IT’S NOT A PLACE… IT’S A STATE OF MIND

One of the key benefits of travelling slow, is that it allows you to immerse yourself into the local community, the opportunity to live like a local without changing your postcode.

I am not sure if Newton’s third law was referring to extended travel, but in my case it certainly applies.

For each memorable moment I have had that has brought me joy, for every new friend that has kindly opened their heart and made me feel welcome and safe, there is now an equal and opposite sadness as I pack my bags to leave Clam Lake, my home in the northwoods.

The tall pines and birch trees will shrink in our rear-view mirror as we sadly leave Clam Lake this week, our home and community for the past four months.

When we first met people, they always asked us why we chose to live in Clam Lake, with a population of 37, in the middle of a national forest, during winter in the northwoods of Wisconsin.

My answer was always the same. 

We didn’t choose Clam Lake, it chose us.

And I will be forever thankful that it did.

Four months in Clam Lake enabled this family adventure to happen. We didn’t have everything all planned and mapped out before we packed, donated or sold everything we own in Australia, to head out on a year adventure, housesitting our way around North America – but we knew we were heading to Clam Lake. 

This little town presented itself, and we said yes.

When we left Australia, Clam Lake was simply the place where a log cabin and two beautiful cats lived, and we had a simple task to look after them. 

Now, as we depart Clam Lake, it is a friendly beacon on our family’s map. 

If you are ever in Wisconsin heading north on the 13, make sure you take a left on the 77 after Glidden. If you don’t blink you’ll come to Clam Lake. Debbie’s Why-Go-By will be on your right, and opposite is Ralph’s Chippewa Tavern. Tammy’s gas station is up a little bit and the Elk Horn is across the road. 

Everybody is from somewhere but they are here for now, and you won’t have to be in town for long before you’re welcomed into the community. 

The Clam Lakes of the world are found when we listen to Robert Frost - along the roads less travelled by. 

Be deliberate with your journey. It’s not a place… It’s a state of mind: Live immediately.

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WHAT LIST DO YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE BY?

I can’t because…

... I don’t have enough time.

… I am too busy.

… I have children.

… I am too old.

... I am too young.

… I am not qualified.

… I am too tired.

… I don’t have enough money.

... It won’t make me enough money.

… Someone is already doing it.

… I don’t know if it will work.

… I am worried what people will think of me.

... It is not how we used to do it.

… I am not pretty enough.

… I am not strong enough.

… I don’t know where to start.

... I have failed before.

… 

… 

… 

The “I Can’t” list is one that we are all familiar with. It is the list we scan first, before we attempt anything new.

What if “I Can’t” didn’t exist?

What if we scanned our “I Can” list first, before we attempted anything new or challenging?

I can because…

… I schedule the important things in my day.

… I focus on my key goals.

… I have a balanced life.

… I have experience and wisdom.

… I am energetic.

… I can tackle the problem with fresh ideas.

… I value the amount I sleep.

… I live within my means.

… Money isn’t my key driver.

… The market says this idea is already profitable.

… I enjoy the journey, not the destination.

… My true friends will support and encourage me.

… Every beginning has an end and this is a new beginning.

… I love who I am.

… My determination is my strength.

… I can learn what I need to know.

… I have examples that don’t work and I have learnt from them.

… 

… 

… 

We can create our own lists, and we choose the list we live by: Live immediately.

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YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO LET GO

When we attempt to grow and tackle new challenges, we often believe in the notion that there is something in front of us, preventing us from doing or achieving what we want to do.

Moving forward, trying something new, doing something different means that there will be change in our life, change in our actions and change in the outcomes.

As humans, it is inherent that we are hesitant about change. 

Change implies leaving the comfort and safety of familiarity. Even if in our current position we experience discomfort and pain, and the change alludes to the alleviation of that discomfort or pain. We still shy away from it, as change comes with no reassurance or guarantees.

The question we need to ask is, what is holding us back from achieving our goals or even starting them or moving towards them?

HOLDING

It is something from behind, not in front of us. Something isn’t pushing us back. It is holding us back.

Or are we holding onto it?

We are holding onto that self-doubt, that notion that we’re not good enough, we don’t have the right skills, we don’t have enough time, others are already doing it better.

We hold onto all this because it is safe.

We put our baggage in front of us to create the hurdle, the dead-end, the reason why we simply can’t – because then it is out of our control.

Embrace the freedom in letting go

Once we let go, once we cut ties, as soon as we loosen the grip with that thing that is holding us back, we will propel forward.

Our security blanket of self-doubt and worry will always be there, just an arms length away if we need them again. But once we embrace the freedom in letting go we realise that first step wasn’t as daunting as our fears were telling us.

The more steps we take the easier it becomes, as our impossible gradually becomes our normal. It is like a walk in the park as we arrive at our new comfort zone, feeling safe with our newfound familiarity.

There are mountains beyond mountains

We will find new securities to hold onto and new comforts we believe we couldn’t live without. Fear and self-doubt will creep back in, as there are always mountains beyond mountains.

By embracing the freedom in letting go, the new challenges and problems we face, along with the new self-doubts and fears, are easier to climb and overcome. 

We remember that our last first step, leaving the safety and comfort of familiarity, wasn’t as daunting as we initially thought. All of our future first steps are made easier by every first step we make.

Embrace the freedom of letting go, and let go often: Live immediately.

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