The 30 Day Challenge

I’ve been told that when networking, you should go into it with no expectations. That even if nothing comes from it, you met someone new and gained a new perspective. Since I’ve been in Chicago these last few weeks trying to build my network, I’ve tried keeping an open mind when meeting with new people. Yet, I find it challenging when I’m trying to build a business and establish myself in a new city.

Thursday was different. Thursday I met two absolutely fascinating people that I could never have imagined meeting. My morning meet-up was a different kind of inspiration though. I met with a young lady whose passion completely distracted me from any expectations I could have had. Right before I met her I learned that she would be leaving the city to travel around the country for 8 – 10 weeks. Her mission is to capture the greatest love stories. Needless to say, with or without my recent adventure, I was anxious to hear her plans and the story behind the project.

The excitement and passion she expressed for her project was incredible. She shared the journey’s development, the amazing plot behind her travel partner, and her anxiousness for the experiences her travels will create. She asked me if I had any advice for her before she goes, if there was anything from my trip that could help her better plan. That was the first time I actually shared in detail about my cross country drive. It’s a story that I’ve realized I have struggled to tell in depth. My trip opened my eyes to so much that I wasn’t ready to face. It was overwhelming, incredible, and hard to describe. Hence why I didn’t blog throughout my adventure like I had originally promised to.

We talked for a bit over an hour about what I would have done differently, what I learned, and how exciting her trip was going to be. The stories she is going to get will be more than she can plan for, they will be life changing and beautiful. The freedom of no structure is what I would imagine standing tiptoe on the side of a 1,000 foot cliff would feel like… exhilarating, scary, and weightless. In talking to her I opened up to my struggles with blogging in the recent months because I’ve felt conflicted with what I want to write about and what I shouldn’t write about. Between time, excuses, and my unwillingness to focus on the things I want to write about… you are left with nothing new to read here. She challenged me to a 30 day challenge… to post something each day for 30 days. Even if it’s just a photo with a short thought, I should have something here every day for 30 days. So here I am… day one of 30. I hope you’ll join me.

Advertisement