire as possible.

Thanks for reading! I know I haven’t been as consistent with posting in the past, but I’m planning to put the energy into making this a big focus in my life from here on out!