Dream + Action - Giving Up = Success

As a child, you may have sat in your backyard imagining you were on a quest to find buried treasure or dinosaur bones.  Perhaps you pretended to be an archaeologist, astronaut, or a pro athlete.  The dreams that children have are more true and real than most realities adults live in.  What happened to these lost dreams?  Maybe rejection, disappointment, or failure buried these dreams deeper and deeper until they became myths.  For me, I've found the X that marks the spot. I'm just looking for the      right tools to dig up my dream and live it. 


When I was younger I was always pretending to be on an adventure in the backyard.  Crossing the street was like crossing the croc infested Zambezi.  Climbing the oak tree was like scaling a dangerous cliff in Yosimite. When it snowed I would go outside and jump in it, pretending I was lost on a mountain. And, swimming every summer was like diving the deepest oceans.  My imagination was unlimited and vivid.  I want to make my childhood dreams a reality. 


 I've had a lot of rejections, disappointments and failures in my life.  It has taken a lot of will power to make the mental decision to take it as a learning experience that will make me successful someday.  One of the biggest risks I took was leaving everything to go to Florida to become a scuba instructor.  There was some financial issues that came along the way and I had to leave.  It was a pretty upsetting experience, but it made me realize that I was meant to do more than that.  There are many more examples I could write about, but this was a good one to express. 

My college experience has been quite a rough one.  It was very hard for me to just choose one thing to major in and go with it.  The problem with this was that none of it is what I truly wanted to do with my life.  I'm not going to say that 97 credit hours hasn't made me more knowledgeable and well-rounded.  I just don't think book work could ever replace experience. 

After years of tormenting myself about the future instead of just accepting my true passions I've found the right path.  My experience with scuba diving is increasing every year.  I hope to be an Open Water Instructor by Fall 2012.  I absolutely love the underwater world.  It takes a lot of time and effort to get to the point where you can teach scuba diving, so I will always be working on that.  A couple weeks ago I paid a deposit to IWLS, so I can go to Alaska next summer to train to be a Rock/Ice Climbing, Mountaineering, Backpacking/Rafting guide. I will be living in the Alaskan/Canadian wilderness for over 60 days.  This is similar to the risk I took going to Florida in 2009, but now I know how to better prepare for stuff like this.  I've consistently been rock climbing for a few months, keeping my cardio/conditioning in peak performance and mentally preparing myself.  

I truly believe experience ultimately will equal success.  I'm giving myself 5 years to gain as much experience as I can in all these areas, so I can teach others and guide them on adventures.  My overall goal is to start my own expedition company when I'm in my early 30s.  I'm taking the necessary steps to do so.  Pouring my life into this and spending countless hours doing it is okay because I love it.  I have no idea where I will start my business. All I know is that it will consist of a dive shop, rock climbing center and expedition hub for the local area and eventually national.  From diving the Great Barrier Reef to leading expeditions in the Himalayas.  From kayaking the mighty Arkansas river to physically training people to be healthy, so they can enjoy these sports. Exile Adventure Sports will be a reality! 

The Modern Pioneer

        The air feels cold, but in a different way. The morning frost grasps upon the leaves of the old pine trees, but the scent of the forest is still very distinguished.  Each exhale of warm, oxygen deficient air interacts with the cold environment that creates a burst of steam that travels meters in length.  Each step in altitude is a step closer to glory.  When arriving to the top of the world, one can look out upon the vast wilderness and emotionally reconnect with nature.  The natural high and euphoria of achieving the top of the summit is inevitable.  The wild heart and spirit is once again reborn.  The modern pioneer emerges... 


What is it about wilderness and nature that inspires, motivates and emotionally connects with us? 


         For me, I feel like the only way I know who I'am is when I'm in the wilderness, surrounded by nature. Yet, I find myself sitting in traffic jams, smelling cigarettes of nearby drivers, blaring subwoofers of Cadillacs behind me and older gents in their corvettes with the tops down. Is this what life is? 9-5 jobs, 401k's, white picket fences and the long sought after weekend? It's just not me. It never has been. I'm not the type to go to college for a business degree, get married, have kids, work for a corporation, retire, die. If I was to tell you a fear of mine, it would be to have an average life. To me, the normal life is like watering down a perfectly aged red wine. 


         Pioneers were people of courage and adventure. They were the trailblazers for people with average lives. What happened to pioneers? Have they become extinct? I would hope not. Just because there aren't any areas on the map left to explore doesn't mean the adventurous spirit should die. The spirit of adventure still exists. It's the crushed dreams and settling for less that has stifled it. Open your heart and spread your wings like an eagle because the life of exploration and pioneering has yet begun!


         I've always been the adventurous type. Striving for the next adventure is honestly my life's mission statement. I'm an avid scuba diver, rock climber, mountaineer, etc. It wasn't until recently that it dawned on me,"Why am I not doing this for a living? Shouldn't I be spending my time and effort trying to live the dream?" These questions rang in my head for days. "What must I do to live a full life of adventure?" I have my dreams ahead of me and my goals in sight. The journey of getting to this point is exciting. Every ounce of determination and experience that I've had is coming together like never before. "Am I dreaming? Could I really be living my dream soon?" Absolutely! I've already taken the first step of making the decision to do it. Next is actually doing it. In the next 7 months I will be training in Alaska and Yukon Territory to become a mountaineering/backpacking/rafting wilderness guide. In conjunction with my dive training, I'm striving to become the ultimate wilderness guide, so I can introduce people to the natural wonders of the world. If this is what it takes to become a modern pioneer, I will do anything to achieve it.


        That was a description of my career goals. As far as a personal goal and enrichment of my life, I've set out and began training to climb Mt. Aconcagua in South America in December, 2012. It's the tallest mountain in the Western and Southern hemispheres. More to come about this...  


        In conclusion of this post, I hope that my dreams and goals have inspired you to rekindle your own dreams. If you could do anything, absolutely anything, what would it be? Have the answer? Do it! Take the risk. It's your life and your dreams. It's who you are that makes you unique. Become the pioneer for your goals.