💡 The Proposal My Boss Couldn't Refuse

Have you ever wondered how much energy we waste convincing ourselves something isn’t possible without even trying? I’ll tell you today.

Holy shit this is so cool.

I stood next to a few other souls who made the trip to be in that exact spot at 6:03 am.

*click* *click* *click*

Expensive cameras shuttered around me while I fired off my fancy Samsung Galaxy S4 (remember those?)

Whatever, it'll look fine on my phone.

The sun slowly peeked up, outlining the silhouette of a massive 12th-century temple.

Angkor Wat holds the Guinness World record for the largest religious structure in the world.

But you know what’s funny? (and kinda ridiculous)

I have no relation to the culture, religion, language, or history of Cambodia.

But I traveled 8,552 miles from home.

To be there on a Friday morning.

Away from my job.

By myself.

All because I was curious.

And I crafted an irresistible offer.

The #1 Killer of Dreams

I was working in an office job at the time.

After sharing my 3-week trip idea with some coworkers, I learned a lot about how people think:

• How are you gonna afford that?

• Easy to do when you don’t have kids.

• How is that possible with 15 annual days of PTO?

• Is Cambodia even safe?

All very valid considerations.

But I was surprised at how quickly people shut down the idea without even thinking about how it could be possible.

Why wouldn’t this be fun to figure out?

That’s when I realized it’s not about possibility, it’s about fear.

👉 Fear of acknowledging past opportunities they missed.

👉 Fear of judgment from others for being different.

👉 Fear of being disappointed if it doesn’t work out.

Maybe your crazy idea isn’t possible.

But we always have two choices:

1. Not go for it and always wonder if it were possible

2. Go for it and achieve it, or have peace that we tried

Doesn’t one of those sound way better than the other?

Pulling it Off

My job was in data analytics, so naturally, I made a spreadsheet.

Let’s dive into what that looked like:

1. Document every single task for that 3 week period of time

2. Add due dates and specific client for each task

3. Write estimated time and steps for each task

4. Link resources and guides needed to complete tasks

5. Assigned teammate to cover each task

This was January. My trip was in November.

For the next 10 months, I covered projects for my team while they took their PTO.

I told them I had a plan in November and got their tentative support.

By September I bought my flight and the document was completely filled.

Then came D-Day: bring it to my boss and inform her of my upcoming absence.

I remember her exact words when she saw the spreadsheet:

Wow, how did you get everyone to help you with this?

I’ve been covering for the whole team since January.

Oh. Ummm. Well…

She paused in disbelief.

Honestly I can’t say no to this.

HELL YES!!! (thought that, didn’t say that)

I’ll speak with the managers and confirm, but this looks ok to me.

Being Different > Being “Right”

Some of the same people who said my travel plan was impossible offered to cover for me.

The closer we got to November, the more support I got from others.

When it was time to go, everyone said they always knew it would work out.

Notice anything funny? (all aboard the Bandwagon Express!)

This is how life is: most people would rather be “right” than be different.

And that’s totally ok.

But if you’re reading this, my friend, you don’t let fear stop you from planning life-changing adventures.

The Bottom Line

Adventures shouldn’t be limited by fear or popular opinion.

In fact, their entire purpose is to be contrarian to the ordinary.

I know you have an adventure idea you’ve been thinking about, so this is my challenge for you this week. Write it down on paper, pick a date, and take the first step to make it happen

(I’ll even provide you a spreadsheet to get started below)

Tweet Me Your Next Adventure Plan

Complementary Call

If you’re craving more adventure in your own life, be it related to health, career, or relationships, there’s no better time than now to embark. Grab a time to chat —> here.

Recommended Tool

I’ve used this spreadsheet template to plan and budget my trips for the last 9 years. Steal it for the challenge I gave you above! Link —> here.

That’s all for now my fellow adventurer.

👉 If you know someone who would love perspective and stories like these, please forward this email or share this link with them to check out past issues: https://jimwall.beehiiv.com/

📢 In next week’s issue I’ll share about how we can plan mini adventures to bring excitement, fun, and self growth to our daily life.

Keeping living your Great Adventure.

Jim Wall