A New Year Means New ADVENTURES!

Soooo- did you survive? Were you able to navigate the craziness of the 2018 Holiday Season? The food, the friends, the family time. The revelry, the over-eating, the awkward conversations with co-workers and family members. Trust me- I know it can be a bit overwhelming. We’re going, going,going, and then all of a sudden- POOF- the ball drops, the dust settles, and it's all over. Another year ends, another year begins, and we’re left trying to catch our breath.

But- we did it. We made it. We took everything that 2018 could throw at us, and now here we are, looking 2019 square in the eye…

For some, a new year can be daunting. ‘Where did the time go?’ ‘I wanted to accomplish so much in 2018…’ Feelings of stress and anxiety seep in,and we feel like we’re already behind.

For others, a new year brings new opportunity- a blank slate, a clean canvas, a book of empty pages just waiting to be filled. New resolutions,new goals to achieve, new adventures to take on. It’s an exciting time- a time to plan and cast vision for the next 365 days.

Here at Fit 4 Adventure, we tend to skew toward the latter, and want to encourage you to do the same. The start of a new year is an opportunity to put a stake in the ground, to mark the moment, to declare that 2019 is going to be amazing. We’re here to give you a few tips on how you can take advantage of the incredible opportunities 2019 presents.

So, where to begin? How do we take advantage of those opportunities? Well, where do you WANT to begin? It’s YOUR year- what do you want to do with it?

What are your goals for 2019? Where do you see yourself growing,challenging yourself and getting out of your comfort zone? What areas of your life need some stretching? Where do you want to see change and improvement?Start thinking of these things, and dreams, goals and aspirations naturally begin to form in your head.

Once you have identified a few goals and some ways you want to see yourself grow in the next year, you can start plotting a path that will lead you towards achieving those goals. Growing, challenging yourself and achieving goals takes planning- it doesn’t just happen on its own. What are some smaller steps, some quantifiable benchmarks you can set towards achieving those goals?

Say you want to run a 5K- you don’t just sign up for the race,show up on race day and set a new World Record. No- you start with a walk around the block. That grows into a run around the block, then two laps, three…Before you know it, your legs feel strong and your lungs aren't busting- you've taken the small steps necessary to prepare, and come race day, while you might not set a World Record, you’ll be able to enjoy the experience and have a sense of pride in your accomplishment.

It’s the same with anything in life. Start with small steps and continue to build on those toward your ultimate goal.

It might sound boring, but every year, one of my goals is always the same: ‘Go somewhere new’.

I like to travel, and I like new experiences. To feed that interest, I intentionally set a goal of going somewhere new every year. It doesn't have to be exotic, it doesn’t have to be all the way around the world…It just has to be NEW. This past year, it was a well-known state park in Missouri, just 3 hours away -a place I had grown up hearing about all the time yet had never made the time to visit.

Despite it being just 3 hours away, it still took planning. I had to take the time off work, get online and reserve the campsite, do the research to know what trails I wanted to hike and what else there was to do in the area.I didn’t just wake up one morning and say ‘I’m going to drive to Johnson's Shut-Ins’ - it doesn't work that way. It takes planning, and even a little planning makes all the difference when it comes to achieving goals.

Getting outside of your comfort zone, challenging yourself,broadening your horizons by going somewhere new- if these are some of your goals for this year, the time to start planning is NOW.

Where do you want to go, and when is a good time to go there? Get online and do some research. What types of activities do you want to do, and what kind of shape do you need to be in to be able to enjoy those activities?Get outside and start exercising. Look at your calendar- figure out what your work schedule looks like and start penciling in dates for these upcoming adventures. Start a ‘Travel Fund’ and make daily/weekly/monthly ‘donations’ to build up enough to cover all or part of the trip expense.

These are just a few ways to take the first steps towards pursuing your dreams of travel and adventure in 2019. As I’ve mentioned, it takes planning, as awesome adventures aren’t typically spontaneous- but it indefinitely worth it. This time next year, you’ll be able to look back and thank yourself for setting goals, doing the work, planning it out and making it happen.

So- get to it! There’s a whole year to take advantage of, and NOW is the time to start planning. Need some ideas? Check out the ‘Explore Trips’tab at the top of this page and see what catches your eye. Pay attention to the dates, pencil them in on your calendar, throw a $20 into an empty jar on your dresser, and you’re already well on your way to realizing your goals of travel and adventure in 2019…

Dang! Look at you go…

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Nick Tilley

Fit 4 Adventure Blog Contributor and Adventure Guide

Adventure Travel Specialist

www.BackpackU.com

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