A question I am often asked is, 'What is a key quality you need in order to thrive as a nomad?' Minimalism and adaptability are always high on the list. But, I have come to believe that a high tolerance for risk is the most important.
Risk tolerance can be hard to come by for a middle-aged adult with enough life experience to know many of the ways things can, and do, go wrong, not to mention how quickly! The pervasive messages in our culture and advertising are firmly rooted in selling security in one form or another. An abundance of policies, services, and products exist to protect or secure our bodies, our possessions, and our financial future. Where would our economy be without fear? It's one of the most powerful advertising sales pitches, right up there with sex.
As a culture we are terrified of losing. Losing possessions, relationships, investments, respect. You name it, the list goes on and is unique to each person. The thing is, you can't have a life of inspiration or purpose without losing. It's my experience that you will likely wrap up this life with a boatload of regret if your over-arching priority was to always do all you could to keep yourself and those you love safe in every conceivable way.
Think about anyone you have ever been amazed with or inspired by. Have their paths appeared safe to you? Probably not. Which may be the very reason you are so amazed by them. You marvel at their courage and wonder deep down if you have what it takes to make leaps like they did. You may not even know what you'd be willing to make a risky leap for. I can guarantee you that prioritizing absolute safety will keep you from discovering it.
It's my belief that everyone has a unique purpose and the innate abilities required to pursue it once discovered. Once you figure it out, the first big leap of vulnerability is actually speaking it out loud. Beginning with your inner circle and raidating out from there. That's your first big test of risk tolerance. Being willing to be laughed at, shot down, dismissed out of hand, or worst of all, patronized. This is when you find out who your true people are. If you're brave enough to speak it, you're brave enough to take steps toward it. Don't let it go.
Yes, the pursuit will be difficult. You will likely lose things and people you care about. But, whatever you lose is simply no longer meant for you. It's not likely to be easy or even fun a lot of the time. But, it will be meaningful and will bring a focus to your life the likes of which you have never experienced. Purpose driven people pull like-minded souls into their orbit. It's a magical thing that blows my mind all the time. When you truly commit yourself to your passion, the inspiration flows from within and without. As you move forward your comfort with vulnerability will expand and you'll begin to see how little you had to be afraid of to begin with.
It's along this path that I really began grasping the temporal nature of everything in our lives. Allowing yourself to live in the illusion of permanence robs you of meaningful existence. You naturally fall prey to assuming you have time, when the reality is that every moment could be your last.
Stop and think on that. If this was your last moment alive and you knew your time was up, how would you feel about the life you've lived? Would you feel regret or gratitude? We all have some regrets. But, if on balance you don't think you'd feel gratitude, that should tell you something. It's never too late to change your path. You have that choice and power over your life. It's simply a matter of conviction and willingness to be vulnerable.
The biggest sign of a life well lived is a heart full of gratitude. If you think about it, the things we're most grateful for in life are often the result of either ourselves or someone close to us taking a risk. Someone spoke their heart first. Someone risked their resources to help another. Someone risked their social standing to stand for a cause. Someone risked injury for our sake. Life changing moments of great risk define who we are and inspire us to be brave and find our deepest power.
Move beyond your fear.
Photo> Tucker SnoCat of the 1956 Trans Antarctic Expedition. Yes, they saved it from the crevasse which had opened up beneath it!
