Ever heard, Life’s an adventure! Go live it! The only problem with that philosophy is that it doesn’t come with instructions. Go live it? How? Where? 

Well, the following won’t be instructions exactly, but more of an example. A testimony. 

I was caught up in living my life, but there wasn’t much Adventure around to be had. I was caught in a rut, wheels spinning in the sand and going nowhere. 

Life was passing me by. 

If this sounds familiar at all, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Sit tight and hear my story about how I got out of that trap and found something new. A new life. A new purpose. 

Listen to how traveling and moving abroad changed my life forever.

Living in Fast-Forward But Moving Backwards

Wake up, brush teeth, eat breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch TV, then go to sleep—then wake up, brush teeth, eat breakfast, et cetera, etc., and another year goes by. 

I think to myself, “I’m 25 years—scratch that, I’m 26 years old, and I’m tired. I’m tired all the time. I’m bored. I don’t hate my job, but I don’t love it either. I can’t believe it’s already Friday again. What the heck is happening? I feel like I’m freefalling without a parachute. I can’t stop what’s happening. I have no control. I can’t believe it’s Friday already again.” 

Time was moving in fast-forward, and there was no way of slowing down! How is this happening?

Breaking the Routine: Uncovering the Mystery of Why Time Flies as We Age

I have an interesting hypothesis about why people say time goes by faster the older you get. 

Have you ever gotten into your car about to take off to work or your next destination and suddenly realized you’re in the parking lot? Wait, what happened? How’d I get here? 

Sometimes you don’t remember the drive because your brain goes on autopilot. Now, I think the same goes for our day-to-day. 

It’s a dull routine that has 100% predictability. That’s when you’re brain can shut off and go on autopilot. 

Okay, so the hypothesis: The older we get, the more routine we introduce into our lives. Routine switches our brain to where we don’t have to think. Life starts to fly by on autopilot.

I’m not saying to wipe out all of your routines and live in complete anarchy. I’m saying that the more we depend on routine to live our lives, the less we have to think and act. 

I was caught in that rut. It was just lifeless all around me. It was like people were afraid to dream or get their hopes up. It was spreading to me. It was a trap! I had to get out; I had to escape. 

Something had to change. I had to change, but I didn’t know what to do. All I knew was that I had to break the routine. 

I had to do something different.

The Decision: Something Had to Change

I was chatting with a friend one day, and we talked about some of the places we had traveled. We’d been to Europe, Mexico, Canada, and many of the fifty states. We laughed to the point of almost crying while reminiscing on some of our adventures, even as short as they were. 

Why didn’t we travel more? 

Well, we couldn’t. That was always the answer. “I can’t take off from work,” or, “It’s too expensive,” and the same conclusion, “We’ll go next year.” 

Fast forward to next year, and again, the same. “Let’s wait till next year.” 

No. Not for me. Deep inside, I knew that waiting another year would make it harder and fall back into the same excuses.

Half the battle was making the firm decision that I would travel. I was happiest when I traveled, and it always left me with a buzz even after I returned—albeit shortly lived until I got smacked right back into the hustle and bustle of the same routine. 

But it was going to be worth it. It always was. 

I decided to go on my own adventure, this time without my friend, to see something new. I had saved up to last me a month in Costa Rica. 

My Transformation was about to begin.

Exploring Opportunites and My Newfound Potential

Living in Costa Rica for a month was a great chance to see not only all the beautiful beaches, lush jungles, and volcanoes but also an excellent opportunity to visit Nicaragua, Panama, and many other Central American countries that offered their own unique perspective on life. 

The culture was flowing around me everywhere as the people waved and smiled. The smells of savory food stands parked out by intersections, and hearing Latin music playing off in the distance. 

It wasn’t just the nature and people of the land that wowed me. It was also the amazing colonial architecture of buildings that were centuries old! 

Everything was so different. I constantly adapted and learned new things, languages, and ways of opening bottles without a bottle opener. 

Something inside me was coming to life. 

My stay was quickly coming to an end, but I wasn’t ready to leave! There was still so much for me to do and learn. As the day of departure sadly arrived, an idea popped into my head.

What if I ‘missed’ my flight back home? Just another couple of weeks, no big deal.

That plane came and left, and so did two years. 

When are you coming home? Everyone wondered. Soon enough, I would tell them.

The Hero Returns

‘Soon enough’ finally came, and I was returning home. But this time, I was just going for a visit. The roles had reversed. 

Upon returning, I could already feel the difference. I was a completely different person. 

Everything around me seemed familiar, yet I had changed so much that it felt like I was seeing it all for the first time. I could feel a newfound confidence radiating, a spark that had been reignited within me. 

I used to be so shy when talking to strangers, but living abroad forced me to interact with people every day. I felt calm and cool when approaching people. I even started to crave it. To talk to someone new was a new opportunity to learn. 

I felt something reinvigorated inside me. I couldn’t wait to go back and travel some more. 

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

I’ve been living abroad for almost seven years now. 

And though time has been flying by, each year has brought me something new—a new skill, a new friend, a new experience.

I think it’s time I revise my hypothesis about why time flies by. 

Time flies when you’re having fun.

So what about you? Have you ever thought about traveling or moving abroad? If you’ve read this far, then chances are that the same driving force is pushing you too. 

Get out of that rut you’re in. Go try something new! 

Remember, Life’s an adventure. Go live it!