No money, no time, no livin’

People are busy. We live in a world that often defines your worth by how busy you are. The busier you are, the more important you must be. Many of us strive towards a busy life, and often forget along the way, what it means to have autonomy over our own life. Each decision we make is forced into a narrower and narrower time slot. We become slaves to our calendars.

I know this path well. I’ve been on this path before. And as I traversed down that path, I didn’t realize that my life was slowly slipping out of my control. So I did what had to be done. I took some me time. And I ended up with OG.

In the many years that I’ve been a part of Operation Groundswell, I’ve heard too many people say they’re interested in a trip, but just can’t make it work this year. They sign up on our trip interest form and they tell me next summer will definitely be the one. That list has nearly 2000 people on it, and less than 10 of them have ever taken the plunge.

What reason did nearly each one of these amazing individuals give to me when they said ‘not this year’? No money, no time.

What are people really saying when they say ‘no money, no time’? They’re saying I got no money and no time for this. A busy life doesn’t give you the time to examine your priorities and assess them rationally. A busy life doesn’t have time for self-reflection. A busy life looks at any decision that takes you off the present course as a threat.

Yet our hearts and souls are still magnetically being drawn to new experiences. Just the slightest hint of adventure, seas and sunshine make all of us dream of journeys to faraway places. We can try and resist the temptation to step into the world, but if we wait too long, our hearts give up. We find a career, raise a family, get trapped in a mortgage and end up second-guessing our past decisions. It’s not too late though. If you still have blood pumping through your veins and a steady beating heart, then the only time is now. Go forth! Make a decision today knowing that it’s going to change your life. It could be as little as reading a good book, or as big as a summer rehabilitating elephants in Southeast Asia. Either way, just remember that it’s your life and your choice. Don’t be afraid to claim it.