Your Own Amazing Race

My travel goal takes me to a lot of places, and the trips don’t always play out the way I expect. Things go wrong. Some trips are thrilling, some are boring, and most are somewhere in between.

Someone asked me recently, aren’t you on The Amazing Race? I saw you jumping around in taxis in Thailand.

Wrong guy.

My answer: “No, I’m doing my own Amazing Race. It’s better than the one on TV.”

No offense to CBS, but I like my version. It’s better to have your own race because you define your own goal and your own finish line. If need be, you can change the rules along the way to suit your own needs.

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The problem with playing by someone else’s rules is that the rules are set by gatekeepers, who are all about comparing your skills to others and seeing how you measure up on criteria they select. As my friend Danielle likes to say, “Comparison kills.”

Instead of going along for the ride, why not set the rules in a way that is favorable to you? It’s much more fun to run a monopoly.

Also, you win. It’s your race! You can’t be voted off or fired or booted out due to a last place finish. The trophy belongs to you, but when you play for your own satisfaction and the love of adventure, you won’t even need it.

Congratulations, everyone. See you at the finish line.

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Photo by Tembela