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!