The problem is you think you have time – Buddha [Tweet this]
I read this quote yesterday and it’s spent the last twenty four hours resonating within me. We all think we have time. We can go on that trip next year, we can tell that person we love them tomorrow, or maybe we can quit our jobs we don’t love and start doing what we do love… some day. We’ve got time, there’s no rush.
If you’ve been dreaming of Ha Long Bay, or visiting the Plitvice Lakes, or seeing the best of Bangkok, then you need to start working towards it. For most people, especially those that read this blog, travel is a priority – but often there’s something getting in the way, something holding you back.
I meet so many people who tell me I am so lucky to have traveled and how much they wish they could do it too. The truth is, luck had nothing to do with it – long term travel is cheap and if you come from a first world country then there are barely any barriers preventing you from exploring the world, except for the trickiest barrier of all: you.
How would you be spending your days if you knew you were running out of time? Would that change anything for you?
If my clock was up, I’d have a few travel regrets, but most of all I’d be sad I hadn’t seen more of my own country. People travel to the end of the earth to see New Zealand, and I’m embarrassed there are big gaps in where I’ve been. Part of the reason I haven’t spent more time exploring New Zealand is because it’s, quite simply, more expensive than most other places I could visit. The other reason is because I feel like I have forever to do it, there’s no rush, I’ll get around to it someday.
But the truth is, time isn’t promised to you. There’s no guarantees, no number of years allotted to you.
I’m taking New Zealand off the backburner, and my goal is to explore my own country through the eyes of a tourist.
So, the problem is you think you have time – what would you do if today was your last day?
And where should I go first?
