Why Can’t I Say YES to That Trip?

Might need a moment of radical action.

Taking a moment of radical action is sometimes what it takes to propel your life forward in the direction you want to go.

Think about when you were a kid or a teenager. You took radical action most days of the week. Riding your bike off the homemade ramp, sneaking out of the house, saying yes to the moment you jump off a rock into fresh cool lake water below. You wanted to be extreme, try new things, and be cool of course. These moments where we bravely say yes fill our lives with exhilaration, surprise, and wonder.

So, what happens when you become an adult? With schedules and responsibilities, it becomes difficult to say yes to all the things we feel inspired to.

Like travel.

Especially solo travel.

Who will watch the kids? Do the shopping, the cleaning? What if something happens while I am gone? What if something happens when I am gone?

Then there are the justifications like we don’t have money for this or who has the time?

It’s easy to talk yourself out of saying yes to that trip.

I know firsthand.

I’ve wanted to go on a road trip to Zion, see Half Dome, and take my camper to a secluded beach somewhere.

I’ve dreamt about trips to Spain, Germany, and France- walking the Camino and boating the Mediterranean.

And in those dreams, it’s easy to think that’s not really possible when I snap back to reality and break up altercations about sharing toys, paying unexpected bills, or running the vacuum–again. Where is the thrill in this?

Not complaining. My life is pretty awesome. I wanted this family, my marriage, and to be in this situation. But I also want more.

People are more than our routines.

We are explorers, nomadic for 1000s of years, wandering, tasting, and experiencing new things in nature and from other cultures. That experience doesn’t change with a few years of domestication.

And yet, it can be so so difficult to say yes to booking a trip to satisfy our explorer spirit.

We get so comfortable with our dissatisfaction that trying to do anything different becomes too scary.

Radical action looks like this:

1. You have an inspired idea.
2. You play with that idea.
3. You decide that idea is wonderful.
4. You naturally start wondering the what ifs, the buts, and the I could nevers.
5. You take a deep breath, say STOP, and let those doubts bubble up like carbonation on the side of a glass.
6. You allow yourself to wonder, what if I did this? What would it look like?
7. You like this vision. You like how it makes you feel.
8. You asked for this. Here is a way to make this desire come true.
9. You allow yourself the permission to commit to the decision.
10. You take action.

By taking action, you step out of your comfort zone and into the unknown– yes, like Elsa. You hear this ‘calling,’ and by following it, you are honoring your inner wisdom and enabling yourself to grow.

To be clear, maybe every inspired idea isn’t a moment to take radical action. You don’t want to harm yourself or others while developing your best self. So, please, take this with a grain of salt.

But traveling to places you feel drawn to explore is thrilling. It could be the landscape of your home state or a place on the other side of the world.

That call isn’t going to go away.

Might as well follow it.

Psst…. So, I recently took radical action and booked a trip to Palm Springs, CA, to attend Sober in the City, a Zero Proof Experience. Subscribe and get access to my Private Travel Blog called “Sobering Insights, a Night on the Town”

Patty McMahon, M.Ed is an educator, a mother, wife, and dog lover writing about sobriety and wellness in the 21st c. To learn more, check out her About Me Stories. Join her newsletter to get more insights on wellness delivered to your inbox. Check out her linktr.ee or become a medium member using this link.