Ripe for Reinvention pt. 5
finding my way back
Thank you for checking out the 4th Edition of The Ultimate Anti-Resolution Guide. You can still download this year’s PDF and set your 2024 intentions with me today.
The Anti-Resolution Guide is my answer to the conventional pressure and pitfalls of a new year; a safer place on paper to connect the dreaming with the doing.
Embracing Imperfection
Last week I returned from another long-haul trip.
This one was uniquely personal, just me and my mom. The result of many years dreaming on her part, many months planning on both our parts.
With 12 days split across Portugal and Spain, it was a marathon of food & wine, social media must-sees, and UNESCO World Heritage sites.
We worked hard to curate a comfortable experience, and it paid off beyond our expectations. The places we stayed were beautiful and the people were friendly. The eating was good.
But it wasn’t a perfect trip.
It rained constantly during our time in Lisbon and Porto. On the morning of our first day, my mom tripped and fell a few paces from our hotel (thankfully with no serious injury), damaging her phone in the process. Our flights home from Barcelona were uncomfortably delayed.
A lot of things went objectively left, but after many hundreds of euros and a few detours, we were left with more memorable memories. More vivid, more dynamic, and more unique than if everything had gone off without a hitch.
Nine times out of ten, the harsh environment caused us to huddle closer and smile harder. Each evening we arrived back to the hotel soaked and eager to recount the adventure with strangers at the bar.
If it weren’t for the unexpected bricking of my mom’s phone screen, we wouldn’t have ventured up the steepest hills in Porto to get to a repair shop before closing hours. A story we’ll be debating with each other for the rest of our lives.
And through every hiccup getting from point A to point B, we were forced to identify each other’s triggers and take a look at ourselves with more grace. The ultimate practice of letting go.
By the time the sun came out, we were in Barcelona and moving at a much slower pace.
Here was the first time I was able to fully appreciate the trip for all it was instead of all that could or should have been.
The art of allowing and accepting the imperfections allowed me to:
Release the pressure of being the perfect travel partner or the perfect family member.
Release the pressure to document every experience within an inch of its life.
Release the need to optimize every itinerary within an inch of its life.
Remain present in the anxiety-inducing process of getting to and from a place.
Reclaim time for some quiet when I knew I needed it.
Embrace the unexpected as a feature, not a bug, when it comes to time well spent.
Doing The Work
In my last post I talked about the steps I was taking to embody my theme for the year, “cultivate and generate.”
I’ve slipped back into the apps and realized what an energy suck they can be.
The next few weeks will be all about creation over consumption, using my time more intentionally, and reconnecting with loved ones while I’m close to home.
So how am I doing?
I’ve been working on this email for too many weeks, but it’s finally out. I made a reel on IG (lol) which feels like a creative act. I’ve been missing music. Rewatching Coachella performances and making playlists is filling the void.
I’ve been doing more dinners and couch hangs with family and friends, but not nearly enough phone calls to check in.
Final Thoughts
Do you have tendencies toward perfectionist thinking and over-optimization?
If so, where have they inadvertently sucked the joy out of the present moment?
How are imperfections adding texture to your life this week?
Thank you for checking out this year’s edition of The Ultimate Anti-Resolution Guide. You can still download this year’s PDF for free.
With love,
JP