Starting over is liberating. Shedding life’s baggage and resetting your direction to a happier more sustainable trajectory could be the best decision you ever make.
The idea of making a fresh start is not a new concept, and today this happens around us all the time. New diets preceded by purging the system, divorce and remarriage, relocating to a new city or even a new country are all examples.
Even Tony Robbins advocates abrupt and dramatic change to set a new standard for ourselves. If we want different results, we need to make changes.
Walkabout
The concept of walkabout developed by Australian Aboriginal people is my favorite example. A young man coming of age, or even older individuals will embark on a life changing journey. They leave all people and possessions behind and go to find themselves.
Young Australians today love to travel. The year-long worldwide backpacking adventure is considered a right of passage. Again, it’s a self-finding coming of age experience. Upon returning, travellers have a new understanding of what the world is all about and a new respect for what they have at home.
Find Your Own Way
Improving our lives doesn’t always have to be this dramatic. Life changing experiences can be created in imaginative ways. The credit card ride is a great example.
Here are four (4) Aussies that strip back their lives to the simplest machines, the fixed gear bicycle. With nothing but a credit card in their back pocket they embark on their own life changing experience.
“Flat Out” Teaser from FLAT OUT PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.
Stripping away life’s layers of complexity let’s us rebuild and grow in a more positive direction. As a 20 something in Sydney many years ago, I was supposedly living my dream but was very unhappy. Burned-out from a frantic pace of life, I needed a change. I made the left-field decision to move to the U.S. and marry my college girlfriend. It was a huge risk but was the best change I have ever made. It was my walkabout. It’s a long story and I may share more details later, but it turned my life around.
Take a risk, do something completely different and really try to understand what will make your life better.
Thanks for the encouragement, however, there are times to take risks and times to hunker down – it’s helpful to know when to do what! I do like to try new things though as that is what keeps life interesting through all your years.
Exciting goals are what makes life interesting. I agree, there’s a time to stay the course and other opportunities to change it up. As long as we don’t give up and stop innovating.
I have done something similar, but far less dramatic. When I was in business, I started a couple new ventures. The difference was I kept my money maker (income property) as my base.
It’s exciting to try something completely new, and smart to protect what you have too. Thanks KC.
Nice! I need to do a walk about.
If you’re heading east please stop by, you’re always welcome.
I’ve never been the type to feel like I needed to go on adventures or find myself. I’m perfectly content with my home and coming back to it each and every night. Some would say that makes me boring. i would argue that it means I know where I belong and what I’m doing with my life (at least I think that’s what it means).
If your very happy with what you’re doing and satisfied with the direction you’re heading then there’s no reason to really change it up. This is mainly a mechanism to break out of a rut.
I have been working on making some positive changes myself. I want to feel more at ease as well as more accomplished. It is a work in progress.
It sounds like you are an innovator like me Miss T. I’m always tweaking lifestyle improvements.
Do you suppose this tradition comes down from the Grand Tour of Europe that young Englishmen were accustomed to?
I remember meeting a couple of young guys when I was living in Saudi Arabia. One Brit, one Aussie. Both were living in the UK when the Aussie said to his friend, I think I’ll go home… on a bike! The other pretty much said, hey what the hell, I’ll go with you.
And there they were, riding bikes through the Saudi Desert, on the way to Australia. Crazy!
(hmm, this story might make for a good blog post…)
That’s quite an adventure, and a very long way to ride.
I’m certain that cultural influences are at least partly responsible for this. Australians, being predominantly from Pommy, sorry, English origins arrived after a great journey while taking many risks. Plus, the island geography of this continent makes you want to get out and explore other places. Education is also viewed very differently; it’s more important to have life experience than just academics and travelling provides this. Of course, it’s handy to have a degree as well as some world experience.
I guess my walkabout was moving from Massachusetts to Arizona when I was 23. I should write a post about it. Looks like this article has inspiried many posts around the blogsphere…:)
That’s a big move! Yes, please write about it.
I’m not sure if this has inspired other articles…I’ll have to do some exploring to see what’s out there.
When I was 20, I was saving up for a backpacking trip in Europe. Somehow that got seized for a maternity fund.
Sorry Jason. It sucks how our best plans can be derailed by unexpected events. Don’t give up on your trip.
If you don’t try, you won’t know! At 20, that’s a gutsy move! I applaud your courage and glad it turned out for the good Hunter!
I was actually in my late 20′s when I made the move. It was a reconnection with my college girlfriend after 6 years since graduation. Risky!
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