On July 1st, I decided that I would start a personal challenge having 30 adventures in 30 days. Starting the following day, July 2nd.
Gulp.
July 2021. Where in the world did the first half of the year go? Didn’t 2020 last a decade? Or is it just me?
Now that it’s summer, it seems like everyone is on their way to the airport, hotels are booked and they’re ready to get away for a vacation. I get the almost daily notifications for flight deals, hear the horror stories about rental cars being completely booked out and people having to scramble last-minute, and catch whispers about the new lockdowns happening around the world.
Woof. Not for me. I made a personal executive decision that I wasn’t going to be traveling during the month of July. Not only did I want to avoid the costs, crowds, and chaos that summer travel brings, but I wanted to save some money and paid time off (PTO) for bigger trips that I am currently planning for 2022.
But…I still have that wanderlust.
I still yearn for experiences.
Adventures.
I wanted a way to not only make July stand out from the rest of the year, but ensure that it didn’t blend together in one big mush of a month.
I didn’t want the highlight of my weeks to be work-related.
I didn’t want to “live for the weekend.”
So…I decided to challenge myself. 30 adventures in 30 days.
Where did that come from?
Inspiration Behind 30 Adventures in 30 Days
Like most of the world in 2020, I started watching more programs on Netflix and YouTube. I was still fortunate enough to have a job that was constantly in-demand, but often found myself alone in my office, listening to music. After a while, I started finding low-key programs that I could have on in the background, offering auditory relief from my Spotify playlists.
When 2021 started and I still found myself seeking out programs, I stumbled upon the YouTube channel Yes Theory. I watched a few random videos and was hooked.
Now, something you need to know about me – when I find a series or channel that I like and want to invest my time in, I always go back to the very beginning. I want to see where the series or channel started. I want to see their beginnings so I can fully understand and appreciate where they are currently.
It can be painful (I’m looking at you, Kara and Nate, with that terrible music from the early years), but it’s also inspirational for me. Sometimes we forget that the mega channels have humble origins.
Which leads me back to Yes Theory. When they first began as a channel, they were known as Project30. Each day, the group of 4 guys would post a video of them having some CRAZY adventures, such as eating bull testicles, getting invited to strangers’ weddings, and getting their armpits and chests waxed.
After watching far too many of their videos, I felt myself getting inspired to do something different. Step out of my comfort zone.
And why not try something similar?
But for my own sanity, I needed to set some parameters. I needed boundaries so I didn’t send myself spiraling out of control.
30 Adventures in 30 Days Guidelines
Cost – no adventure could cost over $100 (gas included), and had to be evenly spaced out amongst the free adventures.
Distance – each adventure needed to be located in the northern half of Utah.
List – the adventures had to be things that were on my personal bucket list.
Time – I would not be taking any time off of work or use any PTO for the adventures.
Solo – most of the adventures would need to be solo missions. This was a personal challenge and I want to keep it that way, but I also understand how fun it is to share certain adventures with friends.
Social Accountability – the best way to ensure that I saw this adventure through was to have some pressure by putting the word out there.
Let’s talk about SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
If nobody knew about my challenge, nobody would ask me how it was going, what my next adventure was going to be, or what my favorite one had been thus far. Without that social accountability, it would be far easier to just stop, take a day off, or literally just crap out on adventures.
When I was planning out my challenge, the first thing I did was create a video for my YouTube channel, explaining what I was going to do. While I was filming myself, I also decided that I was going to create a daily video of each adventure.
Even though I only had 3 subscribers at the time, I had that social pressure to follow through with the challenge. Now that my subscribers have multiplied (28!) and my view count is growing, I’m realizing that people are actually watching. They’re actually paying attention.
And how embarrassing would it be to miss a day? And how would I be able to live with myself, knowing that I couldn’t complete a seemingly straight-forward challenge?
Bottom line – if people know about my adventures, I’m more likely to push through. And it helps me to fulfill my personal challenge.
What Makes it onto the 30 Adventures in 30 Days list?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a bucket list, to-do list, wish list, etc. where I would write down things that I wanted to do. And every time I created a list, there would be a handful of things that I would always push down the road, saying that I would “do that later.”
Well, now is that “later.” I’m making the time to do all of those local things that I would never carve out the time to do.
Going to that museum. Trying out that restaurant. Having that fun night in. Finally going to that cooking class.
The cool thing about my 30 adventures in 30 days challenge is that it is extremely personal. These adventures are all new-to-me. They’re the things that I have always wanted to do, even if people around me think that I “should have” done them already.
And to be honest, I’m kicking myself with some of them, saying that I really should have done it already…because of how much I loved doing it.
Each adventure is something that I want to do. And I will have the adventure without trying to impress anyone. Some of the adventures might not seem “cool” or “adventurous enough” for others. I don’t care. I’m not doing this challenge to impress ANYONE, except for myself.
And that mindset is SO LIBERATING. Imagine – doing all the things that you love, learning and growing, serving, all without trying to please anyone else.
How is the 30 Adventures in 30 Days going?
One of my best friends texted me last night, asking how I was doing and commenting on how she was loving all of my daily adventures. My response?
Bro – I am having SO MUCH FUN but I am SO TIRED!
I love planning adventures and having them. I have grown to love filming them and creating daily videos, but I underestimated how much time and energy they would take up.
In all fairness, I didn’t give myself a lot of prep time. I literally decided that I was going to do this 30 adventures in 30 days on June 30th, then made a social accountability video on July 1st, then began the challenge on July 2nd. I even think in the video I talked about maybe making daily vlogs.
Whelp, the “maybe” was a joke.
In addition to planning out the adventures, working full time, trying to remember to do my laundry and clean my house, oh, and eat meals, I’m shooting, editing, and publishing daily videos.
When you see most YouTubers making daily videos, they aren’t working 10 hours a day, plus having daily adventures. It’s exhausting and not a sustainable way of living.
I miss being able to read a book in a hammock after work. I miss cooking every day. I miss caring about and developing my other interests and hobbies.
But on the flip-side, I’ve found new favorites. I found new hobbies and interests. I’ve found the thrill of adventure when I needed it more than I realized.
I’ve also learned a lot about myself and what works best for me.
Now that I’m on the downhill slide of the 30 adventures in 30 days, I’m energized to see it through. Some of the best adventures are yet to come!
Have you been following my 30 Adventures in 30 Days? Check out my videos and see how you can challenge yourself!
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