A few years ago I was in Costa Rica, strolling along a beautiful, sunny beach in Nosara early in the morning. It was low tide and the water was quite far out, leaving lots of sand and room for contemplation. That's when the universe unexpectedly gave me an unforgettable experience that I still remind myself of today.
I stumbled upon a just-hatched baby turtle. As it was the end of turtle season, this little guy was undoubtedly a late bloomer. Bravely, he marched toward the water's edge. Despite the low tide, small waves repeatedly pushing him back from the water, his intended destination, to the sandy shore. This continued and the turtle still persisted. Facing the unknown and uncertainty alone, yet resilient against the waves. I watched this struggle awestruck for about five minutes until finally, he entered the sea. Swimming toward the next chapter of his life, transitioning from solid land to the vast Pacific. It was a moment etched in my memory. A reminder of perseverance in the face of uncertainty and adversity. And how mother nature always finds a way.
Because this was such a beautiful experience for me, I may have placed quite a bit of meaning on it. It happened during a time in my own life when I was moving away from the corporate marketing world and dreaming of starting my own business. Funny how the universe seems to know what we need and always at the right time! Was I the turtle marching into the unknown with bravery and some fear? Yes. Was I the turtle who would get pushed back and thrown off course from the waves, which were bigger than me and out of my control? Yes. Was I the turtle that would keep moving forward even when it was hard? Absolutely.
This year I’m working on reframing my experiences and expectations from things that stress me out, to viewing life more lightly. I'm being more curious and embodying childlike wonder in all that I do. I want to be more intuitive and whole-hearted and less strategic and structured. Open to what comes and just overall less anxious when I don’t have the answers or haven’t figured it all out yet. With that, I am trying to think of every day as an adventure. And now, that is what the turtle represents to me more. He is setting off for foreign lands (well, seas) and into this world of great unknown and also great possibilities.
I ask you to be really honest with yourself here. What are some ways you avoid the adventure of trying new things or change because of fear, uncertainty, instability, or lack of control? Or are there adventures you went on and wanted to be good at, yet didn't work out as planned. Life pushed against you…the waves kept moving you away from your desired outcome and back to where you started? Are there new ways you could look at you own adventures?
Let’s first start with things you want to try but haven't yet...because of fear, uncertainty, perfectionism, etc. Can approach it with a beginner’s mindset? Are there people you can ask to help? Can you let yourself not give a F#$! with the results and have some fun? A couple of tools I like to use is, look at the situation and bring some light-heartedness into it. Laugh a bit, physically shake off the pressure or tension. Sometimes I let myself ruminate on the “worst that could happen” because honestly, the worst that could happen usually isn’t that big a deal. So I tried something and I didn’t like it, or the results weren’t what I thought they would be. Or maybe I lost some money or time or energy. At least now I know and I can move forward. And that feels pretty liberating!
And what about when you’ve tried something and it didn’t work out as planned, maybe you even think you "failed". Well, here is a thought…there is no such thing as failure, only ways to gather information and data to elevate your life. If you look at every time you tried something and it didn’t work out, now you have more knowledge around it. You can make different decisions next time. You can feel yourself grow.
Let’s all approach life a little more like my turtle friend in Costa Rica - seeing it as one big, amazing adventure. Braving the unknown and not letting the waves stop us. Never giving up and marching confidently into the world and towards our destiny. Remembering failure is a gift so we can understand more. Knowing there is a reservoir of courage inside each of us to keep going.
