Decisions, Decisions.

This trip has been all kinds of wonderful. I have had a blast learning new skills and adventuring all over the North Island. Although, as with any trip (or life in general) there are tough points and you need to make tough decisions. Now for me pretty much every decision is tough. I have a trying relationship with making choices. I am terrified to make the wrong one. I have mentioned in earlier blog posts about my need for routine. In part, a routine eliminates the need to make any sort of choice. If you always do the same thing you seem to forget that you could have done something else altogether! I have made small routines

This was taken on the day we were deciding whether or not to continue working. I would much rather grapple with climbing this tree, than grapple with the decision in front of me.

throughout this trip, but for the most part, traveling is making choices. Whether it be choosing a destination, picking a campsite to visit, figuring out which beach to surf, or just deciding what to do on any given day! It can be challenging, but below I have listed 5 questions that have helped me (and will hopefully help you) if the endless choices of traveling seem daunting.

1. What do you like to do? This seems pretty obvious, but, how often do you really sit down and ask yourself this question. Personally, I had never thought too much about what I really like to do. When Patrick got his concussion, he said “Jane I am not going to be able to do anything for 2 weeks, so for these 2 weeks just do exactly what you would like to do”. Now, initially this may seem great. But for me it was a struggle. Having Patrick help with decisions was my way of validating that whatever we were doing was the right thing. But with him being injured, all of a sudden the responsibility to make the “right choice” was mine alone. I know I like swimming and the outdoors but that isn't specific enough to make any type of decision. You can swim and go outside pretty much anywhere. So I thought a little harder. I like being near the beach on a day with big waves to surf, I want a shower nearby and a campsite with a bathroom and phone service. Now that is much

I also really like seeing Patrick in a cap and goggles!

more specific and all of a sudden you have narrowed down where you want to go. So if you are planning to travel (or deciding what to do this weekend) and you know that there are more things to do on this planet than could ever be done, sit down and think about the things you actually like to do.

2. Are you smiling at the end of the day? Whenever I started worrying that I was making the wrong choice I was reminded that “there is no wrong way to do this”- Patrick Healy. I think this may be my new mantra haha. There really is no right or wrong way to travel. After school and swimming the idea that your success can be measured is pretty engrained. But when you throw that idea out, the world becomes a little bigger and a lot nicer. There is no right way to live in a van (although there is a right way to drive a van, something that I am practicing), there is no right way to swim in the ocean or right way to spend your day. Your success is measured by you, and if you so choose, it needn't be measured at all! I like to check in with myself by noticing if I am smiling at the end of the day. Do I feel tired and

An easy way to get me smiling is going to a quick swim!

happy or tired and grumpy? If it is the later, it is time to change something. And if at some point I feel upset and bothered it is easy to think that I have made some terrible and wrong decision at some point. But I haven’t, because there is not a wrong decision. And the wonderful thing about all these daunting choices is that I can make another one and change the situation! So if you are feeling intimidated by making the wrong choice remember that, there really isn't one.

3. Are you trusting your gut? This is a classic line from my Mom and it has nothing to do with whether or not you have eaten lunch today. This was normally in reference to safety and leaving situations if they felt dangerous, but I believe it applies here as well. Listening to your gut involves putting aside everyone else’s opinion and really hearing your intuition. More often than not, you have a gut feeling about what feels right. If you

Most of the time my gut tells me to go for a surf ;)

have trouble tapping into your gut feeling here are some tips: Take a deep breath, now think about one of the choices. Notice how your chest feels, is there an overall emotion tone? Now think about how your gut feels, are you at ease, excited, tense or stressed? Chances are if you are feeling good it'll be a good choice for you. If you think for a relaxed moment about the decisions you are going to make you often know which choice will be the most fulfilling for you.

4. Is this getting you where you are going? If you have any sort of goal or objective you would like to complete ask yourself this question. This can help you feel accomplished while you are traveling. I have always had an aversion to planning trips because I would never know where to start. After traveling for a few months I think a good place to start is with some sort of goal. If you have read question #1 maybe you have some ideas about what you really like to do. This would be a good stepping stone to setting

Making a plan for the next short while!

a goal. If you want to learn a new skill, there is no better time than while on a holiday. Maybe you have specific sights that you have dreamt of seeing or maybe your goal is to be completely relaxed. All of these goals can help shape your travels. Whenever I find myself feeling a little lost and ruminating about past decisions I think about some goals I have checked off. I have seen the sights, I am improving on my surfing and I am doing alright living in a van! If you can sit back and give yourself some props for everything you have accomplished it'll make you more confident for the decisions to come.

5. Are you scared? If you have ever read a lululemon bag you know that you should “do one thing a day that scares you”. I think that if an opportunity to do something new or out of your comfort zone presents itself, you should take it. Some of the best experiences happen when your heart is racing. One of my absolute favorite things to do is swim out into the ocean when the waves are huge. I know the bottom is sand and I am confident in my swimming skills so there is no real

The top of kitekite falls, thinking about how close to get to the edge.

danger present, but something about being out in the open ocean and looking up to the sky makes my heart skip a beat. I always feel invigorated afterwards. Patrick said white water rafting down the waterfall was a moment that made him step a little outside his comfort zone. But it is one of our favorite memories! I think once a day might be a little ambitious, but while traveling if you can do something you have never done before or take on a challenge that might push you a little further than you thought you could go I’d say take it, it might be the best decision you make on your adventure!

I hope these 5 questions can help you frame decisions if you feel stuck in a funk! Back home we had a magnet on our fridge that said “I used to be indecisive but now I'm not sure”, I relate to this magnet more than I would like to admit. But traveling has helped me get a better sense of what I want to do and what makes me happy. And one thing that makes me happy is sharing my thoughts on this blog, I hope you enjoyed the read!

When in doubt always take time to stop and smell the roses and take pictures with strange sculptures!