Make It Count

Recently I have been meditating on my desire to travel.  Self-diagnosed with Wanderlust, my yearning to get out in the world and experience different cultures will not go away.  As Claude Monet put it, "Every day I discover more and more beautiful things.  It's enough to drive one mad.  I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it." Just yesterday, as I was looking at my original blog, crossingthejordan.tumblr.com, filled with quotes, pictures, and videos that I find particularly inspiring, I discovered the video that you will find below. When I originally posted it back in early 2011, I wrote beneath it, "absolutely incredible. I know what I am doing after school..."  As I begin to plan a trip around the world, I am struck by the honesty and sincerity of my first impressions of this video, and how I never could have predicted that my words may actually come true.  China, Thailand, India, United Arab Emirates, Austria, Italy, Hungary, France, England, Ireland: My own "Into The Wild" adventure. While I have yet to purchase my ticket, as I am still in the final stages of planning, the itinerary has been saved, and I see it's geting closer and closer to becoming a reality.

So very often, I find myself getting caught up on things like past mistakes and self-doubt.  But what I am beginning to discover is how those thoughts only have the power that we give them.  Feelings are what they are.  Naturally, they have to be recognized and dealt with; it would be unhealthy and unreasonable to repress them.  However, just because we feel a certain way, does not mean that we have to act upon it.  In fact, it is possible to act in the exact opposite manner of what our feelings are "telling" us to do.  It may not be easy, but it can be done.  I often doubt my ability to complete this trip, to travel alone (being the extrovert that I am), and be distant from family and friends for so long.  But this trip has been a dream of mine far too long for it not to happen, and I realize how much better it would be to look back after traveling, having learned from mistakes along the way, than it would be to look back and wonder, "what if?" When asked what this trip is about, I find that it is best described as a soul-searching, missionary adventure tour, around the globe. Ghandi said, "In order to find oneself, you must first lose yourself in service of others." It is with that spirit that I hope to serve others, connect with individuals on the human level, experience different cultures around the world; seeing God's beautiful creation first hand, discovering who I am, who God is, and just how much he loves us.  

What this blog is about: inspiring others to get out there, to take risks, to love, to share, to discover the beauty of human connection, to help one another along this journey, to pray, to discover God in the places you least expect him.  We each have our own YOLO diaries to write, this one just happens to be mine. So get out there, travel, take chances, learn from your mistakes, and most of all, make it count.

- Jordan

This is "The YOLO Diaries"

There is a popular term in today’s culture, especially among our younger generations – “YOLO.”  It stands for You Only Live Once, and has been called the modern day “Carpe Diem.”  Often times you will find people using this term to justify questionable actions, assuming that they can do whatever they want, all for the sake of YOLO! Many use this term as a way to write off their immoral actions, in an effort to squelch their knowledge of the fact that what they are doing is wrong.  I myself have been guilty of this, and will continue to struggle with this temptation.  For that is life.  Nonetheless, I feel called to raise my voice, and stick up for what I think is right, calling on others to reclaim a term that does hold a raw truth, of infinite beauty; one that calls you to live radically, making the most of the time you have. In the process, I call myself on to continued growth, in my endeavor to live a radical life, striving to glorify God through this life that he has given me, that I only get to live once, this side of heaven.

Looking back, it is hard to pinpoint exactly when I felt drawn to form an opinion on this term, and I suppose it doesn’t really matter.  In the past, I have been known to take things to the extreme, rarely thinking about the consequences of my actions, and for a while, I did that with this term.  But in the more recent months, I have been moving into a time of deep personal growth, spending more time in philosophical thought on my actions, and general way of living.  One person that I resonate with is Christopher McCandless, whose life story was captured by John Krakauer in the book, “Into the Wild.”  Chris endured many hardships in his home environment growing up, but despite all this, he followed his dreams, embraced his passions, and lived a radical life on the edge.  Despite all his setbacks, and the countless people who doubted him, he stayed true to his calling.  He lived a life of love, and treated himself, and those who he came into contact with respect.  Chris thought deeply, and acted intentionally. He took chances.  He trusted his gut. Most importantly, he followed his heart. 

That is what this blog is all about.  It is a call to follow my heart, wherever it leads.  It is a call to face the challenges in living out my faith, standing up for what I believe.  This blog is an opportunity to get outside of my head, turning thoughts into words, and it gives me something to reference in times of struggle.  It is a blog of my triumphs and failings, strengths and weaknesses, thoughts and observations. I am not a writer, but I have things to say.  I am not a counselor, but I desire to help.  I am not a missionary, but I want to serve.  This is my life.  This is “The YOLO Diaries.”

Jordan - Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul