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Hey Reader!

I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start! 🥂 What are you most excited to explore right now? I’ve got a few enticing possibilities on the horizon that I’ll share here. First, let’s talk about a way to add more fun to our everyday lives!

Other stuff in this edition of The Explorer's Log:

• Current Explorations: planning for a trip to the UK, attending my first Travel & Adventure Show, and a new mindset shift
• Big Updates: podcast launch (in two weeks!)

At the beginning of 2022, I decided to have an experiment. I wasn’t planning to travel much that year, but I wanted to make sure I still satisfied my craving for adventure and exploration.

I set a goal to have 100 new experiences during the year. This could be anything from exploring a new hiking trail to trying something new, like taking a watercolor class.

There was only one “rule”: for it to count toward my goal, it had to give me that little feeling of excited anticipation and the excitement that comes with a new discovery. Shopping at a new grocery store? Nope. Checking out the local Vintage Tugboat Festival? Totally! 🤓

I started visiting local spots that had been on my list for years, but that I’d pass over for what was familiar. I said “yes” to things like live music from bands I didn’t know and looked for new restaurants for a night out instead of defaulting to the usual picks.
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This experiment reminded me that adventures don’t have to be big or Instagram-worthy. 💯

The first year brought so much more fun to my life that I’ve continued the experiment each year, choosing a different number based on what feels both doable and a bit of a stretch outside my comfort zone. This was never about striving. It was always about playing!

Small explorations can give us the same feeling of excitement and wonder as epic events. It showed me how much is waiting to be discovered right in our own backyards!
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Now, I want to expand this into an experiment we can do together, no matter how far apart we are. 🌎

Why? Simply because I dream of a world where more people are joyfully asking, “What else is possible?” and brave enough to find out!

Welcome to the Everyday Adventure Experiment!

No cost. No pressure. Just a chance to welcome more curiosity and fun into your world!

How it works:

📧 I’ll send out one email every month with a few ideas for explorations and an invitation to a monthly Zoom call where we can gather to share our recent adventures.

🧭 You choose the number of adventures you want to have during the rest of this year (or month, or season--there’s no wrong way to do this!).

☺️ Engage your curiosity, explore, and have fun! Share your activities with others or make it a solo experiment.

Monthly calls are simply a place for spending time with others who just get it. You’ll get a chance to hear what others are up to and share your own adventures if you want (totally optional).

I’ve found that approaching the world with your heart and mind full of curiosity can shift your experience in the most delightful and unexpected ways.

If you want to join, just click here. I hope to see you there! (If you want to invite a friend, just send them this link.)

🧠 Food for Thought:

• What are your favorite ways to explore? What topics, projects, etc., kick your curiosity into high gear?
• Do you tend toward active adventures or quieter activities?
• Do you prefer to explore with others or on your own?

Current Explorations 🧭

🌎 Intentional Travel: I am totally down the rabbit hole of planning a nearly two-month trip to the UK this Spring! Flights are booked, and a loose itinerary is coming together. I’m fully committed to walking the West Highland Way and am starting to prep my body for the 96-mile trek!

🏡 Everyday Adventures: Tomorrow I’ll be checking out the Travel and Adventure Show in Seattle, which is a first (totally adding this to my Everyday Adventure Experiment count). I’m pumped to hear Rick Steves speak, and am scheming on ways to casually run into him and make him my new bestie. 🤓 If you have ideas, I’m all ears. Lol!

✨ Inner Journeys: I’ve been reading Byron Katie’s Loving What Is. It’s shifting the way I notice and engage with the “shoulds” and old stories that run through my head. It’s grounded in simple questions and logic, which I love! It’s the perfect blend of mindfulness and analytical thinking.

Do you want to hear more about any of these in the next newsletter?

Other Updates ✨

Wandering Weirdly Podcast is launching January 21st! 🎉

My good friend Thomas and I have been working on this for months now. I can't wait to share it with you!

If you’re willing to give it a listen and help us get this baby out into the world, that would be much appreciated! Just click here to let me know.

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In other fun podcast stuff, my good friend Apryl gathered a handful of us from the Accountability Success Circle for a podcast episode about how to set better goals without the hustle culture.

Even though Winter is a season of rest, that doesn’t mean I'm hibernating. I’m loving these longer nights to hunker down and work on the quiet projects I don’t get to when the weather is nice, and I want to play outside!

What are some of your Winter projects this year? What are you exploring in these darker days? Reply and tell me all about it!

Until next time, adventure on, my friend!

Cheers,

Annie

P.S. If you want a fun and pressure-free way to add more exploration and fun into your life, don’t forget to sign up for the Everyday Adventure Experiment!