Taking New Journeys Means Getting Lost Sometimes

by Ryan Biddulph

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I enjoyed the most uplifting hike through the forest a few moments ago.

But I also got lost, turned around, incredibly soaked during a torrential downpour and may have permanently damaged my phone.

I honestly care less about the phone, getting lost and even becoming water-logged. My only palpable fear seemed to be not finding my way out of the forest before temperatures dropped into the 40's tonight. Catching a chill in 40 degree temperatures wearing soaked clothes could have been a serious problem.

I specifically walked a new path in the wilderness to enjoy a different experience. Before my phone became semi-ruined I snapped a collection of gorgeous photos and videos; autumn is in full swing here in Pennsylvania. Alas, every photo and video vanished after my phone became water-logged.

Taking new journeys means getting lost sometimes. But getting lost here and there seems to be a rare downside of genuinely embracing life. I felt a state of bliss hiking through a gorgeous forest in the Northeast today. Fall hikes make me feel alive. Imagine a rainbow of colors overhead and underfoot in a cool, crisp climate. Hiking feels invigorating. However, deciding to hike a new path means not knowing the way, at least some of the time.

Do you want to really experience life? Prepare yourself to get lost. Guides err. Water-logged phones offer spotty GPS. My phone turned me around 10 times before I realized water and/or poor reception made for inaccurate coordinates. I rarely use GPS as is because the mind beats technology, every time. But being caught in a torrential downpour after getting lost – being the only person remaining in a rural park – triggered a mild panic in my mind. Turning to a faulty GPS triggered more panic until I asked my intuition to guide me. 15 minutes later I strolled into the parking lot.

Living your dreams means getting lost. Facing fear means feeling lost. Becoming predominantly peaceful, serene and poised almost always involves facing deep, pulsating fears fueling the inaccurate belief that you are utterly lost and alone, seemingly being apart from humanity. But the only way to genuinely find yourself is to be comfortable with getting lost.

All the fun experiences involve making missteps guiding you off of the beaten path. Goodness knows my life seems unlike how most folks live life. My wife and I decided to exit the beaten, common path over a decade ago when we began circling the globe full time. We own no home. Our physical possessions are a carry-on, suitcase, a few laptops, 2 phones and clothing for 1 week. But Hollywood studio executives could make a movie about our lives based on the both the stunningly breath-taking places we have visited but also based on our wacky, off-the-wall, humorous and sometimes death-defying experiences.

Everyone can freely choose to stay on the beaten path but comfort does not give you:

happiness
peace of mind
health
wealth

Even worse? You can never find yourself if you deeply fear getting lost and engineer your life so meticulously that you never get lost, sitting inside the suffocating, depressing cocoon of your comfort zone.

Do you want to be comfortable and depressed on a common path known to billions of unhappy people?

Or do you want to be uncomfortable but peaceful, relaxed and joyous on an uncommon path known to a select few human beings? Getting lost sometimes feels scary but unwinding those fears brings to you a peace of mind you cannot even describe.

Get lost!