Embracing the Unchartered And Reclaiming The Joy To Live

What Happens When We Go Off The Map

What happens when we go off the map?

As my 50th birthday approached last year, I strongly sensed that my tendency to micro plan most aspects of my life, had to give away a more gentle and flexible approach. While my book 'Living Big- Extraordinary You in an Ordinary World' was scheduled to be released on the big day and I anxiously ensured everything was going according to plan, I woke up one fine morning to the word 'Unchartered' whispered in my heart.

'Go unchartered.' echoed in the room as I slowly opened my eyes, unsure of what this meant. After that, I got ready for my day and forgot all about it until it finally struck me that one can only live big when able to journey trough life relying on their inner north star. I always believed that somewhere in the world, there was a map of life. So, I set out to find it—truly searched for it. I obstinately looked everywhere for that little scroll detailing all the different paths and shortcuts to my journey's destination. Of course, I never found it, and that made me real pissed off at times.

‘What do you mean there's no map to walk through this damn thing?’ I would often mutter to myself. ‘How am I supposed to know I am going the right way?’ So I spent a fair bit of my younger years planning my life out to keep it as smooth as possible. And that didn’t work either, of course.

We're probably all given a bit of direction and a list of places and things to avoid when we arrive in this world. ‘Alright, little souls, welcome to planet Earth. We hope you had a pleasant flight down because things are about to get a bit bumpy. Don't worry, here's a little drawing of where you're headed next. Sorry it's not very clear, but you'll find that many things won't be as you go along. Now off you go, chop-chop. And a little word of warning... don't walk too fast, or you'll spoil your fun.’

They don’t tell us, though, that whichever path we take, it's bound to change and change again. The only thing we're truly required to do to enjoy our time here is to take one step at a time and mind the puddles. There will be quite a few, and they'll often be very muddy and deep. Our desire to know what's next often masks our distrust in our ability to handle whatever lies ahead.

How Letting Go of Control Creates Space for Spontaneity and Growth

Most of all, what they don’t tell us is that as we try to survive this senseless life, we’ll lose our joy of being along the way. We forget why we came here in the first place – what we came to do and offer those around us. Our endless map-hunting kills our spontaneity as we slowly become just like everyone else.

But when we finally accept that life is not to be planned out, uncertainty becomes an opportunity to allow more spontaneity into our days. Each step we take from there on paves a path that is truly unique and never walked before. While we are all surely headed the same way, the journey we each take is solely our own. And it never ends, no matter how many dreams come to fall through.

As I surrendered to my visceral need to go unchartered, I started to see myself in a new light. I suddenly discovered qualities I never thought I had and reclaimed the ones that allowed me to come this far; all while I celebrate who I am and who I am becoming.

What happens when we go off the map, and we start journeying unchartered? We found long-forgotten gifts along the way and reclaim our joy to live. Which is what my next book is going to be all about and I cannot wait to share more with you!

Beloved friend, may you trust your inner compass as you journey through life. May you remain open as old dreams give way to new ones waiting to be born. And when unsure of which path to take, may you trust that all roads will always lead you back to yourself.