3 Steps to Explore More 

“My greatest fear is not living my life.”

– Ed Stafford

What if you couldn’t explore anymore? What if where you currently are, what you currently are doing, was it? For some people, they might be happy with being where they are, doing what they’re doing, and living that life. For others, this reality might seem unsettling. 

The act of exploring differs for each person. Maybe for you, exploring is about trying new foods or meeting a new person at the coffee shop. For other people, exploring is about climbing the biggest mountain in the world, or crossing the oceans single-handedly. Life is short, but living it is infinite. It’s never too late to begin exploring or to continue broadening your exploration if you already do. 

Keep the mindset that anything is possible. 

In your day to day, remember these three powerful words: 

Expand. Explore. Discover. 

Try something new today. Learn more after school. Discover an unfamiliar area, or topic, or hobby. If there are certain things you know you don’t want to do, don’t force yourself. Exploring should be stress-reducing, not inducing. It should be about seeking things out that could bring you joy, meanwhile gaining a wider perspective on life. You will automatically get something personal out of exploring, but what is neat is that exploring depends heavily on you looking outside of yourself. Exploring can increase self-esteem and confidence. You could gain more empathy from exploring or learning a new skill. 

You don’t know what you might find from exploring until you’re doing it. You could gain connection, improved memory, or increased mood and motivation. Your adaptability and agility may evolve. You could overcome fears or discover new talents. Exploring can help you flex and fulfil your potential. 

Try not to be discouraged if money is holding you back from exploring what you want. If you want to explore a new country, but can’t afford, or aren’t able to physically travel, instead of giving up, what about finding another way to explore that place? Rent a library book on that location and read all about it. Watch videos online, taking tours of the area. Sketch that place. Try to cook a local cuisine at home. You can expand your mind even in your own home. 

Don’t wait until everything is just right to explore. It will never be perfect. Even when you’re exploring, don’t believe that everything will be perfect. The authenticity in exploring is that you are charting new waters, so you can’t plan or predict every next step. There are always going to be challenges and even things you weren’t aware of when you explore. But whatever happens, you will grow from your experiences. It’s easy to come up with excuses to stay in your comfortable bubble. In fact, the older I get, the more I hear people give excuses for not exploring. Many say they’re too old for change or they question the purpose of it. But whatever your version of exploring is, do it. Life is to be lived. Age is irrelevant. Claim every decade. It is about doing things intentionally. 

So how about making the choice to do it for yourself? This could be exploring the world or might be more about you personally. Self exploration is just as important as exploring the world. Self exploration is all about focusing on our own reflective consciousness. The more you understand yourself and your motivations, the more informed and productive about your life you can be. You will be able to find out what is valuable to you, what’s right for you, what’s true for you. Through self exploration you can learn how to value yourself. 

Self exploration can improve your understanding of who you are, which in turn builds your self esteem, communication, and relationships. 

  Self discovery is important because it helps us live more meaningful lives. 

3 Steps to Explore More: 

1. Take a look at your own thoughts and feelings, behaviours, and motivations – ask why? Make a list, do/travel/learn.
2. Remember you can’t achieve these in one go, so look at that list and decide which one today to start on this week. Prioritise based on needs, and abilities.
3.  Start exploring. 

“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.”

– Leonard Bernstein 

If you have something you’ve been itching to explore, take a step towards it today. Whether that’s buying the plane ticket, planning the day to hike up the new path, or just writing down a list of everything you want to explore. Keep intention at the forefront of your exploration. When exploration and intention coincide, you have the potential to add value to who you are and invest in the future of who you want to become. The clock keeps ticking whether we stay in our comfort zones or not, but the world can only benefit from us all continuing to live and explore. Go. Be the explorer that we all are inside.