This is a guest post by Sam Solie. Sam and his friend Charlie recently launched the Maven Summit – they host purpose-driven, multi-day adventures all over the world.
I want to sell you on a trip. But let me warn you – this is not your typical adventure. Yes, it will involve the wildest activities in the most beautiful places, but there is much more to it than that.
So let me start with the easy stuff…we’re going to New Zealand for 2 weeks. We’ll kayak the sparkling blue seas of the Abel Tasman, hike a non-existent trail to the top of an active volcano in Tongariro, explore the blackwater of the Waitomo caves, swim with dolphins off the remote coastline of Kaikoura and surf the world-class break at Raglan. I’ll assume I’ve got you sold on this piece.
Now let me explain the real purpose behind this trip. The focus is on personal growth. Before stop reading, assuming that you know everything and that you don’t need to “grow personally”, let me ask you this: when were you taught to learn about things that you love; what teacher asked you to write a paper on whatever you were most inspired by; what class encouraged you to define success for yourself, to determine what you think is most important in life?
As a fellow adventure enthusiast, I know that you appreciate life for more than just money and status – two indicators of success as defined by the rest of society. But have you taken the time to think through what exactly success is to you? Are you proud to say that you’ve been spending your time in the outdoors? Do you have the courage to stand up to those who say “oh, so you’re a ski bum, how’s the time off?”, and say, “screw that, I am taking time on”?
I’ve spent the last two years in Colorado getting to know myself. At times, it’s been really tough – I’ve lost my confidence, and started to take to heart the whispers of those in the “real world” telling me to do something with my life. But each of these setbacks was necessary to get to a place where I truly believe in myself and what I am doing. And by taking action to learn about myself, I finally feel comfortable and confident in who I am, what I believe in, what my passions are, and what success means to me. And it does not involve money and status, but instead it involves achieving fulfillment on a daily basis – learning about things I am actually interested in, surrounding myself with people I love and doing this all because of a purpose that I believe in.
So this is where I am today – launching a business with one of my best friends doing exactly what I love, and living out exactly who I want to be. And now I want to share this opportunity of personal growth with others, while we do the things that make us most fulfilled – crushing the outdoors, being around like-minded adventure enthusiasts and living simply.
I don’t believe I’d be at this point had I not been surrounded by nature, and by those that see that there is more to life than just money and status. So I encourage you to take advantage of this time you have now when you can remove yourself from the pressures of society; take advantage of the peace and serenity that nature brings you when you are out doing what you love. Prove to yourself that your time spent “bumming around on the slopes” is much more than that. Always look for opportunities, always seek to learn, and never let anyone tell you to stop going after what you love.
To learn more, check out our website at MavenSummit.com
