What fuels you?
We last investigated “where” - so, moving onto “what” now.
I’m particularly investigating what in the sense of what motivates us? What drives us forward? What keeps us grounded? Ultimately, what fuels our fire of life?
I’m writing this from Panama - the first international trip in 2025. Visiting a new country, and seeing various parts of the country - from large city to rural, majestic places reminds me of a big what - travel, exploration, adventure. What fuels me and grounds me, too, is seeing beyond what I know. Moving outside of the comfort zone and the familiar into the unknown.
It’s kind of wild to me that even in this digital age, where we can know anything at any moment (Remember the days before the Internet and smart phones? I’m looking at you paper maps to navigate us to new places!) we can still be awed at seeing, smelling and experiencing a place for ourselves - IRL. I’ve often had the experience of looking at photos and videos of a place I plan to travel to, in preparation for the travel and then arriving there and it feels different. I’m surprised! It’s like the boots on the ground of it all really showcases a place or a person. Preparation and media can give you a sense of what to expect and what is there, BUT it can’t pinpoint how you will FEEL there. At least, that’s been my experience.
Another fuel is trying to not add more suffering to the world, to, as Larry Yang says “a world that already hurts so much.” I want to be an ethical person, a person who doesn’t take too much; I want to be someone that adds more good than pain into this world.
Lastly, what drives me forward? Curiosity? A desire to learn more and grow. Knowing that I’ll never know it all in this lifetime, AND there is always more that could be learned - about ecology, cultures, languages, human nature, the people in my life, or my own internal world.
You’re turn. What is your what? You can pop the email button below to let me know.
Photo taken at the top of a mountain on a hike in Panama’s Aton Valley in 2025.
